Wabeno Area Players To Host Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre 2020 Conference

March 27th and 28th of 2020, the Wabeno Area Players will be hosting the Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre’s Annual Conference.  The Players were chosen for this honor for many reasons.  The quality of the organizations productions, community commitment to the arts, the variety of their productions, state-of-the-art performance venue (Nancy Volk Auditorium, Wabeno High School) and the leader in arts education in our communities.  The conference will be held at the Wabeno High School and lodging accommodations will be at local establishments throughout the area.

The conference will focus on workshops devoted to community theatre or high school theatre. Workshops are led by experts that have or are working with community/high school theatre in many areas.  These workshops are for those with experience, little experience, or no experience in producing a theatrical production.  The workshops are open to adults and students as well.  Anyone interested or involved in theatre is welcome to attend.  These workshops would include:  acting, directing, stage management, improvisation, sound & lights, volunteerism, AACTFest, and state community theater networking. This is also a great opportunity to get to know other theatre people from around the state, share ideas, possibly exchange costumes or props, and have a great time.

The Wabeno Area Players production of Play On will be the featured performance at the conference.  Play on will be performed Thursday-Saturday, March 26th-28th 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 29th 2:00 p.m.  Every performance will be open to the public.  Play On is the hilarious story of a theatre group trying desperately to put on a play in spite of maddening interference from a haughty author who keeps revising the script. Act I is a rehearsal of the dreadful show, Act II is the near disastrous dress rehearsal, and the final act is the actual performance, in which anything that can go wrong, does. When the author decides to give a speech on the state of the modern theatre during the curtain calls, the audience is treated to a madcap climax and a thoroughly hilarious romp. Even the sound effects reap their share of laughter.

The mission of the Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre is to foster and encourage the development of the highest standards of community theaters in Wisconsin, including standards of excellence for production, management, governance, community relations, and service to the community and state. We strive to increase communication among theaters, provide educational forums, and performance opportunities for Wisconsin’s community theaters.  WACT sponsors a festival competition connected with the American Association of Community Theatre’s national festival.  Over the past years we have sent shows to the regional and national competition.  The organization is also a 501c3 organization as well as the Wabeno Area Players.

For more information about the conference, Wabeno Area Players or the Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre please call (715) 889-1606 or email wabenoareaplayers@gmail.com

An Evening at the Piano with Friends

JULY 26 & 27
7:00 p.m.
TOWNSEND TOWN HALL
$10 TICKETS

We are transforming this venue into an intimate setting everyone will enjoy! The music of Sinatra, Broadway and so much more. A cash bar will be available with table service.  As always, complimentary popcorn will be served.  Tickets can be purchased at the door only. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. so you can choose your table and enjoy a beverage or two before the show. 

The goal of this event is to raise funds for the Wabeno Area Players Fine Arts Series.  The Players are committed to bringing quality performances to area at the Nancy Volk Auditorium at Wabeno High School.  This performance space is the premier theater venue in Forest and Northern Oconto Counties.  The organization brings in performing arts groups to perform in the evening as work with the students in the area schools during the day.

For more information please call (715) 889-1606, email us at wabenoareaplayers@gmail.com or our website: www.wabenoareaplayers.org.

Look what’s coming up!!!!!

AN EVENING AT THE PIANO WITH FRIENDS

JULY 26 & 27

7:00 p.m.

TOWNSEND TOWN HALL $10 TICKETS

We are transforming this venue into an intimate setting everyone will enjoy!  The music Sinatra, Broadway and so much more.  Tickets can only be purchased at the door.  Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. so you can choose your table and enjoy a beverage or two before the show. 

For more information please call (715) 889-1606.

A Night At The Museum: Legend and Lore of Our Logging Days


Wabeno Logging Museum site of A Night At The Museum.  Located in downtown Wabeno

On Wednesday, June 5th at 7:00 p.m., at the Wabeno Logging Museum (located in downtown Wabeno), an evening of entertainment and fun will be waiting for all who attend.

This is a Readers Theater event and part of the Players extended Fine Arts Series. Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased at the door. The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. for those wishing to take a tour and enjoy the rich history the museum has to offer. A cash bar will be available along with free popcorn while it lasts.

All the selections being performed are written by local writer Mike Monte. The stories are a mix of local stories and lore of the area. You get to be the judge of what legend, lore or fact. These entertaining selections are sure to put a smile on your face.

A free will offering will be available to raise funds for the museum. We want to keep the rich history and artifacts alive for many years to come.

For more information please call (715) 889-1606 or email wabenoareaplayers@gmail.com.

Rebel Drama Technical Crew

In the few months before the lights come up and the Rebel Drama shows begin, there are hundreds of hours of preparation that go into the sets, props, lighting, computer, and sound systems. There is a special group of young artists, builders, and technical specialists that step up to make sure that our Rebel Drama productions provide the level of high-quality entertainment that our audiences have enjoyed for many years.

This year’s production, ​We Will Rock You, ​provided some special challenges. The vision of the production was to provide a futuristic scenario of society underscored by the classic rock and roll music of the band Queen. Much of the set used the shades of red, blue, green, and yellow described as “Google Colors”, along with some scenes that were more drab hues that depicted the wasteland and ruins of iconic settings like the Las Vegas Hard Rock Cafe and the gates at the entrance of Graceland, in Memphis.

(Back row L-R) Seth Riebe, Kelly Boor, Evan Thomas, Logan Riebe, Ted Gust, Kierra O’Keefe (Front Row L-R) Mr. Pat Lowery, Annalise Sommers, Morgan Mattern, Myla Volk, Jordan Calhoun, Kelsey Beaber (Not pictured) Alexis Childress, Riley Godin

Some of the tasks that the crew had were to construct platforms, steps, and walls that span almost forty feet across the stage and include an eight-foot rear projection screen, as the base set. Other challenges this year included building an eight by twenty-foot replica of the Graceland gates (on wheels so that it could be moved in a matter of seconds), programming and operating over a hundred stage lights, wireless microphone sound checks for every member of the cast, fog and bubble machines, and building the space on stage for a live rock band.

During the run of the show, scene changes have to be quick and precise to keep the rhythm and flow of the performance moving. Set changes are made while the stage is dark, and the running crew has to work together much like a NASCAR pit crew. These changes are practiced, timed, and evaluated to become as efficient as possible while still remaining safe for the crew and cast members.

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