NORTHERN SKY THEATER
Peninsula State Park, June 14-Aug. 26
Drive Time* 3 hours
› The rustic amphitheater in one of the state’s prettiest parks is filled with elated campers feasting on original musicals from the company that brought us Guys on Ice and Lumberjacks in Love. This year, Northern Sky offers four productions, including Oklahoma in Wisconsin, a 1950s-era tale of gigantic city folks who visit a family-run Wisconsin inn.
* From Milwaukee.
AMERICAN PLAYERS THEATER
Spring Green, June 10-Nov. 19
Drive Time 2 hours, 10 minutes
› This destination for summer theater is one of the few places in America where you can see large-scale productions like this season’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cyrano De Bergerac and The Three Sisters. But one of the highlights of this season is perhaps the company’s smallest play: Yasmina Reza’s The Unexpected Man (June 10-Sept. 30), starring APT company members Brian Mani and Sarah Day. Director Laura Gordon calls it “a little play with big ideas that’s driven by language.”
DOOR SHAKESPEARE
Bailey’s Harbor, July 1-Aug. 19
Drive Time 2 hours, 50 minutes
› The up-north spot famed for its classical work shakes things up a bit for its 23rd season, offering The Heart of Robin Hood, a contemporary play about the merry men in green. To balance the swordplay and derring-do, the company also presents Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, directed by Joseph Hanreddy and with familiar Milwaukee actors such as Mark Corkins, Deborah Staples and Norman Moses.
SUMMERSTAGE AT LAPHAM PEAK
Delafield, June 8-Sept. 9
Drive Time 30 minutes
› No overnight accommodations are needed for a trip to this nearby outdoor theater and concert venue. Among its offerings is the posh, tuxedoed comedy Present Laughter (July 20-Aug. 5), Noel Coward’s witty story about an actor with a not-so-serious midlife crisis.
PENINSULA PLAYERS
Fish Creek, June 13-Oct. 15
Drive Time 3 hours
› This 82-year-old American institution is the oldest “summer stock” company in America. This year’s season offers the time-tested blend of comedies, mysteries and family fare that has kept audiences coming back for generations. Among the plays, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime (Aug. 16-Sept 3.), based on an Oscar Wilde tiny story, should give a proper taste of the Peninsula style. Greg Vinkler directs. ◆
3 Arts & Culture Road Trips to Take in Wisconsin This Summer
Tune in to WUWM’s (FM 89.7) “Lake Effect” July 7 at 10 a.m. to hear more about the story.
‘Hit the Road’ appears in the July 2017 issue of Milwaukee Magazine.
Find it on newsstands beginning July 3, or buy a copy at milwaukeemag.com/shop.
Be the first to get every fresh issue. Subscribe.
