Northern Sky Theater Announces Its First-Ever Winter Season

Northern Sky Theater has announced its first-ever Winter Season, featuring eight virtual offerings, including both live concerts and archived material.

"We've had a holiday show for years now, but we've never programmed anything between January and April," said Associate Artistic Director Molly Rhode. "The pandemic sparked the thought for us that a winter season was possible. We still miss our audiences, and we hope they miss us, so why not take this opportunity to connect?"

The season will consist of roughly two shows a month between now and April, centered around winter holidays, beginning with December 31's The New Year with Northern Sky, a concert of original material performed and filmed by Northern Sky writers and singers across the country. On January 23, Northern Sky will present multi-instrumental string wizard Eric Lewis live in concert from Memphis, TN.

California songsters Claudia Russell and Bruce Kaplan will perform live from the San Francisco Bay area on February 6. And February 14, Northern Sky will premiere Love: It's Not Just for Lumberjacks, an archival compilation of video footage from Northern Sky shows about love and courtship gone wrong and right.

March 6, Northern Sky will present singing and stringing duo Karen Mal and Will Taylor in concert live from their home in Austin, TX. And March 17, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, the company will premiere a full video archive of a 1993 performance in the Peninsula State Park amphitheater of Malarkey!, a collection of Irish stories, songs, and humor. The cast of Malarkey! includes late Northern Sky cofounder Fred Alley, as well as Kelly Brainerd, Suzanne Graff, Doc Heide, Jeff Herbst, and Karen Mal.

Rounding out the winter season will be two shows in April. Only the Silly Songs: An April Fool's Day Festival of Fun, premieres April 1 and features archival videos of some of the guffaw-inducing, kid-enchanting onstage antics Northern Sky is famous for. And April 17, Northern Sky presents singer, songwriter, playwright, and company co-founder Doc Heide live in concert from Baileys Harbor.

In addition, Northern Sky will resume Facebook-based The Jeff & Katie Show, featuring hosts Jeff Herbst and Katie Dahl slinging banter, music, and bakery with a variety of special guests. Jeff & Katie will happen roughly monthly throughout the winter, with shows scheduled on January 3, January 31, February 28, and March 28.

All concerts will be available on demand after they premiere, and any given ticket purchase ensures unlimited viewing of that event through June 1. Seeking to enhance accessibility, the company has moved to a "pay what you choose" tiered pricing model for this winter season.

"We're trying to pay the bills and employ our company, sure," said Rhode, "but most of all we want to make sure our work is accessible to our audience during these long winter months when we still have to be apart from one another."

Pay-what-you-choose tickets go on sale December 17 on the Northern Sky website. Visit www.northernskytheater.com for more information.

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