Festival Theatre is excited to announce their Creativity Camps for summer, 2016! These week-long day camps will be held throughout the area.
 
July 11-15, Clear Lake Community Center, WI
July 18-22, St. Croix Falls Middle School, WI
August 1-5, St. Croix Falls Middle School, WI
August 8-12, Grantsburg Public Library, WI
August 15-19, Frederic Elementary School, WI
 
At Festival Theatre, we believe that every child deserves a voice. Creativity Camp empowers young creators to express themselves through their art and gain self-confidence in the creative process. Each student is challenged to let their imagination run wild in our week-long art exploration. Creativity Campers will work in four artistic disciplines each day: visual art, drama, literary arts, and creative movement.
 
Featuring teaching artists from around the country who perform in Festival Theatre's summer repertory, these camps emphasize process based learning and personal satisfaction with one’s own work. "We believe learning through the arts develops individuals that are team players, innovative thinkers, multi-versed interpreters, and compassionate, tolerant members of society," states Seth Kaltwasser, Festival Theatre actor. "Socially, intellectually, creatively, and emotionally, individuals who experience the arts on a regular basis are better equipped to meet the challenges of our changing world."  He adds, "It's also a whole lot of fun!"
 
Fees for the camp are only $85 per week which includes all supplies. Creativity Camp is held Monday through Friday8:30-3:30 for ages 5-12. Festival Theatre is able to offer affordable arts education opportunities thanks to our lead corporate sponsor, Royal Credit Union.
 
For youth ages 12 and up, Festival Theatre is offering two, week-long Youth Acting Intensives. The first week, Tuesday, July 5th through Saturday, July 10th, will focus on selecting monologues and proper audition preparation. The second week, Monday, July 25th through Friday, July 29th, will delve into the art of two person scenes. These intensives are $85 per week and run 8:30am-4:30pm.

For more information or to register for Creativity Camps or Youth Acting Intensives contact the Festival Theatre box office at 715.483.3387, email festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com or visit festivaltheatre.org/arts-education.

There are only three chances left to catch Festival Theatre’s “Fully Committed” by Becky Mode.  After opening their 2016 season in the new Franklin Square Black Box location, audiences have been raving about the show and the new space.
 
Chloe Armao shines playing 40 characters in the show, giving each life and specificity that never wanes in the hilarious 75 minutes.  Jeanne Wallis shared, “One of the funniest shows I've seen in a long time. Chole Armao gives an amazing performance in her one woman show. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.” 
 
Under the direction of Interim Artistic Director Andrew Bradford Benson, Chloe plays Sam Peliczowski, an out-of-work actor who mans the reservation line at Manhattan’s number one restaurant while struggling to jumpstart her career and fulfill family obligations. Stopping at nothing to land a reservation, Sam deals with callers who resort to coercion, threats, bribes, and histrionics. A graduate of The University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, Chloe Armao performed in Crazy For You and A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Festival in 2013. Last year she performed as Abigail in The Crucible at the Guthrie Theatre.  She’s thrilled to return to the Festival stage, “I’m grateful to the community of St. Croix for the opportunity to tackle such an exciting and challenging show.  I’ve had a blast creating all of these characters to share with you, and I hope that you enjoy!”
 
This show is the first chance for audiences to see Festival Theatre’s new Franklin Square Black Box in action.  With the City of St. Croix Falls planning renovations of the Civic Auditorium in 2016, Festival is taking shows to new locations, with “Ole and Lena Win a Cruise” in Scandia Feb 20th and 21st and “The Grapes of Wrath” in Scandia during April.  The next show to perform in this new space is Treasure Island, Festival's first Youth and Family in 2016, opening March 11th.
 
There are only 3 shows left of “Fully Committed”, Friday, February 19th at 7:30, Saturday, February 20th at 7:30 and the closing performance Sunday, February 19th at 2:00.

Comedy, poetry, music and improv – it must be Festival Theatre’s Hopelessly Romantic Valentine’s event coming up quickly on Sunday, February 14, beginning at 7:30 pm.

All are welcome to the Franklin Square Black Box for a fun evening with drinks, your favorite acting company and guest artists, who specialize in bringing a humorous, jaded, sardonic and/or satiric look at romance.  This occasion marks Festival’s seventh annual Valentine’s evening special, hosted by the incredible Ed Moersfelder with music by Nancy Conger and improvisational comedy and performance by Andrew Benson, Seth Kaltwasser, Abi Leveille and Elizabeth Albers.  To win a prize, all are invited to enter the poetry contest—write a sonnet, haiku, limerick or free verse and bring it with you to share at the event. 

Come prepared to laugh, flirt and propose to your favorite love! Tickets are selling quickly at $15 per person, and can be purchased online, by calling the box office, or at the door. Reservations are recommended as space is limited in the Franklin Square Black Box 

After weeks of preparations, Festival theatre is proud to open “Fully Committed” by Becky Mode in their new Franklin Square Black Box location (across the street from Tangen Drug Store).  This devastatingly funny show features Chloe Armao, a Festival Theatre favorite, playing 40 different characters throughout the show.
 
This show is the first in the 2016 theatre series, under the direction of Interim Artistic Director Andrew Bradford Benson, "I have not laughed this much in a long time. Working on this show and discovering these characters with Chloe leaves my stomach hurting from all the fun we're having. Every day Chloe finds new ways to make me laugh."
 
Chloe plays Sam Peliczowski, an out-of-work actor who mans the reservation line at Manhattan’s number one restaurant while struggling to jumpstart her career and fulfill family obligations. Stopping at nothing to land a reservation, Sam deals with callers who resort to coercion, threats, bribes, and histrionics. A graduate of The University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, Chloe Armao performed in Crazy For You and A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Festival in 2013. Last year she performed as Abigail in The Crucible at the Guthrie Theatre.  She’s thrilled to return to the Festival stage, “I’m grateful to the community of St. Croix for the opportunity to tackle such an exciting and challenging show.  I’ve had a blast creating all of these characters to share with you, and I hope that you enjoy!”
 
Fully Committed is a great way to bring some laughter into the darker winter months, “It is so much fun to watch Chloe transform into forty completely different characters over the course of an hour and a half,” said Elizabeth Albers, who has been the stage manager throughout the rehearsal process, “Her knack for accents and eccentric characters is so impressive. The show is an absolute riot!” 
 
This show is the first chance for audiences to see Festival Theatre’s new Franklin Square Black Box in action.  With the City of St. Croix Falls planning renovations on the Civic Auditorium in 2016, Festival is taking shows to new locations throughout the St. Croix Valley, with Ole and Lena Win a Cruise playing at the Scandia Community Center February 20th and 21st.

Festival Theatre’s expansive 2016 season is about to begin and they are proud to announce the cast of Treasure Island, opening March 11th in the new Franklin Square Black Box performance space.  After one of the biggest youth auditions in Festival’s history, Festival wishes to thank everyone who auditioned for the show.
The show was adapted by Joseph George Caruso from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Interim Artistic Director Andrew Bradford Benson will direct this year’s first Youth and Family Series show.  When Treasure Island premiered Off-Broadway, it received unanimous critical acclaim, The New York Times called it an ‘inventive classic.’ Treasure Island is certainly one of the most durable adventure stories of all time, with the villainous Long John Silver following young Jim across the ocean to search out a buried fortune on Treasure Island.  
The youth cast includes 11 local youth actors, both new and some returning to Festival's stage. 
Four of the youth hail from St. Croix Falls, Cade and Ella Anderson, Jerry Eisen, and Brecken Styles are returning youth artists.  Olivia Dodge of Osceola, WI, North Hinze of Siren, WI, and Morgan Johnson of Osceola, WI will lend their talents in this adventure tale.  Filling out the youth cast are Viktor Knigge of Cushing, WI, Journie Rosenow of Dresser, WI, Gideon Schmidt of Milltown, WI and Alexis Slater of Grantsburg, WI.  The youth are joined by Abi Leveille, one of Festival’s guest artists, as Auntie Nan.
 
Preview night is Tuesday, March 10th at 7:30 PM.

Tickets are $13.50 for adults and $8.50 for students (ages 5-25) and can be purchased at FestivalTheatre.org, emailing festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com or by calling the box office at 715-483-3387.   Student matinee’s are filling up fast and are available and can be reserved by calling the box office. Festival Theatre has been transplanted to the Franklin Square Black Box, 125 N. Washington Street, St. Croix Falls WI. across the street from Tangen Drug Store.