Timber Lake Playhouse

Timber Lake Playhouse

Interactive map of Timber Lake Playhouse
Address	8215 Black Oak Road Mount Carroll Township, Carroll County, Illinois United States
Owner	Timber Lake Playhouse
Capacity	371
Type	Professional summer stock and regional theatre
Construction
Opened	1962 (first season); current building June 1975
Rebuilt	1975
Website
www.timberlakeplayhouse.org

The Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP) is a professional, non-profit summer stock and regional theatre company in Mount Carroll Township, Carroll County, Illinois. Founded in 1961, it is the oldest continuously operating professional resident summer stock theatre company in Illinois. The company performs on a wooded campus on the Timber Lake reservoir southeast of Mount Carroll, adjacent to the Timber Lake Campground and Resort, in a 371-seat theatre built around a 45-foot semi-thrust revolving stage.

TLP was founded by Andrew Bro, chaplain and theatre director at Shimer College, then located in Mount Carroll, and Donald Mackay, owner of the Timber Lake properties and builder of the reservoir. Its program centers on a summer mainstage season of large-scale musicals, plays, and new works, alongside youth education and, since 2025, an annual new-musical commission named for Bro. Since 2018 it has operated under a Small Professional Theatre (SPT 8) agreement with the Actors' Equity Association, and it hosts roughly 20,000 visitors and about 70 artists in residence each summer. Its stated mission is "to provide the best expression of theater arts to the regional community by presenting creative works that entertain and inspire, while helping aspiring artists transition to the profession."

History

Origins and founding (1961–1962)

The playhouse grew out of the town-and-gown community around Shimer College in Mount Carroll. Students, faculty, and business and professional leaders from six counties in northwestern Illinois and two in eastern Iowa answered a planning effort led by Andrew Bro, the college's chaplain and theatre director, and Donald Mackay, owner of the Timber Lake properties and builder of the reservoir. The group adopted bylaws and not-for-profit incorporation and held its official groundbreaking on Thanksgiving weekend 1961. Bro was elected the corporation's first president; Mackay served as an independent advisor, property lessor, and philanthropic supporter.

For the inaugural 1962 season, Bro acted as the de facto artistic director but, working as a volunteer, did not take the title. He auditioned and hired a 24-member resident company and staged two of the summer's eight productions, most presented on a one-week, five-performance schedule. Much of the original building used locally milled hardwoods, and it contained a wide proscenium stage and 370 fixed seats donated by a nearby movie house. Opening night was June 28, 1962, with The Teahouse of the August Moon.

Fire and rebuilding (1974–1975)

The original playhouse was destroyed by fire in the early morning of July 22, 1974, shortly after a sold-out performance of Under the Gaslight. It was replaced by the current structure, which opened in June 1975.

Later milestones

In 2006 the company staged its first all-black production, Ain't Misbehavin', to sold-out houses. In 2013 it presented the first regional production of the Monty Python musical Spamalot, having secured the rights in 2012. In 2018 TLP entered its SPT 8 agreement with the Actors' Equity Association. New-work development began under artistic director Paul Stancato in 2021 and was formalized as an annual commission under artistic director Tommy Ranieri in 2025 (see Programming).

Venue and facilities

The current theatre, opened in June 1975 after the 1974 fire, seats 371 in fixed seats around a 45-foot semi-thrust revolving stage. The grounds hold additional buildings used as scene, costume, prop, and paint shops, for food service, and for company housing, along with a large rehearsal pavilion.

Built as a summer theatre, the 1975 building originally had little insulation and no climate control; air conditioning was added later, but the auditorium had no heat. In 2019 TLP began "winterizing" the facility, enclosing its open-walkway lobby and adding a heating system to serve the lobby and auditorium, funded by a fundraising campaign capped by a matching grant from the Illinois Office of Tourism, in order to extend the season beyond summer and toward year-round operation. Because TLP owns and operates its venue, its season now extends beyond the traditional summer months, with spring special events and a fall production in addition to the summer mainstage.

Programming

TLP's summer mainstage historically presented five musicals per season; the 2026 65th-anniversary season expanded to six productions. The repertoire mixes large-scale musicals, plays, and contemporary classics, performed by a resident company of roughly 35 to 40 performers, technicians, and musicians known as the "Lakers," supplemented by guest artists.

The 2026 65th-anniversary season comprised Godspell (May 29 to June 7, staged as the company's first all-alumni production), Les Misérables (June 12 to 28), Cabaret (July 3 to 12), Shrek the Musical (July 17 to August 2), Hands on a Hardbody (August 7 to 16), and the new musical The Mermaids (August 21 to 30). A fall production of Constellations by Nick Payne followed (September 4 to 13), with spring concert and special events preceding the season.

Andy Bro New Works Commission

New-work development at TLP began under artistic director Paul Stancato with the world premiere of What a Wonderful World (December 2 to 12, 2021), a holiday musical developed by Lively McCabe Entertainment with BMG, with a book by Jeremy Desmon. It was the first new musical TLP world-premiered, and its December 11 performance was livestreamed nationally through Broadway on Demand and DePaul University's School of Cinematic Arts.

The program was formalized in 2025 as the Andy Bro New Works Commission, also styled "The Andy Bro Show," named for co-founder Andrew Bro, under artistic director Tommy Ranieri. Its inaugural entry was Glü, with music and lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen and book and lyrics by Jake Lockwood, directed by Ranieri, which received its world premiere August 22 to 31, 2025, and was covered by Playbill. The second commission, The Mermaids by Billy Recce, received its world premiere August 21 to 30, 2026, following a developmental reading earlier that year with the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama.

Youth and education

TLP hosts annual educational workshops for children and teens in conjunction with its Magic Owl Children's Theatre, which presents plays and musicals for young audiences and families. The Junior Lakers program pairs an industry professional and local educators to direct a fully staged youth production on the TLP mainstage; the 2026 production was Legally Blonde Jr. The company also runs a Monday masterclass series taught by resident company members.

A workshop program now branded the Stagecraft series began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when resident company members, staff, and production crew taught workshops remotely over video conference. The sessions later moved to in-person instruction held annually.

Notable people

Performers and artists associated with Timber Lake Playhouse include:

• Kate Baldwin, two-time Tony Award nominee.
• Jennifer Garner, actress.
• Michael Gross, actor (Family Ties).
• Jayne Houdyshell, Tony Award-winning actress.
• Shelley Long, actress (Cheers).
• Saundra Santiago, actress (Miami Vice, The Sopranos), a member of the 1980 resident company who returned in 2016 to star in Gypsy.
• Katy Sullivan, actress and Paralympic track and field athlete, the first amputee performer nominated for a Tony Award (2023, for Cost of Living).

Awards

At the 2024 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards, an audience-voted regional program, TLP's production of Jekyll & Hyde won Best Musical and Best Ensemble, and Tommy Ranieri won Best Direction of a Musical; the company received 13 nominations that year.

External links

• Official website