Summer, to me, is about escape, relaxation and rejuvenation for the mind, body and soul. It is the time of year when activities can be planned both indoors and outdoors in relative comfort. It is also the time when people can gather together in backyards, parks, performance venues…well, just about anywhere! For the residents and visitors of Door County, we are blessed with an abundance of opportunities considering our scenic beauty, state and county parks, our 300 miles of coastline and our exceptional cultural offerings.
This summer we may all need a place to “escape” from the news of the day and forget our worries…if for only a few hours, a place where you can gather with friends and family and celebrate all that is good about life. What better place than Peninsula Players? Consider our Beer Garden an extension of your backyard where you gather and reconnect over a picnic dinner. And the view! Ahhh, there are few things more beautiful than an evening sky over peaceful Green Bay, the sight of Chambers Island in the distance and at times white pelicans bobbing on the horizon. That right there is worth the price of admission!
If you are like me, the summer is gone before you realize you have not taken advantage of all that Door County offers us during the busy summer season. Chances are it is because your summer is as busy as mine. But, I kick myself every year when the final few leaves fall off the trees and I realize many of Door County’s cultural institutions will soon go dormant for the off-season, and I missed out.
So much is here to celebrate about summer! At Peninsula Players we are currently celebrating the Midwest premiere of Mark Twain’s “Is He Dead?” This show is truly a madcap, hysterical comedy that will make your stomach hurt with laughter. Adapted by comedic master David Ives, “Is He Dead?” is art imitating life imitating art. The premise, a painter’s work not truly appreciated until its creator has passed, is often the case in our world, especially in our current world which is obsessed with instant celebrity and the worship of the mantra “new, next, now.” How ironic it is to watch the show unfold and witness the fact that we really have not evolved so much as people since Mark Twain wrote this piece more than 100 years ago. The saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” is certainly true.
In the past two decades we have become ultra focused on the collection of consumer status symbols…even when we couldn’t afford them. And worse than that, the concept of planned obsolescence seemed to be accepted, and a “throw away” society was not only born, but it bred, as well. Perhaps the one good thing that will come out of the current financial crisis is we will all realize we need less to be happy, and we will give more of ourselves. Additionally, perhaps more individuals will remember the simple things in life that make us happy, like gathering with friends and family for a picnic dinner and enjoying an evening of theater in a true Door County icon that is Peninsula Players.
Brian Kelsey is the Peninsula Players Managing Director in his 2nd season with the Players.
Archived Players Pens
Please contact our box office at 920-868-3287 for more information.
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Member of Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance
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