Winnipesaukee Playhouse
Encyclopedia
The Winnipesaukee Playhouse, also referred to as the Winni Playhouse, is an 84-seat black box
-style theater
located in the Weirs Beach
section of Laconia
, New Hampshire
. The Playhouse produces both a professional summer stock
season as well as a community theater season, and is arguably the only theater in the United States to do so. The Winni Playhouse is the recipient of 28 New Hampshire Theater Awards over the past 4 years, more than any other theater in the state during this time period, and in 2009 it was selected by New Hampshire Magazine as the best professional theater in New Hampshire. The Winni Playhouse has acquired the former Annalee Dolls
campus in Meredith
, New Hampshire. This theater is expected to have 182 seats as well as support spaces such as offices, dressing rooms, and a lobby, which the current theater in Weirs Beach does not have.
Playhouse was founded in 2004 by brother and sister Bryan Halperin and Lesley Pankhurst, as well as their spouses, Johanna and Neil. They opened the Playhouse in the Alpenrose Plaza (former Dexter Shoes outlet plaza) in the village of Weirs Beach
in the city of Laconia
, New Hampshire
. The theater started with a professional summer stock season, and then continued with community theater and children's theater during the rest of the year. In 2006 it became a non-profit organization
.
In 2008, Hidden Green LLC
, investors in the Winni Playhouse, purchased the Annalee Dolls
factory site for 1.05 million dollars. The Playhouse plans to renovate this property to create a "Tanglewood
type of setting" to perform theater and other endeavors in. The plans are to move the theater from its current site in Weirs Beach to the site of Annalee's former gift shop. Annalee still operates out of its corporate headquarters, a former chicken farm building on site.
Since its inception, the Winnipesaukee Playhouse has performed 55 plays, 27 of which were professional summer stock
, with the rest being community theater or children's theater.
complex in the Lakes Region
of New Hampshire. The campus contains over 14 acres (5.7 ha) of land dotted with seven buildings containing 34000 square feet (3,158.7 m²) of space. While there is an abundance of land, only roughly two or three acres are developable due to terrain constraints. The entire project to create a performing arts campus is projected to cost roughly four million dollars. The new theater, with 182 seats, will more than double the audience space that the current theater holds (84 seats).
The move to the former Annalee Dolls factory consists of three phases. The first phase, expected to be completed before the summer of 2010, will include the creation of an outdoor amphitheater at the complex as well as upgrading utilities such as water and sewer and other infrastructure improvements. This phase also contains the creation of new housing for the Playhouse's summer company.
The second phase of construction, which is not expected to begin until 2012 at the earliest, consists of transforming the former Annalee Dolls Gift Shop into the Winnipesaukee Playhouse's new main stage theater. This theater is expected to have 182 seats as well as support spaces such as offices, dressing rooms, and a lobby, which the current theater in Weirs Beach does not have. The Playhouse will continue to perform plays at their Weirs Beach theater until this phase is complete. Once this phase is built, all operations of the Winni Playhouse will be located at the former Annalee Doll complex including the Playhouse's performances, camps, workshops, and classes. This phase is expected to cost roughly 3 million dollars.
Phase three, estimated at 500,000 dollars, is currently not funded, so it does not have an expected completion date. This phase will include transforming the former Annalee Doll Museum building into a black box theater
, similar in style and size to the Winni Playhouse's current theater. This stage will be used to house summer theater for children as well as outside performers such as cabaret singers. It is still unclear if outside theater troupes will be allowed to use or rent this space.
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
-style theater
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
located in the Weirs Beach
Weirs Beach, New Hampshire
Weirs Beach is a village within the city of Laconia in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. The cruise ship Mount Washington terminates there...
section of Laconia
Laconia, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,411 people, 6,724 households, and 4,168 families residing in the city. The population density was 809.3 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 421.8 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. The Playhouse produces both a professional summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
season as well as a community theater season, and is arguably the only theater in the United States to do so. The Winni Playhouse is the recipient of 28 New Hampshire Theater Awards over the past 4 years, more than any other theater in the state during this time period, and in 2009 it was selected by New Hampshire Magazine as the best professional theater in New Hampshire. The Winni Playhouse has acquired the former Annalee Dolls
Annalee Dolls
Annalee Dolls, Inc., also known as Annalee Mobilitee Dolls Inc., and AMD Holdings Inc., is a company located in Meredith, New Hampshire, that manufactures collectible dolls. The company was founded by Barbara Annalee Davis who died in 2002...
campus in Meredith
Meredith, New Hampshire
Meredith is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 6,241 at the 2010 census. Meredith is situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee. It is home to Stonedam Island Natural Area and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad...
, New Hampshire. This theater is expected to have 182 seats as well as support spaces such as offices, dressing rooms, and a lobby, which the current theater in Weirs Beach does not have.
History
The WinnipesaukeeLake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is approximately long and from wide , covering — when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of ....
Playhouse was founded in 2004 by brother and sister Bryan Halperin and Lesley Pankhurst, as well as their spouses, Johanna and Neil. They opened the Playhouse in the Alpenrose Plaza (former Dexter Shoes outlet plaza) in the village of Weirs Beach
Weirs Beach, New Hampshire
Weirs Beach is a village within the city of Laconia in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. The cruise ship Mount Washington terminates there...
in the city of Laconia
Laconia, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,411 people, 6,724 households, and 4,168 families residing in the city. The population density was 809.3 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 421.8 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. The theater started with a professional summer stock season, and then continued with community theater and children's theater during the rest of the year. In 2006 it became a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
.
In 2008, Hidden Green LLC
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
, investors in the Winni Playhouse, purchased the Annalee Dolls
Annalee Dolls
Annalee Dolls, Inc., also known as Annalee Mobilitee Dolls Inc., and AMD Holdings Inc., is a company located in Meredith, New Hampshire, that manufactures collectible dolls. The company was founded by Barbara Annalee Davis who died in 2002...
factory site for 1.05 million dollars. The Playhouse plans to renovate this property to create a "Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
type of setting" to perform theater and other endeavors in. The plans are to move the theater from its current site in Weirs Beach to the site of Annalee's former gift shop. Annalee still operates out of its corporate headquarters, a former chicken farm building on site.
Since its inception, the Winnipesaukee Playhouse has performed 55 plays, 27 of which were professional summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
, with the rest being community theater or children's theater.
Future plans
The access to the Annalee Dolls campus allows the Winnipesaukee Playhouse to greatly expand and create the first performing artsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
complex in the Lakes Region
Lakes Region (New Hampshire)
The Lakes Region of New Hampshire is the mid-state region surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam Lake, Squam Lake, and Newfound Lake.The area is a popular tourist destination in the summer time, with the activity peaking during the annual Motorcycle Week and races at Loudon's New Hampshire...
of New Hampshire. The campus contains over 14 acres (5.7 ha) of land dotted with seven buildings containing 34000 square feet (3,158.7 m²) of space. While there is an abundance of land, only roughly two or three acres are developable due to terrain constraints. The entire project to create a performing arts campus is projected to cost roughly four million dollars. The new theater, with 182 seats, will more than double the audience space that the current theater holds (84 seats).
The move to the former Annalee Dolls factory consists of three phases. The first phase, expected to be completed before the summer of 2010, will include the creation of an outdoor amphitheater at the complex as well as upgrading utilities such as water and sewer and other infrastructure improvements. This phase also contains the creation of new housing for the Playhouse's summer company.
The second phase of construction, which is not expected to begin until 2012 at the earliest, consists of transforming the former Annalee Dolls Gift Shop into the Winnipesaukee Playhouse's new main stage theater. This theater is expected to have 182 seats as well as support spaces such as offices, dressing rooms, and a lobby, which the current theater in Weirs Beach does not have. The Playhouse will continue to perform plays at their Weirs Beach theater until this phase is complete. Once this phase is built, all operations of the Winni Playhouse will be located at the former Annalee Doll complex including the Playhouse's performances, camps, workshops, and classes. This phase is expected to cost roughly 3 million dollars.
Phase three, estimated at 500,000 dollars, is currently not funded, so it does not have an expected completion date. This phase will include transforming the former Annalee Doll Museum building into a black box theater
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
, similar in style and size to the Winni Playhouse's current theater. This stage will be used to house summer theater for children as well as outside performers such as cabaret singers. It is still unclear if outside theater troupes will be allowed to use or rent this space.