A red herring is an idiom that is a “piece of information, clue, or subject that is deliberately or accidentally used to mislead, distract, or divert attention away from the central, most important issue.” This idiom derives from the practice of using a pungent, salted, and smoked fish (herring) to draw hunting hounds off a scent. The playwright uses a literary “red herring” to mislead the audience into believing one thing, when another may be true. How many red herrings can you find in the play? The nonpungent, idiomatic kind, of course.
Selected playwrights will receive a week-long workshop, housing, and a $600 honorarium in Sturgeon Bay. Submissions are now being accepted through August 2, 2026 for the inaugural WinterWorks New Play Festival scheduled for February of 2027 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
Submissions are now being accepted through August 2, 2026 for the inaugural WinterWorks New Play Festival scheduled for February of 2027 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. “The WinterWorks New Play Festival supports the presentation and development of engaging, intimate plays that serve as a catalyst for conversation within our community,” says Jackie and Steve Kane Artistic Director and festival producer Jacob Janssen. “As a theatre operating outside of a major metropolitan hub, we believe the American narrative is vast, and varied, therefore, we are seeking plays that explore the true multiplicity of the American experience; stories that reflect the diverse textures, complex histories, and distinct voices of communities across the country.”
WinterWorks in Sturgeon Bay will be having a new play festival. Third Avenue Playworks has announced the expansion of its annual WinterWorks Play Reading Series in 2027 to the WinterWorks New Play Festival.
Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP) is looking to expand on its mission to produce impactful new work with the WinterWorks New Play Festival in 2027. The festival, announced at TAP’s annual gala June 28, builds on the WinterWorks Play Reading Series and will span the month of February with workshop readings of three new plays.
Red Herring by Michael Hollinger is the third show of the 2026 season at Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP), running from July 15 through Aug. 9, with performances by Ellie Duffey, Seth K. Hale, Carolyn Hoerdemann, Alicia Rice, Ethan Serpan and Noah Simon.
It is not easy to go from a nursing home in France to a writers' room in California to a detective's office in Boston in the span of nearly three months, but not all places are Third Avenue PlayWorks. Rehearsals have begun for TAP's next production, Red Herring. The comedy follows a female detective in Boston as she tries to solve a murder while navigating her relationship with an FBI agent during the Cold War.
At its annual gala at Stone Harbor Resort on Sunday evening, Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP) announced the expansion of their annual WinterWorks Play Reading Series in 2027 to the WinterWorks New Play Festival.
Third Avenue PlayWorks has a new play on the way. They have just announced an upcoming production of Red Herring by Micael Hollinger. This is their 3rd show of the 2026 season and will run from July 15th through August 9th.
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents formally approved local performing artist Alan Kopischke’s promotion to Associate Professor with tenure in UW-Green Bay’s Theatre and Dance Department, effective in the fall of 2026. Kopischke’s record also stood out for his continuing work as an actor, producer, stage intimacy choreographer and nonprofit board member. Kopischke most recently performed in Heroes by Tom Stoppard at Third Avenue PlayWorks, where he has also recently rejoined the board. He produces the Door Kinetic Arts Festival, which will celebrate its 10th year of developing new work in a variety of arts disciplines in September.
