The Community Partner for It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Door County at Third Avenue PlayWorks in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, is our very own Education Program. A portion of the proceeds from the Pay-What-You-Will performance on December 2 will go towards our Community Partner. Those interested in attending the preview to support this organization, may arrive as early as 6:30 p.m. on the evening of the performance for general admission seating. Space is available on a first come, first served basis. Donations may be made in advance on the day of the preview (watch your email for link!), or in cash or with checks made out to Third Avenue PlayWorks once you arrive. Half of the proceeds will benefit this show’s Community Partner. There will be a donation box in the lobby during the run of It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Door County, December 2 through 27, 2026.
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Mission
At Third Avenue PlayWorks, we believe theatre should be accessible to all and serve as a catalyst for building and sustaining community. We’re committed to making theatre inclusive and relevant by exploring local history, current issues, and personal storytelling through dynamic, participatory programming. Access is at the heart of our mission.
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Services
Our Education Program brings the transformative power of theatre to students and lifelong learners across Northeast Wisconsin through classes, school shows and tours, professional development, and partnerships with local organizations. We’re committed to making theatre inclusive and relevant by exploring local history, current issues, and personal storytelling through dynamic, participatory programming.
Over the last year, our Education Coordinator has built out programs to serve a wider range of our community including theatre workshops, K-12 immersive school tours, and professional development while we continue to offer our play reading club in partnership with Door County Libraries, student matinee performances, talkbacks, and discounted tickets for students.
Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP) is one of the few arts organizations in Door County that is open year-round. Our mission focuses on serving the residents of Door County and surrounding areas with thought-provoking and uplifting productions of professional theatre, which is critical to creating a vibrant and healthy community.
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Impact
This year we not only expanded our acting classes, we also implemented a pay-what-you-will model to meet people where they are. This proved essential for our success as we doubled our enrollment to the point of increasing the class size and we even extended each adult class to include an additional six-week drop-in class. Taking away the financial barrier also allowed us to provide more school visits and we were able to accommodate several large groups of students for our Light & Sound field trip to TAP. This is the impact you have when you invest in Third Avenue PlayWorks’ Education Program. Whether in the classroom, or on the stage in the Kane Theatre, the work we do here day after day is made possible by your generosity.
STATS
- 434 Students Served
- 1000 Cumulative Instruction Hours
- 8-75 Ages Served
- 7 Off-Site Events
- 2 Sessions of Acting Classes + Drop-In Classes
- 1 Youth Summer Camp
- Plus Individual Private Acting Classes
ORGANIZATIONS SERVED
- Appleton Community Theater – Power of Play Workshop
- Bay Engineering – Professional Development
- Boys & Girls Club Camp – Youth Activities
- Door County Learning in Retirement – Adult Learning
- Gibraltar High School – Combat Workshop
- Plum Bottom Gallery – Professional Development
- Sevastopol High School – Workshop
- Sevastopol High School English Class – Mentoring
- St Peter’s Lutheran School – Light & Sound Tour
- Sunrise Elementary – Light & Sound Tour
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Challenges
At this time, the school districts we are working with do not have the budget to support the full cost of workshops unless funded by a grant opportunity or sponsored by individuals or businesses. Financial support for our programming would allow us to work in each Door and Kewaunee County school and make multiple visits, which has been proven to increase the social, emotional, and academic benefits of arts education programming.
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Goals & Priorities
We are striving to provide at least 20 workshops in the 19 schools across the Door and Kewaunee school districts and expand our classes for all ages including private lessons and our professional development program. After each workshop, TAP will dedicate staff time and resources to conducting surveys and direct conversations with educators and participants to learn about the program’s effectiveness and make adjustments to continue evolving our process and the student experience.
Workshops during the 2027 calendar year will incorporate Gibraltar, Sevastopol, Sturgeon Bay, Southern Door, and Algoma School Districts. In addition to partnership with public and private schools and home school groups throughout the county and region (including Kewaunee Co. schools), TAP is also developing or exploring partnerships with Adult Services Centers, ADRC, The Boys and Girls Club, DCLR, Door County Library System, Door County Museum, Door County YMCA, Sunshine Resources of Door County, and Write On Door County.