The mission of the Wabeno Area Players is to provide quality musical and theatrical experiences for the greater community.

Welcome to the world of Wabeno Area Players. We founded our organization over 25 years ago. Our members are comprised of local artists and community members who came together to create this valuable community based outlet for cultural development and community involvement in the cultural development of the Greater Forest and Oconto County Areas. The mission of Wabeno Area Players is to lead a culturally diverse collective of local artists to provide a quality, accessible, and affordable theater arts experience for the community, by the community.

Website: www.wabenoareaplayers.org

Schedule During 2017 and 2018

February 9-12, 2017

The Hallelujah Girls – Comedy

Hilarity abounds when the feisty females of Eden Falls, Georgia, decide to shake up their lives. The action in this rollicking Southern comedy takes place in SPA-DEE-DAH!, the abandoned church-turned-day-spa where this group of friends gathers every Friday afternoon. After the loss of a dear friend, the women realize time is precious, and if they're going to change their lives and achieve their dreams, they have to get on it now! But Sugar Lee, their high-spirited, determined leader, has her hands full keeping the women motivated. Carlene's given up on romance, having buried three husbands. Nita's a nervous wreck from running interference between her problematic son and his probation officer. Mavis' marriage is so stagnant she's wondering how she can fake her own death to get out of it. And sweet, simple Crystal entertains them all, singing Christmas carols with her own hilarious lyrics. The comic tension mounts when a sexy ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly, a marriage proposal comes from an unlikely suitor and Sugar Lee's archrival vows she'll stop at nothing to steal the spa away from her. By the time the women rally together to overcome these obstacles and launch their new, improved lives, you've got a side-splitting, joyful comedy that will make you laugh out loud and shout "Hallelujah!"

May 25-28, 2017

The Letter – World Premier – Musical Revue

"The Letter" dates from WW-II when it was left in the tank now near the Wabeno VFW Hall.  It was written by one of the Andrews Sisters to the driver, who was wounded and whom they visited at a field hospital in Italy.  He forgot to get it out of the tank when he was reassigned, and it has lain hidden since the war.  It is discovered and the town decides to find out more about him and give the letter to his living relatives only to discover he is still alive.  Inviting him to Wabeno for a civic affair and publicity opportunity, he flashes back to the war, the Andrews Sisters and the story unfolds.

September 16, 2017

Julia's Great Pie Bakeoff

Art in the Square-Forest County Courthouse Square, Crandon, WI
(4 performances throughout the day 11:00am/12:00pm/1:00pm/2:00pm)

Julie Child returns to Forest County to Judge the annual Art in the Square Pie Baking Contest. Along with Julie are three other famous chefs each battling for the title of "Best Pie." Odd ingredients, funny pie themes, and sabotage are just a few of the interesting things that are going on in this contest. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser!

November 16-18, 2017

And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little - Comedy/Drama

Their father having deserted them in their childhood, the three Reardon sisters have grown up in a house of women, dominated by their mother, who is only recently dead. But time has erased the tender closeness of girlhood; one sister has married and cut herself off; another has begun to drink more than she should; and the third, after a scandalous incident at the school where she teaches, is on the brink of madness. When the married sister comes to dinner to press the need for committing her sibling to an institution, the simmering resentments of many years burst alive and are exacerbated by the intrusion of a well-meaning but boorish neighbor couple, whose unexpected arrival impels the action towards its shattering conclusion—in which all the pathos, humor and searing honesty of the play combine with overwhelming effect.

February 22-24, 2018 at 7:00PM and February 24 & 25, 2018 at 1:00PM

Funny Little Thing Called Love
By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten
February 22-24, 2018 at 7:00PM and February 24 & 25, 2018 at 1:00PM
Madonna Hall, Wabeno, WI
This deliriously funny new Jones Hope Wooten comedy is all about that four-letter word: L-O-V-E. Under a full moon on this unpredictable night of romance, these four rollicking tales take you on an around-the-globe journey of unexpected and hilarious twists and turns: A slick, successful used-car-selling Romeo in Dallas, Texas, believes he's answering Cupid's call, only to realize too late that he's wandered into a life-changing trap set by three fed-up Juliets. On an island getaway, The Hallelujah Girls, a group of fun-loving gals from Georgia, say aloha to their wild sides as they accidentally crash a Hawaiian honeymoon in progress. These five women—and Waikiki—will never be the same! In a rooftop London bistro, sparks fly when two strangers surprisingly start to connect, only to be thwarted by a hyperactive American tourist who's determined to be the center of attention, and the unpredictable antics of an ancient waitress who wields a wicked sousaphone. And finally, in Manhattan, a man tries to battle his way out of a mid-life crisis with an ill-advised and elaborate marriage proposal. Unfortunately, it all goes wildly off-track when his caterer passes out, a tap-dancing singing telegram girl breaks into sobs rather than song, his ex-wife saunters in wearing nothing but a bathrobe and a smile, and a cowering superhero inches nervously across his twelfth-floor window ledge. So, open your heart to romantic mayhem and come join the fun! By the time the evening is over and the moon works its magic, love will conquer all and your sides will ache from laughter!

May 19, 2018

It's Funny How Cancer Sucks!
Cancer Fundraising Show
May 19, 2018 at 7:00PM
Firefighters Park, Wabeno, WI
An evening of laughter, insight and raising money for a great cause! Wabeno Area Player actors bring stories to life on the stage in an effort to raise awareness and funds.

July 19-21, 2018 at 7:00PM and July 22, 2018 at 1:00PM

The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux
Book & Lyrics By Billy St. John, Music By Debbie Wilson
July 19-21, 2018 at 7:00PM and July 22, 2018 at 1:00PM
Wabeno High Scholl Auditorium, Wabeno, WI

Lotta Cash, a wealthy widow, must be on the lookout.  The evil Dogsbreath Devereaux, M.D. plans to marry Lotta so he can inherit her fortune and her late husband’s clinic.  Helping him is the nasty nurse, Hilda Hatchet, whom he promises to wed after he gets rid of Lotta.  Wild?  Well, talk about medical mania when the insanely jealous Hilda catches Dogsbreath flirting with our heroine, Wendy March.  We can only hope that Dr. Phil Good, our hero, can save Wendy and the unsuspecting Lotta from certain death.  With an abundance of zany patients, wild tunes (’How Do You Bandage a Broken Heart?,’ ’Emergency,’ ’Do the Bop,’ etc.)  and a hilarious plot, this musical melodrama will certainly have your audience in stitches all the way!  As they say, Nurses!  Foiled again!

November 15-17, 2018 at 7:00PM and November 17 & 18, 2018 at 1:00PM

A Deadly Habit: The Superbowl Massacre
By Tom Chiodo
November 15-17, 2018 at 7:00PM and November 17 & 18, 2018 at 1:00PM
Madonna Hall, Wabeno, WI

A sports widow is "mad as hell" and she's not going to take it anymore! The football commissioner mysteriously resigns. A cheerleader stages her own kidnapping. A referee is up to his ears in drug deals and bad calls. This deadly game goes into overtime for an intricate scheme of revenge and cover ups that invites a lot of audience participation.