Support Northern Sky Theater

Our 2022 End of Year Letter

Dear Friends,

Everyone loves a carnival, right? Picture yourself on the midway with your favorite rides before you: the carousel, the tilt-a-whirl, the roller coaster. For us at Northern Sky, this past season was like being on all three of those rides at the same time: thrilling, but head-spinning.

In some ways, 2022 was like climbing on a carousel—joyful, familiar and affirming. We returned to Northern Sky “normal” for the first time since 2019. We programmed two world premieres: Love Stings and Sunflowered. We hired a full company of technicians and interns, designers and directors, musicians and authors. And we ran Dad’s Season Tickets in the Gould at the same time as our full season in the Park: our first attempt at concurrent indoor/outdoor programming. We knew running both venues at once would be challenging, but we were thrilled to be facing that challenge in person, together.

We also buckled in for the dizzying spin of the tilt-a-whirl, because we knew 2022 would bring another challenge: bringing audiences back to theater-going after two years of changed behavior. But lo and behold, you did come back! Well, mostly. In keeping with national trends, attendance was down about 25% from pre-pandemic levels, a dip we attribute to folks’ ongoing hesitancy to attend public events.

What we could not have predicted was the loop-de-loop roller coaster: an outbreak of Covid that profoundly affected our season. We took strict Covid precautions all year, masking throughout rehearsals and hiring understudies for every role in the season. Nonetheless, the week of July 4, Covid broke out aggressively in our company. At the busiest part of the Door County tourist season, just as our momentum was building, we lost nineteen performances to Covid.

We are so proud of our 2022 season. You gave us more positive feedback this year than ever before. You raved about the amphitheater improvements and the beautiful Gould Theater. And you told us how refreshing it is to see more diversity in the stories we tell and the artists who tell them.

Despite these highs, the lows of 2022 left us facing a significant financial setback. We’re not alone: nationwide, theater is one of those industries still getting socked by the effects of the pandemic. To get back on track for 2023, we need more help than usual this fall. Our goal is ambitious: nearly double what we normally ask of you this time of year.

Good news: we’ve got a match! A number of generous donors, including several members of our board, have joined forces to kick things off with a $170,000 challenge gift. This gift will essentially double your end-of-year support. That’s no small thing! With your help, we can shore up our losses and forge ahead with gusto.

Your support during our recent Rekindle Campaign showed us that you understand the challenges of creating theater in these unprecedented times. We are so very grateful for your incredible continued support.

Please consider making a generous donation to Northern Sky this year—and please take a look below this letter to see what we have in store for next year! We know the carnival ride of 2023 is going to be just fantastic, and there’s no one we’d rather enjoy that ride with than you.

SEE YOU UNDER THE STARS,

Jeffrey Herbst, Artistic Director
Dave Maier, Managing Director
Holly Feldman, Associate Managing Director

Board of Directors

Mailing Address: 9058 County Road A, Fish Creek, WI 54212

To learn more about what including Northern Sky in your estate plans might look like, please contact Holly Feldman at holly@northernskytheater.com or 920-854-6117 x1005.

Company Match

Many companies will match their employees’ donations to non-profit organizations. If your employer participates, please contact them and let them know you would like them to match your donations to Northern Sky. They will have some paperwork for you to complete.

Fred Alley New Musical Fund

Northern Sky produces original musical works. A new show can take three years of writing and workshopping before it is ready for production. Northern Sky needs to provide for our authors and directors with financial resources and time to continue bringing you the excellent shows that have become a standard for Northern Sky. 

Consider a Gift of Stock or Securities

A gift of stock can provide much needed support for Northern Sky and offers you financial benefits as well. Publicly traded securities (stocks, bonds, etc.) may be transferred to Northern Sky, entitling you to an income tax reduction for the full market value of the securities. For more information on how to transfer your securities to Northern Sky, contact Dave Maier at the Northern Sky Office, (920) 633-3227.

If you have any questions, please call Holly Feldman at (920) 633-3228 or send an email to holly@northernskytheater.com.

Our Mailing Address: Northern Sky Theater, 9058 County Road A, Fish Creek, WI, 54212

Constellation Campaign

On August 30, 2019, we opened the doors to our new home. It was a dream that could only be realized with your extraordinary help, and you answered the call. We are thrilled to report that the attendance for our first-ever world premiere in the Gould Theater was record-breaking, marking the most successful fall season we’ve had since we did our first fall show twenty-seven years ago. It’s all a testament to your loyalty and your willingness to literally follow us wherever we might happen to break out in song. Check out the link below to see our flyover, building update, join us for a tour in person, or pledge to help us finish everything we set out to do.

https://constellationcampaign.northernskytheater.com/