The Green Room at Martin Street Theater

Encore Studio for the Performing Arts opens its 2026-27 season, Every Place Tells a Story, with the return of The Green Room, an Encore classic originally produced in 2009.

Written by Encore Founder and Executive Director KelsyAnne Schoenhaar with Wendy Prosise and updated for Encore's current company by Steve Wyeth, The Green Room returns to the stage October 16-31 at Martin St Theatre in Madison.

The revival is part of Encore's ongoing work to preserve and revisit its artistic history, supported by an archival grant from the Ruth Foundation for the Arts. As Encore examines more than 25 years of original work, The Green Room offers an opportunity not simply to preserve a past production, but to bring it back to life with the company of artists working at Encore today.

The audience sees the performance. The Green Room sees everything else.

What actually goes on backstage? What does the company do when the theatre is empty? Do they all really get along?

The Green Room explores the tenuous, often tumultuous relationships that develop backstage when performers, technicians, egos, personalities, and theatrical chaos collide.

This dark, farcical comedy combines scathing reviews, sex, drugs, mental illness, snarky technical staff, temperamental actors, and the particular chaos that comes with making theatre.

Behind the performance audiences came to see is another story entirely.

The Green Room invites audiences backstage to see it.

A STORY FROM ENCORE'S ARCHIVE

Encore originally produced The Green Room in 2009. Its return is connected to Encore's ongoing archival project, supported by the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, to preserve and document the company's artistic history.

Revisiting The Green Room creates an opportunity to look back at a piece of Encore's history while allowing the work to change alongside the company itself.

Updated for Encore's current acting company by Steve Wyeth, the 2026 production brings work from Encore's past into its present.

The Green Room opens Every Place Tells a Story, Encore's 2026-27 season exploring three environments and the stories found within them. The season continues with Stacks, set in the world of a library, in February and Background Noise, set in a neighborhood coffee shop, in May.

CONTENT ADVISORY

The Green Room is intended for mature audiences and is not suitable for children. The production includes references to drug use, sexual situations, violence, mental illness, and strong language.