WinterWorks New Play Festival

This is an exciting evolution of Third Avenue PlayWorks’ (TAP) mission to cultivate and champion the future of contemporary American theater. Launching in February 2027 as a landmark biennial event, this festival offers selected playwrights a vital, week-long in-person workshop residency to experiment, interrogate, and elevate their scripts here in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. By pairing bold, visionary storytellers with a dedicated team of professional theatre artists and an engaged, insightful audience, WinterWorks provides the essential space and resources needed for new plays to grow from early drafts into powerful, stage-ready works.

This initiative builds directly on TAP’s exceptional track record of developing new scripts and launching them to critical acclaim. TAP has consistently proven itself to be a formidable premiering powerhouse; notable successes include Jennifer Blackmer’s I Carry Your Heart With Me, which had its world premiere at TAP and went on to receive a prestigious Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Citation. Furthermore, standout world premieres like Alec Silberblatt’s Ryan’s Pub, Trivia Night and Brian James Polak’s The Call List first found their footing here at TAP.

At Third Avenue PlayWorks, we believe the most exciting theatre is the kind that hasn’t been written yet, and the WinterWorks New Play Festival ensures our community is there for the very first spark.

Third Avenue PlayWorks has a history of producing impactful new work. The world premiere of Jennifer Blackmer’s I Carry Your Heart with Me at TAP in 2023, went on to receive a Steinberg/America Theatre Critics Association New Play Citation in 2024. World premiere productions provide a unique and memorable experience for audiences as they help to shape the play for subsequent productions while supporting the creative process as well as new artists, and it all begins with the workshop and play reading process.

“We’ve made a commitment to making new things here and it can really raise the profile of our organization, our region, and the artists who work in it,” says Jackie and Steve Kane Artistic Director Jacob Janssen. “And our audience can see the world premiere full-stage production of Brian James Polak’s The Call List this season,” Janssen went on to say.

Past WinterWorks play readings include Alec Silberblatt’s Ryan’s Pub, Trivia Night, which we went on to produce as a world premiere in our 2025 season, The Flying Corpse written by UWGB’s Thomas Campbell, Ushuaia Blue by Caridad Svich, and Murder Girl by Heidi Armbruster, which went on to successful runs at Forward Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and will be running this season at Peninsula Players.

With a track record of helping playwrights to the next level, know that you can trust us with your play!

Do you love theatre and getting lost in a great story? Are you the kind of person who enjoys discovering new voices, imagining how a script might come to life on stage, and learning what happens behind the scenes before a production ever reaches an audience?

If so, we’d love to invite you to become a volunteer play reader for Third Avenue PlayWorks’ inaugural WinterWorks New Play Festival in 2027.

As a play reader, you’ll have the unique opportunity to help shape the festival by reading and evaluating new play submissions from playwrights. We’re looking for thoughtful, curious readers from all backgrounds—whether you’re a lifelong theatre lover, an avid reader, an educator, a writer, or simply someone who enjoys engaging with compelling stories and sharing honest, constructive feedback. No previous play-reading experience is necessary; we’ll provide guidance on what to look for and how the process works.

While this is a volunteer opportunity, readers will receive a small stipend for each script they complete. Help us discover exciting new plays and be part of bringing theatre worth talking about to the TAP stage!

Third Avenue PlayWorks is located in the heart of downtown Sturgeon Bay in Door County, Wisconsin. Despite the cold, Sturgeon Bay is open year round with plenty of activities to enjoy during the snowy season.

Besides the WinterWorks New Play Festival running throughout the month of February, the arts are alive and well year round with Plum Bottom Gallery right next door. Visit the Door County Museum or Door County Maritime Museum for an indoor dose of culture.

Wine lovers will want to visit Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery, Door Peninsula Winery, or Simon Creek Winery for wine tours and tastings, but Starboard Brewing and Bridge Up Brewing have beer lovers covered as well!

Outdoor enthusiasts will delight in the beautiful ice formations at Cave Point County Park, riding the fat tire e-bike tour, or renting snowshoes or cross country skis to enjoy Crossroads at Big Creek. Of course you can always go hiking through Potawatomi or Whitefish Dunes State Parks, take a stroll around the waterfront, or take in the “Bridge Walk,” a 1.2 mile route through the wide-open spaces of Sturgeon Bay.

Sturgeon Bay also hosts the Fire & Ice Festival during February. This festival is a celebration of winter in Sturgeon Bay with luminary hikes, an igloo, and a display of stunning ice sculptures throughout downtown. This is a wildly-popular weekend in Sturgeon Bay that you won’t want to miss!

_{*Photography provided by Destination Door County, Photography by Dan Eggert.}