Third Avenue Playhouse

In the late 1990s, a group of people from the Sturgeon Bay arts, business and civic communities rallied to preserve the shuttered Donna movie theater by converting it into an arts center for live performances. Early champions of the project included respected members of the arts community like Fred Alley (American Folklore Theatre), Paul Sills (Second City & Story Theater) and Todd Schmidt and Bob Thompson (Peninsula Players Theatre), who agreed that TAP would be a welcome addition to Door County’s vibrant arts scene.

In October 2000, Third Avenue Playhouse opened its doors under the direction of Amy McKenzie and James Kaplan. The first presentation was American Folklore Theatre’s production of Guys on Ice. Their successor, Terry Lundahl presented Janis Ian, Melanie, the Siegel Schwall Band and The Vagina Monologues. Under Judy Drew’s direction, TAP inaugurated For Kids By Kids theatre camp and hosted the popular Door County Bluegrass Camp featuring local and national musicians alike.