Category: Performances

Wabeno Area Players 2023 Season

The Wabeno Area Players are happy to announce our 2023 season! With the new year approaching, we encourage you to mark your calendar for what is sure to be a fantastic year. For updates on shows and more, make sure to bookmark this page.

Steel Magnolias

Nancy Volk Auditorium (Wabeno High School)

Friday April 21st @ 7pm

Saturday April 22nd @ 7pm

Sunday April 23rd @ 2pm

A story of life, laughter, and loss against the backdrop of life in rural Louisiana- this tale shares the life and struggles of a group of women who meet regularly at Truvy’s in-home beauty parlor. Join us for laughter and tears as we celebrate this classic together this April.

Huisman Honor Recital

Nancy Volk Auditorium (Wabeno High School)

Saturday May 20th @ 7pm

In honor of the late Richard Huisman, we present a showcase of young Wisconsin talent. The Huisman Honor Recital celebrates high school students who have been selected to receive scholarships and offers them an opportunity to showcase their vocal or instrumental talents. Proceeds from this event go towards further funding this scholarship program.

Day at the Schoolhouse

Wabeno Old Schoolhouse (on Highway 32, across from the Christian Thrift Store)

(In the event of inclement weather, the show will be held at the Nancy Volk Auditorium)

Saturday June 24th @ 6pm

Join us for an informative and funny look back at life in Wabeno’s one room schoolhouse. This readers’ theater event examines the lives of teachers and students living in rural communities in the early 1900s. Come laugh and learn!

Those interested in participating can audition June 8th and 9th at the Nancy Volk Auditorium.

Lumberjacks and Wedding Belles

Wabeno Firefighters’ Park

Thursday August 17th @ 7pm

Friday August 18th @ 7pm

Saturday August 19th @ 7pm

Sunday August 20th @ 2pm

Music? Check. Dancing? Check. Flannel? Check. This musical has it all! We invite you to a tiny logging town where small town life is about to heat up. Will Asa defeat the villainous Mayor Crook? Will anyone stand up to the Scrubbs family? Can you stand our singing? Find out this August!

We will be holding open auditions for this show July 10th at the Nancy Volk Auditorium.

… And More!

In addition to the above shows, the Players are hard at work to set a hilarious fall show as well as schedule more events for our Fine Arts series. Watch this page for updates!

We look forward to seeing you in 2023!

Wabeno Area Players Eager to Take the Stage!

After a months-long interval between curtain calls, Wabeno Area Players (WAP) is very eager to take the stage again! And although it’s an extremely short 2021 season with only one production, it’s going to be a brilliant replay of one of WAP’s favorites: Planting Season. First performed in October 2016 and written by emeritus playwright Daniel Boatright, this is a delightful comedy that promises much laughter and levity. Here’s a teaser for you:

Digby Dye is a funeral home operator in Wabeno, whose dream career as a veterinarian was cut short by a petty politician and a barn full of dead racehorses. He and his business partner, Gustav, have unexpectedly found themselves accomplices of a fashionista, who is involved in fashion fraud. Add to the mix a mafia kingpin with an abundance of bodies to hide, plus a Kentucky bootlegger attempting to get his “old family recipe” up to thousands of thirsty Canadians, and you have the perfect prescription for hilarity! Several other characters add to the comedic chaos.

This is a show you won’t want to miss! Performances will take place at the Nancy Volk Auditorium at Wabeno High School located at 4325 Branch St. Showtimes are as follows:

Thursday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m.

There is no reserved seating for this production, and no online ticket sales. Tickets are available one hour prior to each performance and prices are $15 for adults and $10 for students.

For more information on this production and future offerings, please call (715) 889-1606 or (715) 473-5466. You may also reach out via email at wabenoareaplayers@gmail.com. Stay tuned for exciting news regarding WAP’s 2022 40th anniversary season at www.facebook.com/wabenoareaplayers.

About Wabeno Area Players, a 501c3 non-profit organization:

Founded almost 40 years ago, WAP was created as a much-needed outlet whose purpose was and is the cultural development and community involvement within the greater Forest and Oconto areas. Its ultimate goal is to entertain, inspire, educate and impact in a positive way.

The MadHatters in Concert

As part of its Fine Arts Series, Wabeno Area Players (WAP) is excited to bring to our community the a Capella group, Madhatters. The MadHatters began in 1997 as the first a Capella on the UW campus.

The musical prowess of the MadHatters has taken them to sometimes unbelievable heights. From performing at the UW Band Concert, to singing at Miller Park, the Governor’s Mansion, Lambeau Field, and the White House (twice!), the MadHatters have performed at places of which most college students can only dream. And the “gentlemen in red” are no strangers to the recording studio. Their nine albums have been greeted with acclaim both in the Madison community and abroad with their most recent album, All On Red, released in 2017. All of the MadHatters’ albums can be streamed and downloaded on Spotify, iTunes and Tidal.

WAP is so pleased that these gentlemen will be right here in Forest County. The concert takes place February 29, 2019, at the Nancy Volk Auditorium located at Wabeno High School, 4325 N. Branch St. in Wabeno. Tickets are $20 and $10 for students. For more information on this show and others or to purchase tickets online, please visit wabenoareaplayers.org, or facebook.com/wabenoareaplayers, and follow the yellow brick road!

Theatre and Fine Arts Group Announces its 2020 Season (and it’s a doozie!)

There are many things that make Forest County unique. While some are well known far and wide, some are hidden gems. Wabeno Area Players (WAP) is one of the brightest gems you’ll find in these parts.

Founded almost 40 years ago, WAP’s main mission was to bring the arts to our community by way of theatre, music and song.And for all those years, that’s just what it’s done. But hold on to your hats, folks, because the 2020 season will see WAP in overdrive!

For the first time ever, WAP is presenting 12 events over the course of every month in 2020 but December. If the sheer number of special events doesn’t impress you, the variety and high quality of them certainly will!

There’s not enough space to provide a complete list and description of the entire season, but rest assured, there’s a little something for everyone: history, music, song, comedy, and yes, even climate change. To sweeten the pot, one doesn’t have to drive far or pay big city prices for quality entertainment, and it’s right here in our own backyard!

A brief list of the season is included here, but to get the complete skinny on everything from an overview of the production andvenue to dates and ticket prices, please visit wabenoareaplayers.org, or visit WAP on Facebook at facebook.com/wabenoareaplayers.

• January: Saving Snow Documentary Viewing (Fine Arts Series)

• February: The MadHatters A Cappella (Fine Arts Series)

• March: Play On (WAP Mainstage Production)

• March: Wisconsin Association of Community Theatre Conference

• April: Wisconsin Singers (Fine Arts Series)

• May: Huisman Honors Recital (Fine Arts Series)

• June: A Night AT The Museum (Fine Arts Series)

• July: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (WAP Mainstage Production)

•August: A Night At The Old School House

• September: The Outrageous Adventures of Sheldon & Mrs. Levine (WAP Mainstage Production)

• October: The Special Consensus (Fine Arts Series)

• November: Four Old Broads (WAP Mainstage Production)

WAP exists to entertain, to inspire, to educate, and to impact in a positive way, and we hope you’ll join us in 2020! Be sure to stay tuned as more information is released each month on upcoming performances.