TAP IS MOVING ON UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

It all began 12 years ago when a group of people from the community acquired the old Donna Theatre building in downtown Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and turned it into a year round community performing arts center.  However, because funds often had to be diverted to the plumbing, the roof and taxes,  production of live events at TAP was by necessity very  limited.  Its doors were open to the public less than a third of the year.  

Now that TAP is barely, but proudly, in the black - there isn't much money left for the very important and long overdue next step: to increase production of performing arts events, allowing TAP to keep its marquee lit and its doors open for most of the year, providing not only a consistent source of revenue for the theatre, but more importantly a consistent level of cultural activity for the community.

Instead of people saying "I wonder if TAP is open tonight?" we want them to say "I wonder what's happening at TAP tonight?!"

• AND HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN

This summer will finally see the long awaited transformation of TAP's back room from a giant storage area to a fully functioning 99 seat black box theatre.  Beginning in late June and continuing through mid-October, we will be presenting 4 plays - one a month - for six performances a week. We're calling it THE STAGE DOOR THEATRE.   Along with some Saturday workshops for students and Saturday night concerts on our Mainstage, this means TAP will be alive with activity all summer long and into the fall for the first time in its history!

THE PLAN

With a small army of volunteers, we are clearing out the back room, and holding a big garage sale.  Once the space is cleared, we are bringing up from the basement some of the old seats from the movie theatre days, and installing them.  We're building a new light grid, buying some lights, building a light & sound booth - in other words we are creating a brand new theatre space from scratch.

AND EVERYTHING IS READY TO START!  We have chosen the concerts and the plays and the casts, we have a lot of great volunteer help - from both individuals and local businesses - to help make this large room into a functioning theatre.  We have a small grant from a local foundation to help us pay for the lights, and the theatre is putting some of its own limited funds into the project, but we still have a lot of money to raise to make this long awaited dream into a reality. 

The funds will be used not only to help us create the new theatre space, but will help us pay for the actors, the musicians, the sets, the costumes, the marketing, the light bill - everything that goes into making a theatre a theatre. 

TAP has a chance to be what its founders wanted and meant for it to be when it was created 12 years ago - a fully functioning performing arts center and a cultural anchor for downtown Sturgeon Bay and the rest of Door County.  The more days and nights TAP is open to the public, the more people shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants, and stay in our lodging.  

We're asking for your help to get us started in order to take TAP to this next level so it can fulfill its mission of fully serving the people of this great community.

TAP's effort is being led by its small yet dedicated staff:  Robert Boles (artistic director) James Valcq (managing director) Vicki Wittenberg (office manager) Mark Theide (theatre technician), and a small army of volunteers.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING THE THIRD AVENUE PLAYHOUSE REACH TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND BEYOND!!!!!