Manitowoc’s Treehouse Theater is entering a new era.
Longtime Executive Director Karen Rohrer recently announced that she has stepped down from the position she held for roughly 13 years.
Rohrer was not just the first and only Executive Director for the local theater group, interim Executive Director Marty Schaller tells SeehaferNews.com, she was vital to the creation of the organization.
“Karen really brought us all together,” he explained. “She’s said this numerous times when she does her curtain speeches and it’s and it’s true. We got together in her living room and talked about it and what That might look like. And that was in the spring of 2012.”
Since that meeting, Rohrer has been leading the organization through a period of massive growth, starting without a permanent rehearsal space.
“We called ourselves kind of church mice because we would we would rehearse our shows wherever we could find space, and often it was in church basements, that sort of thing,”Schaller explained.
But over time, they were able to secure a space on Washington Street, where the students hone their craft and grow as people, not just as actors, singers, and dancers.
“One of the things we talk about is really the life skills that theater provides,” Schaller told SeehaferNews.com. “Certainly the kind of the public speaking, the comfort level of that through expression in theater. But there’s a whole lot more because being part of a production, they’re learning how to be responsible, how to be a good teammate.”
Treehouse Theater is currently in production for several shows featuring students in a wide range of ages.
“We have Willy Wonka kids. This is a production with students up to grade eight and that will be at the UWGB. Manitowoc Theater later in February,” Schaller said. “And then in April, we are doing our main stage production of the SpongeBob musical Young Performers Edition at the Capitol Civic Center.”
Schaller thanked Rohrer for all of her hard work over the years, and wished her the best in her future endeavors.
To learn more about Treehouse Theater or to sign up for classes, visit TreehouseTheater.com.
