Peninsula Players Hosts Pre-Show Seminar 'How Novels, Films Impact Tourism'

Peninsula Players Theatre, in conjunction with its production of the Tony Award-winning musical "The Bridges of Madison County" by Jason Robert Brown and Marsha Norman, will host a pre-show seminar Thursday, August 10 starting at 6:30 p.m. in the theater. "The Bridges of Madison County"first captured the nation's attention in 1992 when Robert James Waller's novel became a best-seller, then again in 1995 as a major motion picture starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. The film was shot on location in Madison County, Iowa and six covered bridges were featured. Nowhere else in the Midwest can so many covered bridges be found so closely grouped together, thus Madison County and the bridges have become a tourist destination.

Waller, while on leave from work, was taking a pleasure trip to photograph the famous bridges within an 11-mile radius of Winterset, Iowa. The bridges were built with covers to protect the roadway because it was cheaper to replace the boards of the roof and walls rather than replace the heavy beams of the actual bridge. The Covered Bridge Festival celebrates the bridges each fall as well as the birthplace of John Wayne. Waller's trip was an inspiration to him and within three weeks he had finished the novel.

Peninsula Players will host a discussion with Jon Jarosh, Director of Communications & Public Relations, as he talks about the impact of books, films and articles on destinations from a tourism standpoint.

Jarosh has been visiting Door County his entire life and has been lucky enough to live and work in Door County year-round since 1998. In his role as the Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Door County Visitor Bureau, he has firsthand knowledge of the impact travel articles, TV shows and other positive media coverage can have on a destination. He regularly works with travel journalists and production companies to help them tell Door County's many different stories, and he sees the positive impact those efforts can have on the area.

Jarosh is the host of "Explore the Door," an on-line video travel show about Door County. In each episode he takes viewers with him as he experiences various Door County activities. Highlights from past episodes include activities on Washington Island, visiting the Skyway Drive-In and the history of the cherry industry.

Movies and popular novels can drive tourism. Iowa's other movie attraction is in Dyersville - home to the baseball field featured in the "Field of Dreams." "The Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" films spiked tourism to New Zealand and "The Da Vinci Code" increased tours of the Louvre in Paris.

Jarosh will discuss the impact of books/films/travel articles/TV shows and other media coverage on destinations from a tourism standpoint. Be it a Broadway musical like the "The Bridges of Madison County," a feature article in National Geographic or a movie like "Night at the Museum," media exposure in all forms impacts tourism destinations in many different ways.

Madison County considers itself "The Covered Bridge Capitol of the Midwest." A 1966 report by the State Historical Society of Iowa reported that seven of the remaining 12 covered bridges in Iowa reside in Madison County. The musical on stage at Peninsula Players through August 13 is set in 1965 and its main character, Robert, is a photographer for National Geographic who was sent to capture the bridges on film.

Peninsula Players Theatre is committed to providing educational programming for the community. The Peninsula Players has a long history of educational initiatives including an intern program that dates back to the founding days of the Players in the 1930s. The theater continues to offer theater tours and post-show discussions as listed in the program and website. For more information on the Peninsula Players production of "The Bridges of Madison County" on stage through August 13, call the Box Office at (920) 868-3287 or visit www.peninsulaplayers.com.