Peninsula Players Theatre presented a reading of Joseph Zettelmaier’s “Haunted: The Great Lakes Ghost Project” on Monday, March 2, to a capacity crowd at Björklunden. This collection of Midwest ghostly tales from around the Great Lakes region captivated those in attendance.
Several years ago Zettelmaier, a Michigan-based playwright, began a journey across the Great Lakes States to collect a wide variety of ghost stories; true otherworldly encounters by Midwesterners from Indiana to Wisconsin. Over time, he wove these tales of the supernatural into a theatrical piece that asks…“Do you believe in ghosts?”
“Last year our presentation of ‘Tales of Men and Ghosts’ by Steve Pickering was very well received,” said Managing Director Brian Kelsey. “Greg Vinkler, our artistic director, is a very passionate enthusiast of a classic scary story. We are thrilled others find themselves spellbound by these prickling tales of suspense and ethereal experiences.”
In 2018, Peninsula Players produced Zettelmaier’s two-person drama “Salvage.” Zettelmaier is a four-time nominee for the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, and in 2011, his play “Dead Man’s Shoes” won the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award.
Participating in the play reading were Peninsula Players veteran performers from the 2019 world premiere of “A Trick of the Light,” Cassandra Bissell (“Silent Sky,” “Miss Holmes”), Neil Brookshire (“Silent Sky,” “A Murders is Announced,” “The 39 Steps”) and Hayley Burgess. Joining them was Door Shakespeare’s Managing Director, Amy Ensign (“Almost, Maine.”) The cast was under the direction of Greg Vinkler, the Peninsula Players’ artistic director who also read the stage directions.
“Haunted: The Great Lakes Ghost Project” is part of the Peninsula Players winter program, The Play’s the Thing, and is funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin, as well as generous grants from Door County Medical Center, Friends of Door County Libraries and operating funds from Peninsula Players Theatre.
The Play’s the Thing 2020 concludes with “Eternity” by Wisconsin native Michael Cochran on Monday, April 6, at 7 p.m. at Björklunden.
Peninsula Players Theatre is America’s Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre. The Play’s the Thing is part of the Players’ continuing winter outreach programming, presenting professional play readings for the public. Individual, season and group tickets are now on sale for the 2020 season. Learn more about Peninsula Players 2020 season at www.peninsulaplayers.com.