Photo credit: Jes Sudbrink
2018 Headshot
Katie Berg is the director of education and marketing for Lake Country Playhouse in Hartland.
Katie Berg is director of education and marketing, as well as a voice teacher, for Lake Country Playhouse in Hartland, Wis. She has devoted much of her life to this theater. She began acting there at age 10—her first role was Alice in Alice in Wonderland. She began voice lessons at age 12.
What is the history of Lake Country Playhouse?
My grandmother, Ruth Behrend, was one of the founding members in 1959. An article run in the Lake Country Reporter that year inspired its formation, and in that first year there were two performances of Sabrina Fair, a romantic comedy by Samuel Taylor that had opened on Broadway in November of 1953. The Lake Country Players performed at various locations throughout Waukesha County before finding its present home in 2002, a former Masonic lodge. There were several fundraisers to renovate it to this little black box. I had several cousins who wanted to perform, and so in 2003 my grandmother began directing children’s productions.
What is the mission of Lake Country Playhouse?
To entertain, educate and engage audiences by being committed to providing exceptional theater to the Lake Country area.
Tell me a bit about your history.
I attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in musical theater. Then I transferred to UW-Madison and minored in business and marketing. After college, I started my theatrical career at Skylight Music Theatre. Before my grandmother retired, she brought me on the board at Lake Country Playhouse. I became director of education and marketing in 2014. I started the Playhouse’s Performing Arts Academy shortly after.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Explain a little about marketing.
I do posters, programs, manage the website, take interviews and run community engagement events. The goal is to let people know who we are.
How long have you been a voice coach?
I started teaching voice in 2014 in a studio at Hartland Music. Now, I work mostly with Playhouse Academy Students. I teach them to project their voices and to really perform the text and not just sing to be singing.
What ages are the youth actors?
Academy students range from age 3 to 18. They usually start around 8 or 9.
What’s the biggest challenge in working with youth?
Our capacity is the biggest challenge. The kids really work hard. They are always asking, “What’s next?” But our theatre is small, and we have a full season of mainstage productions to accommodate in addition to our youth shows. So, we’ve adopted the church across the street as the home for our educational programming.
How many kids audition and how many actually perform?
About 90 out of 120 kids who audition will perform. It’s always hard to tell them no, because we know they have the ability to succeed.
How many performances per year?
There are six academy productions and six mainstage productions. Next summer, we’ll have two casts of Little Mermaid Jr., and one cast of Once on this Island Jr.
How are you celebrating your 60th season?
We’re planning a community-wide celebration in June! We’ll invite original and current members of our theater community and have a program that features six decades of theater in Hartland. Details are being worked on as we speak.
How can people learn more?
Visit lakecountryplayhousewi.org. You’ll find a list of casts, reviews, ticket prices and show times. Lake Country Playhouse is located at 221 E. Capitol Drive in Hartland.
