A Rhinelander native is helping launch a new theater company in the Bayfield area.
Sidekick Theatre will put on its first season this summer at Stage North in Washburn.
Co-founder Brian Pekol says it will coexist with The Groundlings, a community theater group that performs at Stage North during the off season.
“One of the reasons we named it Sidekick is because we hope to operate in a symbiosis with the community up there, and their involvement in Stage North. And they have a thriving community theater up there. So like I said, this first year, we’re doing a summer stock, essentially.”
Stage North closed its doors last January, but re-opened this winter with a new plan to balance community and professional theater groups.
Sidekick’s first show is The 39 Steps, a comedic whodunit.
“If you know the old Alfred Hitchcock film from the 30s, it’s sort of a take on that. Now the film was sort of a suspenseful thriller – the play is a little bit different than that, it’s sort of a month-python take on that same story.”
The next show is the musical Little Shop of Horrors.