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.
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents formally approved Alan Kopischke’s promotion to associate professor with tenure in UW-Green Bay’s Theatre & Dance Department effective in the fall of 2026. Kopischke most recently performed in Heroes by Tom Stoppard at Third Avenue PlayWorks, where he has also recently rejoined the board.
Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP) is proud to announce the upcoming production of Red Herring, by Michael Hollinger. The third show of the 2026 season at Third Avenue PlayWorks runs from July 15 through August 9, 2026, featuring performances by Ellie Duffey, Seth K. Hale, Carolyn Hoerdemann, Alicia Rice, Ethan Serpan, and Noah Simon.
In 1952, the second Red Scare is at its height. Televised Senate hearings fan the flames of suspicion, the hydrogen bomb is under development, and paranoia seeps into every aspect of American life. The fear that a communist might be around every corner—or even sharing your bed—turns neighbors into suspects and private lives into political battlegrounds. Holy Mackerel! Who couldn't use a break from such relentless pressure? Audiences came together at the cinema to see their anxiety and paranoia reflected in Film Noir or they watched screwball comedies to float for a time above those same anxieties while society’s rigid social norms were skewered with fast talking repartee and farcical situations.
As Door County professional theater companies are preparing to leave a memorable mark on the audience, here’s a look in brief at what’s coming and what theater-goers are most excited about this summer.
