Third Avenue PlayWorks has scheduled what artistic director Jacob Janssen says is "a season of grand adventures," including a world premiere, a supposed behind-the-scenes look at the making of a film classic and the traditional adaptation of a holiday classic, for the downtown Sturgeon Bay theater's 2026 season, unveiled in an Instagram video with Janssen posted on TAP's website.
The WBFR Radio Players are back on the Third Avenue PlayWorks stage for the holiday season, but this year they are taking on a different story from the Christmas canon. Rehearsals are underway, and tickets are on sale for TAP’s production of “A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play.” Featuring performances by Cassandra Bissell, Neil Brookshire, Ray Jivoff, Dan Klarer, and Rána Roman, the production delivers a 1940s-era radio experience of the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounters with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Artistic Director Jacob Janssen says audiences will get to enjoy both the “theater of the mind” and live theater on Sturgeon Bay’s 3rd Avenue.
Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP) is giving away a Sturgeon Bay holiday getaway package. The winner will receive four tickets to see A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play at TAP, plus a two-night stay at the nearby Holiday Music Motel and two candles from Door County Candle.
Radio was the “dominant electronic home entertainment medium” from the early 1920s to late 1950s in the United States, known as the Golden Age of Radio. Just as folks in the 21st century have their favorite visual series on Netflix, Amazon or Hulu, people in the first half of the 20th century had their favorite audio series/programs. Programs like The Shadow, Gunsmoke, and Little Orphan Annie had faithful listeners eagerly anticipating weekly episodes. Actors, musicians, announcers, radio and sound engineers, advertisers and others were part of a phenomena that lives on nowadays as nostalgic entertainment. Old-time radio can now be found on dedicated radio stations, podcasts, online streaming, satellite radio like SiriusXM, and in The Internet Archive.
Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP) is proud to announce its upcoming production of A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play, adapted for the stage by Joe Landry, Music by Kevin Connors, from the novella by Charles Dickens. The final show of the 2025 season at Third Avenue PlayWorks runs from December 3 through 28, 2025, featuring performances by Cassandra Bissell, Neil Brookshire, Ray Jivoff, Dan Klarer, and Rána Roman, with sound design and foley by Brian Grimm.
It’s the most famous holiday story ever told — And for nearly two centuries, it has endured because it reminds us that even the hardest of hearts can wake up to a second chance. Beneath the ghosts and the carols, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is a story about someone rediscovering the parts of himself that once knew joy, connection, generosity, and love.
Project Feed Our Neighbors was born from the government shutdown and the suspension of federal food benefits, but has highlighted a need at local food pantries and the community’s willingness to help their neighbors through the end of the year. “One week of collection and our total is just over 2,500,” said Sue Schwartz, the food drive’s Door County organizer.
With the first snow in the air and the days growing shorter, this time of year our thoughts often turn to gratitude – reflecting on the people, places and experiences that enrich our lives. Here in Door County, we are fortunate to live in a place of such astounding beauty and cultural richness. Creativity surrounds us in every part of the county, from the galleries that illuminate our towns to the performances, classes and cultural gatherings that bring us together in celebration of human expression.
Santa and Mrs. Claus ride through Sturgeon Bay during last year’s Christmas by the Bay parade. Photo by Eleanor Corbin. Destination Sturgeon Bay kicks off the holiday season with two weekends of festive fun on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 15-16, and Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22. The festivities start with the annual Christmas by the Bay parade on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 10 am.
This season we're giving away a weekend getaway in Door County at the unique Holiday Music Motel and four tickets to see A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play at Third Avenue PlayWorks in Sturgeon Bay, WI. The winner will receive a two-night stay and four tickets to the show, plus unwrap a festive experience and hand-pour 2 soy holiday candles at Door County Candle. One winner will be drawn the week of Thanksgiving, so register online today or in person at our Indoor Winter Market November 15th at TAP!
