Peninsula Players Theatre is thrilled to announce the cast for a reading of the play In the Doorway by Sean Grennan, the second presentation of The Play’s the Thing series. Artistic Director Linda Fortunato directs an ensemble of Wisconsin-based actors that includes Casem AbuLughod, Frankie Breit, Matt Daniels, Eva Nimmer, and Karen Janes Woditsch.
In the Doorway is presented in conjunction with World Premiere Wisconsin and will be performed on Monday, March 2, at Björklunden, at 7590 Boynton Lane, Baileys Harbor, at 7:00 p.m. There is no admission fee, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Donations are welcome.
After a sudden heart attack, Jonathan finds himself stuck between this world and the next, visited by dead relatives with urgent messages and zero boundaries. In the Doorway is a sharp, funny, heart-tugging, and uplifting new play about how we all have to choose: cash it in, or truly start living.
The work of playwright Sean Grennan will be well known to Peninsula Players Theatre audiences, as four of his productions have had their world premiere here: Making God Laugh, The Tin Woman, Now and Then, and A Rock Sails By. A former actor, Grennan brings a deep understanding of the stage to all his work, infusing his plays and musicals with heart, humor, and a strong sense of humanity. Grennan’s work has been produced around the globe, including in China, England, Australia, Germany, Serbia, Latvia, Russia, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, and others.
The Wisconsin-based ensemble brings a wide range of experience, with stage credits that include Broadway, Madison, Milwaukee, and Door County favorites Northern Sky Theater and Door Shakespeare. Actors Casem AbuLughod and Matt Daniels are making their Peninsula Players Theatre debuts. They join alumni of Peninsula Players Theatre Frankie Breit (reading of Changing Channels), Eva Nimmer (Write Me a Murder and Ripcord), and Karen Janes Woditsch (Barefoot in the Park and Steel Magnolias).
Making his debut to Door County audiences, Casem AbuLughod is a Madison-based performer and teaching artist, serving as an instructor with Monkey Business Institute and as a proud member of Forward Theatre Company’s Advisory Company, where he played Ted in the World Premiere of Heidi Armbruster’s play, Murder Girl, the work to be produced this autumn as part of Peninsula Players Theatre’s 2026 season. AbuLughod is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison and holds a Master of Arts in Applied Theatre from the City University of New York.
Another Peninsula Players Theatre newcomer, Matt Daniels, is coming to Door County fresh after performing as Salieri in Skylight Music Theatre’s acclaimed production of Amadeus. Daniels is a Milwaukee-based actor, director, and teaching artist and has worked at many Wisconsin theatres across the state including Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theater, Forward Theater, and Door Shakespeare. He also sits on Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Artistic Committee and teaches for the award-winning First Stage Young Company, having received his training from Juilliard.
In addition to having appeared in 2023’s winter play reading of Changing Channels, Frankie Breit is a past participant in Peninsula Players Theatre’s internship program. Breit actively pursues film, theatre, commercial, and vocal projects and is a Media Studies and Professional Communication graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. He will be appearing in Skylight Music Theatre’s upcoming 25th Anniversary production of The Spitfire Grill this month.
Eva Nimmer is surely recognizable to Door County audiences, having performed in numerous productions at Northern Sky Theater in addition to Peninsula Players Theatre. Most recently she has performed in Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production of The Fisherman’s Daughters and has credits at Next Act Theater, Renaissance Theaterworks, and more. A multidisciplinary theatre artist, Nimmer is also the co-author of musical Dairy Heirs, which received its third production last summer.
Karen Janes Woditsch is a favorite of Peninsula Players Theatre, having performed in ten seasons, including last season’s Steel Magnolias and Barefoot in the Park. She appeared on Broadway for four years in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, where she portrayed Professor Minerva McGonagall and has worked at many theatres throughout Chicago.
The Play’s the Thing concludes with the after wife by Sophie McIntosh on Monday, April 6.
The Play’s the Thing is funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as generous support from Friends of Door County Libraries, Patrick O’Hearn & Anita Zipperer, The Shubert Foundation and operating funds of Peninsula Players Theatre.
Peninsula Players Theatre is America’s oldest professional resident summer theatre. It is unique in the country for its diverse productions, continued loyalty to a resident company, and beautiful setting of 16 wooded acres along the cedar-lined shores of Green Bay. In the past 91 years, the theatre has become a Door County landmark and cornerstone arts institution, attracting audience members nationwide. To learn more about Peninsula Players Theatre, visit www.peninsulaplayers.com.