The Community Partner for A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play at Third Avenue PlayWorks in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, is our very own Education Program. A portion of the proceeds from the Pay-What-You-Will performance on December 3rd will go towards our Community Partner. There will be a donation box in the lobby during the run of A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play, December 3rd through the 28th, 2025. Those interested in attending the preview to support this organization, may arrive as early as 6:30 p.m. on the evening of the performance for general admission seating. Space is available on a first come, first served basis. Donations may be made in cash or with checks made out to Third Avenue PlayWorks. Half of the proceeds will benefit this show’s Community Partner.
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Mission
At Third Avenue PlayWorks, we believe theatre should be accessible to all and serve as a catalyst for building and sustaining community. We’re committed to making theatre inclusive and relevant by exploring local history, current issues, and personal storytelling through dynamic, participatory programming. Access is at the heart of our mission.
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Services
Our Community Engagement and Education Program brings the transformative power of theatre to students and lifelong learners across Northeast Wisconsin through classes, school shows, internships, and partnerships with local organizations. We also offer discounted tickets for seniors, children, and library patrons to ensure everyone can experience live theatre.
Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP) is one of the few arts organizations in Door County that is open year-round. Our mission focuses on serving the residents of Door County and surrounding areas with thought-provoking and uplifting productions of professional theatre, which is critical to creating a vibrant and healthy community. In 2024, in response to interest and demand for more arts education opportunities, TAP created a new part-time staff position for a Community Engagement and Education Coordinator. This position is focused on building deeper community partnerships, including with schools and other education institutions, and creating opportunities for arts education serving students of all ages across our community.
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Impact
This year at Third Avenue PlayWorks, we offered acting classes in our building for the first time in years. When we opened registration, the adult class filled up immediately, but the teen class did not. We quickly recognized that the cost of registration was proving to be a barrier. Thankfully, a generous donor stepped forward to provide scholarships. The day we announced the scholarships we had eight students apply, and we had a very full and very successful class. And don’t worry, all eight got to attend! This is the impact you have when you invest in Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program. Whether in the classroom, or on the stage in the Kane Theatre, the work we do here day after day is made possible by your generosity.
TAP teaching artists, under the leadership of the Community Engagement and Education Coordinator, will work with students in grades K-12 to instill a love of expressive play, team building, storytelling, and creative writing. TAP will offer a variety of 45, 60, and 90-minute workshops with different themes, depending on the age group and focus of the classroom. All workshops can be scaled for different ages, abilities, and lengths. Workshop themes will include theater games/improvisation workshops, playwriting, performing a folk tale, stage combat, personal storytelling, oral history gathering, creative writing, and creating written or devised theatrical performances of personal histories or local history for events. Each session will begin with traditional theatre games to warm up. These games organically transmit theatrical lessons like listening, observing, and being aware of each other while co-regulating the collective nervous systems of the group. This creates a sense of group safety and openness to sensory experience, which is needed to improvise. Specialized coaching from the teaching artists will help all participate fully without stopping the active play and keep students feeling confident and free to participate.
The impact of arts education is resoundingly beneficial. A 2021 study* comparing fourteen academic research papers suggests theatre arts participation in K-12 schools positively impacts learning outcomes including:
–increased academic achievement in reading, language skills, mathematics skills, cognition, and creative problem-solving.
–learning environment and motivation improved due to the cooperative, interdisciplinary, and exciting nature of mounting a theatrical production or as transmitted through participation in experiential theatre arts classes.
–retention rates and engagement increased by reaching students who don’t traditionally succeed or who have learning styles that are not supported in traditional academic environments.
–improved self-concept, interpersonal, communication, and social-emotional skills.
*Effects on Students’ Academic and Non-academic Outcomes and Student Participation in Theatre Arts: A Research Synthesis, Goble, G. H.: Van Ooyik, J.; Robertson, T. & Roberts, G. J. (2021)
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Challenges
At this time, the school districts we are working with do not have the budget to support the full cost of workshops unless funded by a grant opportunity or sponsored by individuals or businesses. Financial support for our programming would allow us to work in each Door and Kewaunee County school and make multiple visits, which has been proven to increase the social, emotional, and academic benefits of arts education programming.
Third Avenue PlayWorks Education Program Goals & Priorities
We are striving to provide at least 20 workshops in the 19 schools in the Door and Kewaunee school districts. After each workshop, TAP will dedicate staff time and resources to conducting surveys and direct conversations with educators to learn about the program’s effectiveness and make adjustments to continue evolving our process and the student experience.
Workshops during the 2026 calendar year will incorporate Gibraltar, Sevastopol, Sturgeon Bay, Southern Door, and Algoma School Districts. In addition to partnership with public and private schools throughout the county and region (including Kewaunee Co. schools), TAP is also developing or exploring partnerships with Adult Services Centers, ADRC, The Boys and Girls Club, Door County Library System, Door County YMCA, Sunshine Resources of Door County, and Write On Door County.
Learn more: https://thirdavenueplayworks.org/about-our-community-partner-for-a-christmas-carol/