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The Wabeno Area Players present “The Wild Women of Winedale” September 26, 27, and 28!

The Wabeno Area Players are proud to present another entertaining and lively comedy, The Wild Women of Winedale. This show will prove it is never too late to take a different path in life that will lead to a grand new adventure. Shows are September 26, 27, and 28 at the Nancy Volk Auditorium in Wabeno, Wisconsin.

The Wild women are from generations of Virginia’s Wild family. Their story is realistic and told with witty humor by Jones, Hope and Wooten, playwrights who wrote for the popular TV series, The Golden Girls. The engaging Wild Women, Fanny, Willa, and Johnnie Faye, are grappling with the “encroachment” of the golden years, the loss of loved ones, and shifts and turns in their search for purpose in life. Secrets and old rivalries are revealed and provide fuel for hijinks and hilarity. It is a rollicking rollercoaster ride!

The Wild women have gathered because their lives are about to be upended by the passing of their beloved Aunt Hester, the Wild family matriarch. It is also Fanny’s 70th birthday. Fanny, played by Sue Ferguson, is the family caretaker who keeps everyone’s belongings as they move out or die. Willa, Fanny’s younger sister, is played by Linda Harter. She is a nurse who has suffered some hard knocks in life and is attempting to handle unmanageable stress. She has tried many things, but mainly resorts to using her sharp tongue with teasing and sarcasm. Johnnie Faye (Jef), played by Carol Bartlein, is their widowed sister-in-law and family drama queen. She just wants to be accepted into the family and find a new man. Their story is a journey of hope and change as we see the Wild women support, challenge and irritate each other into the next phase of life.

Weaving through the scenes with the Wilds, are Fanny’s interviews for the local museum’s documentary project that asks, “What is one moment that changed your life forever?” Six women share their life-defining moments. These vignettes are like slices of sweet peach pie that complement the main dish! The audience is treated to more laughs, sighs, highs and lows, as Doreen (Joan Sackett), Betty (Lori Mattern), Glenda (Linda Boatright), Flo (Joan Sackett), Nora (Jenny Eakley) and Edith (Lori Mattern) tell their sensitive and gigglicious stories.

The Wild Women of Winedale is directed by Joshua Jameson, assisted by Jesse Smith. It is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. All performances are held at the Nancy Volk Auditorium, 4325 Branch Street, in Wabeno, Wisconsin. Performances are at 7 p.m. September 26 and 27, with a 2 p.m. matinee performance on September 28. Tickets are $15/adults and $10/students and are on sale now by clicking the “BUY NOW” button below or can be purchased at the door starting one hour before each show. Get ready for hilarity that is sometimes sarcastic, sometimes sharp, but always heart-warming and entertaining. It is like all Wabeno Area Players “don’t-miss-this-one” shows!

Want to spend a hot Wisconsin weekend with three best buddies, talking about the Packers, food, bait, and beer in their beloved ice-fishing shanty on the lake? Then, enjoying the hilariously funny comedy musical, “Guys on Ice”, July 25, 26 and 27, at Wabeno’s Nancy Volk Auditorium is where you must be.

The Wabeno Area Players are thrilled to present this purely Wisconsin comedy which was first produced in Door County in 1998. The play is about Marvin, Lloyd and Ernie escaping reality during the bitter cold of winter, trading ice-fishing jokes and talking about life in Wisconsin, as they jig their poles and patiently wait for ‘the big one” to bite.

Marvin and Lloyd are played by life-long friends Ted Harter and Josh Jameson. They began developing their great comedy duo while students in the Wabeno School District. They return to the stage, named for their favorite teacher, to create wonderful moments acting and singing together after a 30-year hiatus.

Jameson plays the bachelor Marvin, who is striving to land a big fish, the check-out girl at the Pick ‘n’ Save with the Packer tattoo and a new job as a cable TV fishing show host. Harter, who plays Lloyd, has his own issues. Lloyd’s wife has left him because he chose to attend a football game at Lambeau Field to watch his cherished Packers, instead of celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with his cherished wife.

Throughout the day in their mancave-on-ice, Lloyd and Marvin are visited by their friend Ernie the Moocher, who is played by Antigo’s Chad Luerssen. Luerssen has the honor of playing the guy with the reputation of never bringing any beer and borrowing things, but not returning them. He also conducts the laugh-to-tears halftime, which involves audience participation.

The music in “Guys on Ice” is both funny and heart-warming. The song titles include: Ode to a Snowmobile Suit (with rhythms done on the zippers), Fish is the Miracle Food and The One That Got Away. The audiences will be delighted with the great voices which Harter, Jameson and Luerssen bring to the stage.

The Wabeno Area Players will present “Guys on Ice” on Friday, July 25 at 7:00pm, Saturday, July 26 at 2:00pm AND 7:00pm, and Sunday, July 27 at 2:00pm. All performances are at the Nancy Volk Auditorium, 4325 Branch Street, Wabeno, Wisconsin.

“Guys on Ice” is directed by RJ Chickey and produced by Josh Jameson. The music director is Mary Ellen Keller. For more information, email the Players at wabenoareaplayers@gmail.com or call 715-473-5466 or 715-889-0306. This show is a comedy for all ages. It was especially written for those who love to laugh, love the outdoors and love Wisconsin!

Tickets are available now by clicking here!

Tickets will also be sold at the door starting one hour before each performance. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.

Auditions will be:

Sunday, June 22, 2025 at 4 p.m.

Monday, June 23, 2025 at 6:00p.m.

at the Wabeno Town Hall, 4473 N. Branch St., Wabeno, WI 54566

About the show…

This comedy focuses on three women at a crossroads in their lives–the wild sisters of Winedale. These feisty and fun, loving ladies have supported and cheered on one another through life’s highs and lows through the years, including the early demise of two of their husbands. They really need each other now as one experiences a hilariously inappropriate reaction to her 60th birthday, while another is so stressed out from her nursing job she resorts to vodka and speed knitting to cope, and another one is determined to put her a fraught widowhood behind her. She desperately tries to find a man, preferably one with a house since hers is somewhere at the bottom of the Florida sink hole. These women’s lives are further upended by the responsibility of caring for their free spirited ailing Aunt and the realization that they are drowning under loads of family, keepsakes, and possessions that nobody wants, especially them! Wicked with equal doses of hilarity and heart, these extraordinary women come up with delightful and surprisingly unorthodox ways to clear the clutter from their lives, their homes and their relationship so they can move their lives forward. Together they prove it’s never too late to take another one of life’s paths for a brand new adventure. This comedy is guaranteed to drive you wild with laughter.

REHEARSALS:

Rehearsals are planned for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings (6-8 pm) and an occasional Sunday beginning the week of August 4th. Actors will only be called for rehearsals for which they are needed. You will not be needed for rehearsals every night until we are closer to the performances. The schedule will be finalized after the cast is posted.

What to expect when you audition:

You will be asked to do a cold reading from the script. Don’t be nervous, everyone will be doing the same thing. We also ask that you please bring your calendar or schedule so that you may fill out any conflicts you might have with the rehearsal schedule. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you can move in. If you have any questions, please call (715) 889-1606.

Wabeno Area Players
Open Auditions
Guys On Ice
6:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Wabeno Town Hall

A little about the show…

The story of two ice fishing buddies from Northern Wisconsin who talk and sing about life, love and the one that got away. In their ice fishing shanty, long-time pals Lloyd and Marvin keep warm with a mutual appreciation for good bait, cold beer and the Green Bay Packers. As Marvin anxiously awaits his opportunity to appear on a cable TV fishing show and share secrets of his life on da’ lake, Lloyd ponders a recent squabble with his wife concerning plans to spend their anniversary at Lambeau Field, and both pals scramble to protect their cold ones from fellow angler Ernie the Moocher.

Audition materials below:

For questions about auditions or the show please call (715) 889-1606

The Wabeno Area Players are proud to present our first main stage production of 2025! Join for us for this laugh-out-loud comedy about a convent with a few bad habits. Romance, hijinks, and intrigue abound in this Tom Smith farce.

Shows are April 11th and 12th at 7pm or Sunday at 2pm.

Tickets are available online by clicking here or an hour prior to showtime at the door. Tickets are 15 dollars for adults and 10 for students. All performances in the Nancy Volk Auditorium at Wabeno High School.