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History of the Red Barn Theatre and Hardscrabble Players
From a Red Barn Theatre Review, by Isabel Popko, Nov. 1978 The Place The Red Barn Theatre at the junction of State Highway 48 and County Trunk M is visible evidence of the things that country folks treasure ---enterprise, cooperation, hard work, and native talent. It's natural that grass roots theatre should flourish here, nurtured in a community where the arts are loved. From the time she first gathered a few actors around her to perform in St. Joseph's school gym in Rice Lake in 1961 until they moved into the barn in 1967, the Red Barn Theatre was only a gleam in the eye of the director, Nina KIauss, mother of five with a background of professional training and experience. People responding to her invitation to form an amateur theatre group caught her enthusiasm and voted to form a non-profit corporation. The state charter was granted on 24 May 1962 for The Hardscrabble Players, Inc. An appeal for a place toe perform caught the fancy of Cap Hagen Hardscrabble ski hill owner, who allowed the Players to perform there rent-free for four summers, while the search was on for just the right barn. In 1966, the players performed in the Rice Lake High School auditorium. That was the year that Mrs. Klauss discovered the sturdy but faded little barn, nestled in the hillside beside a grove of pine.
From the beginning the barn was a hit, as much as were the plays. Descendants of the builder have told of the homesteading of the property in about 1864. The first barn was made of logs, which was replaced by the present structure in 1904. To celebrate the barn raising on 4 July 1904, there was a dance on the new floor...the little barn's first public entertainment. When the Players moved into the barn it had been idle for about twenty years. The first necessity was a new floor and stage in the loft, built in 1967. In 1968 the concrete stable floor was removed and a new slab poured, followed by remodeling to divide the space into storage, dressing rooms, restrooms and lounge areas. The silo was converted into a stairway leading from the theatre to the lounge. Other improvements included a tiered floor for the audience, a succession of used theatre seats, a ticket office, and a light and sound booth. In 1973 a large pole-type building was built against the north wall to provide space for work on sets, storage, wardrobe and additional dressing areas. The lounge boasts of a concession stand and space for display of art by local artists. In 1978 a patio was added beyond the porch, and in both 1977 and 1978 landscaping was completed. The interior of the lounge was remodeled in 1988, and in 1992 a second remodeling was undertaken to refurbish the exposed south wall of the lounge. During the 1999 season a "red shed" for set construction, storage and rehearsals was built to the northeast of the Barn. More extensive landscaping was undertaken in 2002. The People. While one's attention goes initially to the structure, a theatre is, first of all, people---the ones who desire dramatic art in the community, the ones who want to perform, the support staff of backstage workers, and the management to assure the theatre's continuation. Talent abounds and arrives from every walk of life and every age. Professionals share the stage with students, farmers, housewives, clerks, teachers, artists, and musicians. Summer people plan their vacations to attend or participate in Red Barn productions. Production. The financial support of the theatre comes principally from the income of the plays. Also, in many recent years the Red Barn Theatre has been honored to receive grants from the Wisconsin Arts Board. Low ticket prices are made possible by the free work of actors and by the countless hours provided by behind-the-scenes volunteers. Honors. In 1977 the Players realized a long-cherished intention: awarding scholarships to those with talent, ambition, and a record of service to the Red Barn. Following the director's death, the scholarship was renamed in her honor as the Nina Klauss Memorial Scholarship. Each year outstanding performers and one non-performer are awarded the "Barney" award. Appreciation. The Hardscrabble Players are proud of the Red Barn Theatre, which is the result of the combined work and care of the company and the community. The Players appreciate and welcome friends and visitors as they strive to serve the cultural interests of a wide geographic area.
Past ProductionsHardscrabble Ski Chalet 1962 Under the Yum Yum Tree 1963 Dirty Work at the Crossroads Blithe Spirit Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick 1964 Harvey Night of January 16 1965 Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker Abie's Irish Rose Rice Lake High School 1966 Charley's Aunt Everybody Loves Opal Red Barn Theatre 1967 The Tavern A Majority of One Everybody Loves Opal 1968 But Not Goodbye Teahouse of the August Moon The Odd Couple 1969 The Madwoman of Chaillot Lillies of the Field U T B U The Star Spangled Girl 1970 Arsenic and Old Lace Three Men on a Horse Breath of Spring Come Blow Your Horn 1971 Don't Drink the Water Never Too Late The Hasty Heart The Solid Gold Cadillac 1972 Everybody's Girl Dumbbell People/Barbell World Teahouse of the August Moon Send Me No Flowers 1973 Ten Nights in a Barroom Best Laid Plans Cactus Flower Blithe Spirit 1974 Showboat Daddy, Dear Daddy Born Yesterday A Majority of One 1975 Harvey See How They Run Witness for the Prosecution 1976 Guys and Dolls God's Favorite Breath of Spring The Sunshine boys Sleuth 1977 Come Blow Your Horn Inside Lester The Rainmaker Night Must Fall The Good Doctor 1978 Li'l Abner The Biggest Thief in Town Busybody Three Goats and a Blanket Private Ear/Public Eye 1979 Treasure Island Under Papa's Picture Prisoner of Second Avenue The Seven Year Itch The Moon is Blue 1980 The Hasty Heart Barefoot in the Park Where's Charley Catch Me If You Can Bell, Book, and Candle 1981 U T B U The Matchmaker Exit the Body Angel Street Last of the Red Hot Lovers 1982 The Boyfriend Everybody Loves Opal Curious Savage Plaza Suite The Gin Game 1983 How to Succeed in Business The Man in a Dog Suit Laura The Robin Hood Caper Star Spangled Girl 1984 Teahouse of the August Moon Deathtrap God's Favorite A Thousand Clowns A Gentleman and a Scoundrel 1985 I Do! I Do! Play it Again, Sam Bus Stop Whodunnit Tailey's Folly 1986 Mary, Mary Oklahoma! Goodbye Charlie On Golden Pond Mass Appeal 1987 I Ought to be in Pictures The Fantastics Picnic The Foreigner Same Time, Next Year 1988 Barefoot in the Park The Murder Room The Robber Bridegroom Romantic Comedy The Owl and The Pussycat 1989 Blithe Spirit The Nerd Little Shop of Horrors The Mousetrap Educating Rita 1990 Steel Magnolias The Boys Next Door Pippin Foxfire Chapter Two 1991 Brighton Beach Memoirs West Side Story The Glass Menagerie Sly Flox Elephant Man Greater Tuna Dracula 1992 Lend Me a Tenor The Crucible Biloxi Blues Cat on a Hot Tin Roof A Chorus Line The Silver Whistle 1993 Rumors (at UW-BC) Ondine Broadway Bound All My Sons Into the Woods Arsenic and Old Lace 1994 Love Letters (Dinner Theatre) Lost in Yonkers Scapino A Streetcar Named Desire Fiddler on the Roof The Cemetery Club 1995 Greater Tuna (Dinner Theatre) No Sex Please, We're British A Midsummer Night's Dream The Secret Garden The Grapes of Wrath Crimes of the Heart 1996 Father of the Bride Taming of the Shrew Nunsense Corpse! Diary of Anne Frank 1997 Importance of Being Earnest Grease! Marvin's Room Pump Boys and Dinettes Tribute 1998 Bridge to Terabithia Crossing Delancey Camelot Charley's Aunt Bus Stop 1999 Annie Plaza Suite Smoke on the Mountain Wait Until Dark Pools Paradise 2000 You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Inherit the Wind Forever Plaid The Sound of Music Morning's at Seven 2001 Bye Bye Birdie Look Homeward, Angel Steel Magnolias Gypsy It Runs in the Family 2002 Home Fires A Few Good Men Busybody Cinderella Moon Over Buffalo 2003 Ten Little Indians I Remember Mama Do Black Paten Leather...? Minnie's Boys Caught in the Net 2004 My Fair Lady Proof The Taffetas Sylvia Bang Bang Beirut 2005 God's Favorite Once Upon a Mattress Camping with Henry and Tom I Do! I Do! Flaming Idiots 2006 Dearly Departed Sweet Charity All I Really Need to Know... An Act of the Imagination Funny Money 2007 Weekend Comedy The King and I Barefoot in the Park Picasso at the Lapin Agile I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change Nina Klauss, Our Founder
How Best to Reflect on Her Memory? It's a thought which has been pestering me since I was asked to undertake the task. But then it dawned on me that Nina herself was the Champion of Champions when it came to "pestering." She would not--could not--accept a "no" from anyone. She could "pester" anyone into acting, building a set, donating a prop for a show, or buying an ad for the season brochure. And she "pestered" with such love, such dedication, such enthusiasm that it usually wouldn't dawn on you until much later that you had been "Nina'ed" again. I first met her in 1980 or 1981 when I was relatively new to the area and decided to see if I had fortitude enough to audition for a play being done at the Campus in Rice Lake. Being offered a part was surprising, but nothing could have prepared me for the moment I met the whirlwind who would be playing my wife in the show---Nina. She was unique---a bundle of tightly wound electrons without a shy molecule to call her own. I quickly learned to brace myself for the rush of Nina. It was a matter of get ready or get run over. By the time the final curtain had fallen on the campus play, I had learned more about the "Barn" than I could imagine and I had been "pestered" into auditioning for a Barn show that summer some 25 years ago. Nina was (and in many respects, still is) the Red Barn Theatre. She selected plays, cast them, directed all shows, decided what to charge and what to spend, and was a performer without equal---it was a monarchy and Nina was the undisputed Queen---we wouldn't have had it any other way! I can remember only two occasions over the years when she was flustered. The first was in the mid 80's when I was nominated from the floor to serve on the Board of Directors---I was not her hand-picked choice. I was railroaded in before she could devise a counter strategy. I do hope she got over that. The second time she was flustered was on stage during a performance of "The Gin Game." I showed up for a Saturday night performance coming direct from a wedding reception and having had at least one too many Manhattans and precious little memory of my lines, she wanted to nail my hide to a wall. It didn't help that Nina was notorious for not exactly memorizing her lines word for word. I learned a valuable lesson that night---never again! I would like to take this opportunity to personally apologize to all who were in the audience that night who had trouble following the plot---you folks only saw about half the show. When, Nina passed unexpectedly, I happened to be the President of the Board (she had apparently forgiven my original election). I know many of us wondered how the Barn would survive without her. In the end, all that was required was that we continue to do things as Nina would have done. Using that as our guide, the Barn continues to prosper. After all, the Barn is so much more than weathered boards, moths in spotlights, and a bat diving from the rafters---the Barn is people. Wonderful people who have so greatly enriched my life---Mark B, Colleen S, and Frank K from that first show so long ago to Rick S, Bill K, Terry W, and Patsy V in the 2005 show and all of those in between---but most of all, Nina. I can still hear that strange, infectious, and wonderful laugh of yours in the silo---you'll always be there! Bob Rogers |
