July 3 through August 17, 2024
Announcing New Staff
Door Shakespeare is proud to add Managing Producer, Samantha Martinson, and Artistic Associate, Elyse Edelman, to its leadership team. Both Edelman and Martinson are local to Milwaukee and eager to bring their experience to Door County. “I am energized to take part in the artistic future of a vibrant, young theater poised to expand and define its aesthetic,” regards Edelman on her new role in the company. By adding the Managing Producer and Artistic Associate positions for the 2017 season, Artistic Director Amy Ludwigsen hopes to build a sustainable leadership team. “This is a critical step forward for Door Shakespeare. With the continued support of our patrons and donors, along with the guidance of our board members, I am thrilled to announce the expansion of our staffing model to include a leadership team that will guide Door Shakespeare into our next period of growth. The addition of these two new staff positions will ensure that the organization can continue to evolve in way that is meaningful and will also provide the necessary support for our staff, audience members, students, and volunteers. ” Martinson is “thrilled to place [her] focus towards high quality audience experiences, connecting Door Shakespeare’s work to the mission and vision.” Both staff will be full time during the production season and will continue to develop with the organization throughout the off-season.
Elyse Edelman, Artistic Associate, has been seen on stage in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and other cities across the United States. Credits include multiple productions with: Door Shakespeare, American Players Theatre, First Stage, Renaissance Theaterworks, Forward Theater Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Luminous Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, Park Square Theatre, Playwright’s Center, People’s Centre Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Accidents, and Riverside Theatre in the Park, among others. In the 2017/18 Season she will appear in CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG (First Stage), SCROOGE IN ROUGE (In Tandem Theatre), and TOP GIRLS (Renaissance Theaterworks.) Elyse has spent the last nine years working for First Stage Theater Academy in a multitude of positions, ranging from Summer Academy Headmaster to Company Class Director. Also, Elyse has served as a program coordinator and teaching artist for several prestigious theaters and institutions across the nation.
Samantha Martinson, Managing Producer, is a Milwaukee-based artist and educator. As the Education Assistant at Milwaukee Chamber Theater, she assistant produces the Bi-annual Young Playwrights Festival and facilitates their playwriting partnership residencies. Samantha also works for Milwaukee Repertory Theater as their Reading Residency Coordinator, overseeing and managing their arts-integrated literacy program which is implemented throughout the Milwaukee Public School System. For the past three years, Samantha managed a local non-profit youth organization’s performing arts program focusing on social justice and reform through art. Most recent performance and production work includes: Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Bard & Bourbon, Windfall Theater, Splinter Group, Cooperative Performance Milwaukee, The World’s Stage, Milwaukee Youth Theater, and Ronald Reagan IB High School’s WHSFA production.
In addition to two new artistic team members, Door Shakespeare is welcoming two new Board Members, Mark Goldstein and Mary Lynn Brotherhood. Mark is a retired Elementary Educator and librarian in the Green Bay area, who carries a deep appreciation for Shakespeare and Door Shakespeare’s surrounding beauty. Mary Lynn is a Milwaukee native, and she has had a career in interior architecture and commercial space planning, working with Opus Corporation, Renner Architects and HNTB Corporations. Her three sons are all actively involved in both Door County and Milwaukee’s theater scenes.
Under the leadership of Amy Ludwigsen, Door Shakespeare’s presence in the local and regional community continues to grow and is enriched by educational programming, including Doorways: Creating Theater for Children, Pre-Show Discussions as well as Will In The Woods and Shakespeare Study Groups. Door Shakespeare’s productions have been recognized and ranked in the top 20 theatrical experiences in the state of Wisconsin in both 2013 and 2014, and also awarded Best Play for the 2016 production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM directed by Joseph Hanreddy by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Door Shakespeare’s 2017 season includes William Shakespeare’s delightful comedy, TWELFTH NIGHT and David Farr’s fast-moving and entertaining, THE HEART OF ROBIN HOOD. The season runs July 1st-August 19th, with preview performances on June 29th and 30th. All performances and events take place at the Garden in Bjorklunden in Baileys Harbor.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.doorshakespeare.com or calling the Box Office at 920.839.1500.