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Attic Theatre, Inc. Celebrates 75 Years

The arts are a vital part of bringing a community together, regardless of form: painting, sculpture, pottery, photography and poetry, among others.

But perhaps more than the rest, based on its far reach, wide range of possibilities and accessibility, are the performing arts: music, dance, theatre, circus, opera, puppetry and digital media.

Community theatre, in particular, allows a wide range of participants and spectators, from all walks of life, to foster creativity, connect with others and so much more.

“It’s two-fold. On the one hand, community theatre offers people who are interested in participating in theatre to do so in any number of ways. All of the different roles that are there from director, actor, lighting, staging, set building, costuming, all the way down to the front of the house and that kind of thing,” Chris Danz, Attic Theatre, Inc. Board Member, says. “It’s open to the community. By definition, community theatre is largely a volunteer organization.” 

“We’re really fortunate here in Northeast Wisconsin,” Pamela Saulnier, a member of the Attic Theatre Board of Directors, adds. “We have a number of really good community theatres, doing a variety of different types of shows.

“Attic has been around longer than any of them, and we have built a reputation for doing great work. Attic offers the opportunity for members of the community to get involved both on stage and backstage in shows that have high quality production values for a community theatre.”

Celebrating 75 years this year, Attic Theatre, Inc.’s mission of “creating excellent theatre through performance, education, and community outreach” has been going strong since 1950.

And while its longstanding presence in the area has brought a multitude of benefits to participants and audiences, it can also be summed up simply.

“It is just fun!” Melody Buchinger, current President of Attic Theatre, Inc., says. “Fun to work on, fun to do, fun to watch.”
Attic Theatre also has its fair share of funny stories, from stinky fish and wet paint behind the scenes, to the memories of prized performances and the start for celebrity actors.

Seventy five years of Attic Theatre, Inc. has made its mark on the Fox Cities and beyond—and the show goes on!

A Humble Beginning and Lasting Legacy

We have Zoe Cloak, a Northwestern University masters graduate in speech and drama, to thank for burgeoning the idea of a community theatre.

“In June 1950 she advertised a new yet unnamed summer theater troupe,” Danz explains. “Zoe believed there was plenty of local performance talent. The challenge, she stated, was in finding a place to perform.

“Two origin stories of the name Attic Theatre have been passed down over the years. Around the time the group started, Zoe found inspiration in a book entitled ‘The Attic Theatre,’ heralding the classic Greek arena theatre in Attica.

“She felt that name was ‘ambitiously but amusingly appropriate for our name.’ Actors of the time recalled lying on their backs on the floor of the attic of the Cloak home. While discussing possible names, someone suggested Attic. Either way, the name stuck and 75 years later Attic Theatre is reminded of its roots by the name it bears.”

Attic Theatre initially began as an educational repertory group.

“Would-be actors enrolled in a summer acting class. The cost was $30 which included lessons, royalty costs, publicity and production costs,” Danz says. “If a production was successful, Zoe and her two assistants would receive a small percentage, with the balance divided among the remaining student members of the company. At times, plays were so successful that students were able to recoup the cost of enrollment!

“As with all arts organizations, ticket prices do not cover the many expenses incurred each season. From a 1950 per ticket price of $1.20 to $25 in 2025, Attic has been dedicated to keeping live theater affordable.”

Attic’s first public performances were in the old Knights of Pythia Hall, located on the corner of Lawrence and Morrison Streets. (The Appleton YMCA is now occupying that location.)

In Attic’s second year, performances were moved to what was the new Jefferson School gymnasium. Attic performed there until 1959, when the company moved to the Music and Drama Center at Lawrence, where Attic’s home was for many, many summers.

In 2004, Attic needed to find a new performance space and moved temporarily to the Kimberly Clark Room at the PAC. The company moved again to a storefront space at Valley Fair Mall.

It was after the Valley Fair Mall season that the Board of Directors decided to disband the company. However, several very dedicated Attic veterans and supporters reorganized the company and worked to keep Attic going. After the reorganization, Attic returned to Lawrence for several seasons.

“Over the years, the theatre has brought together thousands of people from every kind of walk of life there is. They all get to know each other and many of them become great friends. I’ve gotten to know hundreds of people who are wonderful folks and incredibly talented,” Carl Wenzel, Past President and an active member of Attic Theatre for 66 years, says. 

“We’ve been very consistent in doing a quality show, both from an acting standpoint, show selection, direction, production. And we’ve done it at a variety of venues in a variety of ways: proscenium theatre (conventional theatre), total theatre in the round (four-sided, the audience is sitting on four sides).”

An almost century of history inevitably has its twists and turns, but Attic Theatre has rolled with the punches since the beginning.
“I would call Attic’s history organic—like most community theatres, the organization arose out of the need by a group of individuals to come together to express the human experience through dramatic  literature and  performances,” Carol Jegen, Board Member and Past President, says. “As the universal symbol of the theatrical masks has always been portrayed, we range from comedy to tragedy, expressing our joys and sorrows and lift each other up. 75 years is a notable accomplishment especially since it has taken thousands of hours by thousands of volunteers to keep it going over decades but it is not surprising. There’s no business like show business!”

“Community theatre benefits us all,” Melody Buchinger, President of Attic, Inc., adds. “It brings us together to tell our stories. It offers different perspectives on the world. It nurtures our creativity.  It creates a community where a 20 some year old man from Pierce can challenge the acting chops of a 60 some year old Shakespearean trained actor, much to everyone’s delight.

“It gives community members an opportunity to participate and hone skills in both acting and technical skills—marketing, costume building, set building, painting, marketing, communication, problem solving,  etc. It boosts the local economy. It brings people together for civil engagement.”

75 Years of Favorite Memories at The Attic Theatre

“I always wanted to act and I never dreamed that I was going to get involved in theatre management. In the early days, I did set construction and painting. At one point, we did five shows a summer, all directed by the same person. You’d go in there on opening night and someone from the group would say ‘Don’t touch the so-and-so because the paint isn’t dry yet!’
“In one performance, we had a feast in the forest… and we didn’t perform during the week during those days so when we came back the second weekend, we were sitting down to ‘eat’ and people whispered, “Don’t eat the food, it’s spoiled!’ Somebody didn’t put the food in the refrigerator!” —Carl Wenzel, Past President and an active member of Attic Theatre

“My favorite Attic Theatre memory is being cast as Domina in ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ in 2009, after a hiatus of 20 (!) years. I had done a lot of theatre in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including studying at both HB Studio and Weist-Barron Acting Studio in New York City. After moving to Wisconsin, and once my children were a little older, I decided to get back into doing theatre again. I auditioned and was thrilled to be cast in the show, although I  was quite nervous about performing on stage again after so long. It was a wonderful experience–everyone in the cast got along really well and we had so much fun together. “…Forum” is a really funny show with great music and it was a perfect way to get back into doing theatre!” —Pamela Saulnier, member of Attic Theatre Board of Directors

“My favorite part of Attic has been watching everything come together. When we started this season, it seemed almost impossible. We had picked a larger and more complicated season to celebrate our 75th year in the community. A Musical—Kiss Me Kate. Then we lost our home at the Theatre at UW Fox! Nonetheless, we persevered with help from our friends and the community.” —Melody Buchinger, President of Attic, Inc.

“In the musical Candide in 1983, after a hunter pretended to fire a weapon, two ducks fell from the “sky” when a second duck was thrown up because the first duck got stuck in the rigging. The actor then adlibbed: Two in One Shot!! to great approval from the audience. I have had furniture literally slowly collapse under the actors until they have dissolved in a helpless pile of laughter that set the audience off as well for several minutes without stopping. 

In the musical the Sound of Music, when the character Max was late for an entrance for a conversation with the 10 year old Greta, the young actress stood on the stage all alone and turned to the audience and said, “If Uncle Max were here, he would say…” and delivered his lines to the house, and then calmly skipped off for her exit.” —Carol Jegen, Board Member and Past President, etc.

Announcing the Attic Theatre Inc.’s 2025 Summer Season!

“The Book of Will”
When: June 12-21
Where: Xavier High School in Appleton 

“Kiss Me, Kate”
When: July 17-26
Where: Neenah High School