For the first time in its 65 year history, the Lake Country Playhouse and Academy has announced its appointment of an Executive Director. This exciting new position will be held by Katie Berg. According to a post from the Playhouse, Berg has a deep connection to the history of the Playhouse. Her grandmother, Ruth Behrend, was a founding member of the original Playhouse. Berg herself also has served as the founder of the Playhouse Performing Arts Academy. The Academy works hard to serve its community by providing artistic educational programs throughout the year. The purpose of the Academy is to provide an inclusive space where students have the opportunity to grow their skills by using the “7 C’s of theater: Creativity, Confidence, Communication, Compassion, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Challenge“
Katie Berg’s appointment allows her to bring her years of training and experience to the Playhouse in new and creative ways. Berg received education in both theater and business from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and UW-Madison. For the past decade, she has utilized her training to help benefit the artistic community of Lake Country and the Playhouse. Berg will serve in this role alongside Sandra Renick as Artistic Director and Nancy Hurd as Business Manager.
Berg showed appreciation for her new position by stating “I am deeply honored to continue building on the foundation my grandmother helped create. Our unified leadership is a commitment to collaboration, inclusion, and inspiring the next generation of artists”.
The Lake Country Playhouse has been a part of the community since 1959. Marvin Solomon, an English teacher at Arrowhead High School, wrote a short piece for the Lake Country Reporter in which he asked if any local residents would be interested in creating a theater group. Solomon received positive responses from a few dozen people and the group agreed to meet at Arrowhead High. Their first performance was Sabrina Fair and was held in the school gym. In 2002, the group was able to acquire an old Masonic Lodge in Hartland at 221 E. Capitol Drive. Since then, the group has transformed the space and made it their home. As listed on the Playhouse’s page, the story only grows from there:
As time passed, Ruth Behrend, one of the founding members of the troupe, began directing a children’s show every summer. Her granddaughter Katie became part of this tradition at the age of 10, performing in Alice and Wonderland. At the age of 86, Ruth decided it was time to identify a successor and asked Katie, who was in college, to start directing the annual children’s show and take on a marketing role for the Playhouse. Around the same time, Katie had become friends with Kathryn Mooers. Like-minded, they loved the details in performing artistry and were inspired to start growing children in acting and production. They launched their first workshop with 18 kids signed up. That number grew to 40 the following summer with two shows. Demand grew for year-round classes and shows.
Several main stage productions are slated for the coming months. These include The Dining Room, Tinker Bell, and Jekyll And Hyde: The Musical. Classes are also available year round thanks to Katie’s work in forming the Academy.
