Door Shakespeare Joins DOOR COUNTY READS FESTIVAL With CRIMES OF THE HEART Staged Reading

As part of the Door County Library's Winter Reading Festival, Door Shakespeare presents a staged reading of the Pulitzer Prize–winning drama Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley. The reading will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 19, in Björklunden's Vail Hall in Baileys Harbor (7590 Boynton Lane).

Door County Reads is in its 18th season of bringing the community together through the exploration of a shared literary work. Each spring, a library committee of community members selects the festival's book. The library makes the volume available in the fall, and Door County dives into iAs part of the Door County Library's Winter Reading Festival, Door Shakespeare presents a staged reading of the Pulitzer Prize–winning drama Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley. The reading will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 19, in Björklunden's Vail Hall in Baileys Harbor (7590 Boynton Lane).

Door County Reads is in its 18th season of bringing the community together through the exploration of a shared literary work. Each spring, a library committee of community members selects the festival's book. The library makes the volume available in the fall, giving the community time to read and engage before the festival.

The festival offers a variety of activities related to the chosen book, from author visits to book discussions to explorations of adjacent works with similar themes. It's a celebration of one of Door County's favorite winter pastimes: reading.

This year's selection, The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, follows women in a 1950s Washington, D.C., boardinghouse whose lives are shaped by loyalty, hidden tensions, and the challenges of living closely together. Like Crimes of the Heart, it explores how women navigate personal struggles and family dynamics, highlighting resilience in the face of adversity while blending humor with heartache. Both works emphasize how relationships—whether among sisters, friends, or chosen family—can provide support, healing, and insight, making this pairing especially compelling for performance.

The staged reading will be directed by Karen Janes Woditsch, locally known for her work with Peninsula Players (most recently Steel Magnolias) and Broadway performer in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

The cast includes Amy Ensign (Lenny MaGrath), Door Shakespeare's Producing Artistic Director; Claire Morkin (Chick Boyle), a professional singer and actress, seen locally at TAP in The Gin Game, The Glass Menagerie, and Slow Food; Chad Luberger (Doc Porter), of Plumb Bottom Pottery and a familiar face from Northern Sky and TAP productions; Cassie Slater (Meg MaGrath), recently seen in Peninsula Players' Steel Magnolias and visiting from Chicago; Hannah Freund (Babe Botrelle), part of Door Shakespeare's 2025 company, seen as Viola in Twelfth Night; and Mark Frazier (Barnette Lloyd), a Door County–based actor and director who recently moved to the area with his family and brings his passion for creative collaboration to the stage.

Tickets for the staged reading of Crimes of the Heart are free and open to the public. The performance begins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 19, in Björklunden's Vail Hall. For more information, visit the Door County Library website or contact Door Shakespeare.

Door Shakespeare was founded in 1995 under the umbrella of then-named American Folklore Theatre in collaboration with Blue Circle Theatre.

Since becoming its own nonprofit in 1999, Door Shakespeare has produced 46 productions in the Garden of Björklunden's 405-acre estate in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. Door Shakespeare is a professional theatre company employing members of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.