THE BOYS FROM BARABOO to Make World Premiere at Next Act Theatre

Next Act Theatre continues its 2026-27 season with the World Premiere of THE BOYS FROM BARABOO by Heidi Armbruster, directed by Next Act Artistic Director Cody Estle.

Next Act's first-ever commissioned play, will run December 2 - 20, 2026 at Next Act's artistic home at 255 S. Water Street in Milwaukee. Tickets for single patrons may be purchased by calling 414-278-0765 or visiting nextact.org.

Comedy! Songs! Entertainment! Step right up as Heidi Armbruster chronicles the rise and fall of the Ringling Brothers: five boys from Baraboo, Wisconsin. The story of their circus-the greatest show on Earth-is bookended by the brothers' scrappy beginnings and difficult ends. THE BOYS FROM BARABOO tells the uniquely American story of a death-defying entertainment empire: music, storytelling, grit and charm create a tale that's equal parts vaudeville revue and prestige drama.

'I've found a great deal of fertile ground in writing about the state of Wisconsin,' said Armbruster. 'This is my first dip into Wisconsin history-and the peculiar and particular mix of ambition and practicality that grows in Wisconsin's soil. In the 1980s, in a backyard in Baraboo, my best friend and I made up routines of our own, hoping we'd be discovered and someday get to work at Circus World Museum. A hundred years earlier, in a backyard in Baraboo, five boys were doing the very same thing.'

Next Act Theatre commissioned Armbruster to write the play, which serves as the company's entry in World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals running throughout 2026. This is the second time the company has participated in World Premiere Wisconsin - in 2023, it presented GOD'S SPIES by Bill Cain during the festival. Armbruster has worked with the Next Act staff to develop the script, including a weeklong workshop and staged reading for donors and friends of the theatre in January 2025.

Not only is THE BOYS FROM BARABOO set in Wisconsin, it also boasts an entirely local cast. Actors Karen Estrada, Laura Gordon, Brian Mani, Molly Rhode and Sarah Zapiain all return to the Next Act stage, while Kat Wodtke makes rounds out the cast in her Next Act debut. In addition to previous work with Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, First Stage and others, Wodtke is part of the Milwaukee band Long Mama. Next Act Artistic Director Cody Estle will direct the play. He previously directed the company's productions of SWING STATE, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION and THE TREASURER. This is Estle's third season with the company.

'I'd just like to point out what a fantastic idea it was for Heidi to write a play about the Ringling Brothers!' said Estle. 'During our weeklong workshop, we did research, learned the music, deepened our understanding of the characters, explored their intentions, and perhaps most impressively, watched Heidi work through her rewrites in real time. It was exciting to see this piece truly begin to take shape.'

The creative team also includes Music Director Alissa Rhode, Scenic Designer Jeffrey D. Kmeic (Next Act: TRAYF, SWING STATE, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, THE CHILDREN), Lighting Designer Noele Stollmack (Next Act: SWING STATE, BOSWELL, THE CHILDREN), Costume Designer Izumi Inaba (Next Act: SANCTUARY CITY, SCARECROW), Sound Designer Josh Schmidt (Next Act: SWING STATE, BOSWELL, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION), Properties Designer Jim Guy (Next Act: SWING STATE, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY), Dramaturg Deanie Vallone, Movement by Evan Zes, Choreographer Molly Rhode and Stage Manager Nat Goeller.

Next Act will also continue offering several accessibility initiatives during the run of THE BOYS FROM BARABOO which are new this season, including the use of closed captioning devices as well as open captioning, ASL interpretation, audio description and touch tours at select performances. Closed captioning devices will be available at the new lobby accessibility cart alongside existing assistive listening devices and, at select performances, audio description receivers. Details of all accessibility initiatives can be found by visiting Next Act's website or calling the Ticket Office. All of these initiatives were successfully implemented during the company's previous production of TRAYF by Lindsay Joelle.