Community Leaders Explain Why Wagon Wheel Is ‘Wonderful’
October 28, 2020 at 1:34 a.m.
Community Leaders Explain Why Wagon Wheel Is ‘Wonderful’
By David [email protected]
In the classic Christmas film “It’s A Wonderful Life,” George Bailey has so many problems, he’s thinking about ending it all at Christmas. As he is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence, who then shows George what his town would be like if it wasn’t for his many good deeds over the years.
The Wagon Wheel Theatre is presenting “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” for its Christmas show in December. But what would Warsaw be like without the Wagon Wheel Theatre over the last 65 years?
Local community leaders were asked what does the Wagon Wheel mean to them and to the community.
Jill Boggs, Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO, said, “The Wagon Wheel’s historic theatre-in-the-round has been a staple in northern Indiana for over 60 years. It is one of Kosciusko County’s top three attractions for leisure, group and corporate travelers. The Wagon Wheel’s annual show series drives overnight visits and increases the economic gain to multiple business sectors including dining, shopping and recreation. In addition to local and regional audience spending, each show brings large performance crews who contribute to Warsaw’s economy.
“Residents in the region frequent the excellent lineup of Broadway quality shows each year. Residents in the region utilize the Wagon Wheel’s various arts programs for their families. These performing arts education programs are some of the few in Northern Indiana. Residents and visitors alike help to financially support this Indiana icon and its mission,” Boggs said.
Smaller destinations like Kosciusko County rely on these dynamic and unique attractions for a healthy visitor economy.
“The Wagon Wheel and its amazing team work hard to keep arts alive for people of all ages to enjoy. The Wagon Wheel is a place asset that contributes to efforts in attracting talent and entrepreneurs, in expansion of business, in population growth and in enhancing the benefits of the visitor economy, all on a local and State level,” she said.
“I personally have created memories by immersing myself into performances at the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts. Not because of my profession in destination marketing for Kosciusko County, but because it is simply a unique, engaging, inspiring and fun experience. My husband, my sister, my daughter and granddaughter have enjoyed multiple shows. They are impressed by the caliber of productions each summer yes, but also by the round theatre stage itself and how shows are structured in this dynamic center for the arts. We can remember each show and talk often about our times together at the Wagon Wheel,” said Boggs.
Kosciusko Economic Development Commission CEO Alan Tio said, “The regional cities initiative was undertaken a few years ago in order to address Indiana's 'brain drain.' The initiative encouraged communities to invest in amenities like the Wagon Wheel Theatre that define the identifies of our cities and towns. In short, Warsaw and Kosciusko County are a step ahead because we already have amenities like the Wagon Wheel Theatre that you might not find in other similarly sized places. The Wagon Wheel Theatre is such a unique venue and their team does an amazing job.”
He said his first visit to the Wagon Wheel was for a performance of “Oklahoma!”
“It is one of my favorite memories so far of my first year in this area. I believe we can do a lot more to promote the Wagon Wheel Theatre in Kosciusko County and throughout Northeast Indiana. It's a special place that brings people together for experiences they won't find elsewhere,” Tio said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said, “The Wagon Wheel Theater, with its humble beginnings as a playhouse-in-the-round under a tent, opened in 1955. The quality of its productions became more than just a ‘summer-stock’ theater. Growing its audiences in the ’60s, the summer season became a significant regional draw, attracting patrons from a broad geographic area in northern Indiana.”
Thallemer grew up in South Bend in the 1960s and remembers his parents traveling to Warsaw with friends to the Wagon Wheel. After moving to Warsaw in 1972, his older sister got a job as hostess at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant.
“I soon realized how popular an evening of dinner and theater entertainment was by the size of the nightly crowds!” Thallemer said.
“Returning to this great community to raise my family, my wife and I would attend plays with our family and friends. The popular musical productions, in the very unique ‘in-the-round’ setting, was most enjoyable! The production staff, onstage talent and musicians were of the highest quality. Many of them using the unique theater experience to advance their professional careers on Broadway stages and Hollywood movies! Local talent was also featured, making the shows that much more enjoyable. I have to say, a night at the Wagon Wheel was a good way to escape the rigors of a hectic day!” Thallemer said.
He said as the curtain went down on Broadway this year because of the pandemic, the impact was felt here locally with the postponement and cancellation of the 2020 summer schedule.
“I missed it. Last month, my wife and I went to a community theater production at the Wagon Wheel with all of the spacing necessary to meet social distancing requirements. It made me realize how much our community missed the vibrancy of our treasured theater.”
Thallemer recommended people support the local arts during this time.
“Re-up your subscription for next year’s season. Donate if you are so inclined. Do what you can to help insure that we continue to have this opportunity for the next 65 years!” he said.
Kosciusko County Councilwoman Joni Truex said, “The Wagon Wheel Theater and Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts provides the opportunity for Broadway talent to be experienced and enjoyed in Warsaw. Having attended many plays locally, in Chicago, Las Vegas and on other stages, I realize what professional productions we are blessed to see here at the Wagon Wheel. Evidently, others realize this as the Wagon Wheel welcomes busloads of tourists to enjoy the shows, concerts and plays. Companies have treated their employees to shows. The Wagon Wheel offers many concerts featuring some of the finest performers. Center Street Theater provides an opportunity for adults to try their hand at acting in one of the great shows they put on each year.
“The ability for a child to take acting lessons, perform on stage in a play or to compete in a musical or art competition is just one of the ways the WWCA brings the arts to the young people in our area. College students have the opportunity to intern at the Wagon Wheel in nonproduction areas such as lighting, props, costume design and stage building. Every Christmas, all students in area schools are bussed to the theater to enjoy the Christmas play.
“The financial impact the Wagon Wheel has on our community cannot be understated. Thousands of people visit our community each year to attend a concert, show or play, eat dinner at a local restaurant and stay the evening in our hotels. Then the following morning, they eat breakfast here before traveling back to their homes.”
Stephanie Overbey, Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO, said, “I personally love having the Wagon Wheel in our community because it serves as a special occasion outing for my family and me, it brings nationally acclaimed talent and entertainment for our community to enjoy, and I love being able to gift experiences instead of more stuff to my family and friends through the purchase of tickets to concerts, plays, comedians and musicals.
“A community our size is extremely fortunate to have a professionally staffed theatre here. Not only does Wagon Wheel provide arts and cultural opportunities for our residents, it attracts visitors and provides a quality of life amenity that is important to local industry when they are recruiting talent.”
Alderfer Bergen & Company have sponsored many of Wagon Wheel’s productions over the last 20 years. Co-owner Alan Alderfer said, “I think it’s one of the most important cultural centers in Kosciusko County. We have been in business for just over 20 years, and one of the first things we did when we opened was to become a sponsor of the shows there. Not everyone can drive to Chicago or fly to New York City to see high-quality musical productions, and we don’t have to because we get them right here on Center Street in Warsaw. What does it say that so many talented young people want to come here and be a part of what the Wagon Wheel does here every summer? It says a lot to me, to us as a business and this community has responded to it, year-after-year.”
Dana McAfee, Warsaw Community High School theater teacher, said, “I am the theatre teacher at WCHS and I have seen much more interest in the arts at the school from students who have been involved in the Junior programs at Wagon Wheel. They are developing a love for theatre and a basic understanding of what it takes to put a show together and make a program work. From a community perspective, I think any artistic culture helps to deepen the core of a community and make it richer.”
Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said, “The Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts plays a critical role in our community. As a lifelong community member, the plays, musicals, symphony and concerts have provided many wonderful local experiences without having to leave Warsaw. While these pieces are critical components, the Wagon Wheel provides many developmental workshops and opportunities in the arts.
“As Warsaw Community Schools superintendent, youth and community programs are second to none in developing potential careers and skills. I am so grateful to the directors, actors, management, staff and countless volunteers who truly love and enrich our local community daily through the Wagon Wheel programming.”
Suzie Light, retired Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO, said, “My first visit to the Wagon Wheel was in 1960, when I was 8. My sister and I went to a play with my grandmother. I don’t recall what we saw but I remember it was a special treat and we sat in cloth director chairs.
“Seven years later, my first paying job was at Wagon Wheel restaurant. I think I was probably the worst waitress ever but I recall after working the lunch shift we could go the Wagon Wheel and watch play rehearsal. Back then the theatre in the round did not have microphones or speakers. Major Petrie was the director and I can still hear him instruct the actors and actresses, ‘you must project your voice!’ Center Street at the time was Highway 30 and truck noise was a tough competitor when trying to sing ‘Camelot.’
“The Wagon Wheel Centre for the arts is important to our community as a vital cultural center. It provides economic impact as a tourist destination. It is an outlet for children honing a craft and gaining experience. It is a venue that can enrich our lives through live entertainment and wonderful story telling. It is a community treasure that is unique - how often do the performers mention, ‘In the round? Well why not!’ It is up close and personal.
“Who remembers when Marie Osmond brought a child from the audience to center of the stage and sang? Who remembers when Phyllis Diller made us laugh so hard we ached for days? Who recalls how the actor portraying the King in ‘Shrek’ made the most out of a slight costume malfunction and stoled our hearts?
“Wagon Wheel is about entertainment but it is about people and experiences that enrich our lives.”
In the classic Christmas film “It’s A Wonderful Life,” George Bailey has so many problems, he’s thinking about ending it all at Christmas. As he is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence, who then shows George what his town would be like if it wasn’t for his many good deeds over the years.
The Wagon Wheel Theatre is presenting “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” for its Christmas show in December. But what would Warsaw be like without the Wagon Wheel Theatre over the last 65 years?
Local community leaders were asked what does the Wagon Wheel mean to them and to the community.
Jill Boggs, Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO, said, “The Wagon Wheel’s historic theatre-in-the-round has been a staple in northern Indiana for over 60 years. It is one of Kosciusko County’s top three attractions for leisure, group and corporate travelers. The Wagon Wheel’s annual show series drives overnight visits and increases the economic gain to multiple business sectors including dining, shopping and recreation. In addition to local and regional audience spending, each show brings large performance crews who contribute to Warsaw’s economy.
“Residents in the region frequent the excellent lineup of Broadway quality shows each year. Residents in the region utilize the Wagon Wheel’s various arts programs for their families. These performing arts education programs are some of the few in Northern Indiana. Residents and visitors alike help to financially support this Indiana icon and its mission,” Boggs said.
Smaller destinations like Kosciusko County rely on these dynamic and unique attractions for a healthy visitor economy.
“The Wagon Wheel and its amazing team work hard to keep arts alive for people of all ages to enjoy. The Wagon Wheel is a place asset that contributes to efforts in attracting talent and entrepreneurs, in expansion of business, in population growth and in enhancing the benefits of the visitor economy, all on a local and State level,” she said.
“I personally have created memories by immersing myself into performances at the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts. Not because of my profession in destination marketing for Kosciusko County, but because it is simply a unique, engaging, inspiring and fun experience. My husband, my sister, my daughter and granddaughter have enjoyed multiple shows. They are impressed by the caliber of productions each summer yes, but also by the round theatre stage itself and how shows are structured in this dynamic center for the arts. We can remember each show and talk often about our times together at the Wagon Wheel,” said Boggs.
Kosciusko Economic Development Commission CEO Alan Tio said, “The regional cities initiative was undertaken a few years ago in order to address Indiana's 'brain drain.' The initiative encouraged communities to invest in amenities like the Wagon Wheel Theatre that define the identifies of our cities and towns. In short, Warsaw and Kosciusko County are a step ahead because we already have amenities like the Wagon Wheel Theatre that you might not find in other similarly sized places. The Wagon Wheel Theatre is such a unique venue and their team does an amazing job.”
He said his first visit to the Wagon Wheel was for a performance of “Oklahoma!”
“It is one of my favorite memories so far of my first year in this area. I believe we can do a lot more to promote the Wagon Wheel Theatre in Kosciusko County and throughout Northeast Indiana. It's a special place that brings people together for experiences they won't find elsewhere,” Tio said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said, “The Wagon Wheel Theater, with its humble beginnings as a playhouse-in-the-round under a tent, opened in 1955. The quality of its productions became more than just a ‘summer-stock’ theater. Growing its audiences in the ’60s, the summer season became a significant regional draw, attracting patrons from a broad geographic area in northern Indiana.”
Thallemer grew up in South Bend in the 1960s and remembers his parents traveling to Warsaw with friends to the Wagon Wheel. After moving to Warsaw in 1972, his older sister got a job as hostess at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant.
“I soon realized how popular an evening of dinner and theater entertainment was by the size of the nightly crowds!” Thallemer said.
“Returning to this great community to raise my family, my wife and I would attend plays with our family and friends. The popular musical productions, in the very unique ‘in-the-round’ setting, was most enjoyable! The production staff, onstage talent and musicians were of the highest quality. Many of them using the unique theater experience to advance their professional careers on Broadway stages and Hollywood movies! Local talent was also featured, making the shows that much more enjoyable. I have to say, a night at the Wagon Wheel was a good way to escape the rigors of a hectic day!” Thallemer said.
He said as the curtain went down on Broadway this year because of the pandemic, the impact was felt here locally with the postponement and cancellation of the 2020 summer schedule.
“I missed it. Last month, my wife and I went to a community theater production at the Wagon Wheel with all of the spacing necessary to meet social distancing requirements. It made me realize how much our community missed the vibrancy of our treasured theater.”
Thallemer recommended people support the local arts during this time.
“Re-up your subscription for next year’s season. Donate if you are so inclined. Do what you can to help insure that we continue to have this opportunity for the next 65 years!” he said.
Kosciusko County Councilwoman Joni Truex said, “The Wagon Wheel Theater and Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts provides the opportunity for Broadway talent to be experienced and enjoyed in Warsaw. Having attended many plays locally, in Chicago, Las Vegas and on other stages, I realize what professional productions we are blessed to see here at the Wagon Wheel. Evidently, others realize this as the Wagon Wheel welcomes busloads of tourists to enjoy the shows, concerts and plays. Companies have treated their employees to shows. The Wagon Wheel offers many concerts featuring some of the finest performers. Center Street Theater provides an opportunity for adults to try their hand at acting in one of the great shows they put on each year.
“The ability for a child to take acting lessons, perform on stage in a play or to compete in a musical or art competition is just one of the ways the WWCA brings the arts to the young people in our area. College students have the opportunity to intern at the Wagon Wheel in nonproduction areas such as lighting, props, costume design and stage building. Every Christmas, all students in area schools are bussed to the theater to enjoy the Christmas play.
“The financial impact the Wagon Wheel has on our community cannot be understated. Thousands of people visit our community each year to attend a concert, show or play, eat dinner at a local restaurant and stay the evening in our hotels. Then the following morning, they eat breakfast here before traveling back to their homes.”
Stephanie Overbey, Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO, said, “I personally love having the Wagon Wheel in our community because it serves as a special occasion outing for my family and me, it brings nationally acclaimed talent and entertainment for our community to enjoy, and I love being able to gift experiences instead of more stuff to my family and friends through the purchase of tickets to concerts, plays, comedians and musicals.
“A community our size is extremely fortunate to have a professionally staffed theatre here. Not only does Wagon Wheel provide arts and cultural opportunities for our residents, it attracts visitors and provides a quality of life amenity that is important to local industry when they are recruiting talent.”
Alderfer Bergen & Company have sponsored many of Wagon Wheel’s productions over the last 20 years. Co-owner Alan Alderfer said, “I think it’s one of the most important cultural centers in Kosciusko County. We have been in business for just over 20 years, and one of the first things we did when we opened was to become a sponsor of the shows there. Not everyone can drive to Chicago or fly to New York City to see high-quality musical productions, and we don’t have to because we get them right here on Center Street in Warsaw. What does it say that so many talented young people want to come here and be a part of what the Wagon Wheel does here every summer? It says a lot to me, to us as a business and this community has responded to it, year-after-year.”
Dana McAfee, Warsaw Community High School theater teacher, said, “I am the theatre teacher at WCHS and I have seen much more interest in the arts at the school from students who have been involved in the Junior programs at Wagon Wheel. They are developing a love for theatre and a basic understanding of what it takes to put a show together and make a program work. From a community perspective, I think any artistic culture helps to deepen the core of a community and make it richer.”
Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said, “The Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts plays a critical role in our community. As a lifelong community member, the plays, musicals, symphony and concerts have provided many wonderful local experiences without having to leave Warsaw. While these pieces are critical components, the Wagon Wheel provides many developmental workshops and opportunities in the arts.
“As Warsaw Community Schools superintendent, youth and community programs are second to none in developing potential careers and skills. I am so grateful to the directors, actors, management, staff and countless volunteers who truly love and enrich our local community daily through the Wagon Wheel programming.”
Suzie Light, retired Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO, said, “My first visit to the Wagon Wheel was in 1960, when I was 8. My sister and I went to a play with my grandmother. I don’t recall what we saw but I remember it was a special treat and we sat in cloth director chairs.
“Seven years later, my first paying job was at Wagon Wheel restaurant. I think I was probably the worst waitress ever but I recall after working the lunch shift we could go the Wagon Wheel and watch play rehearsal. Back then the theatre in the round did not have microphones or speakers. Major Petrie was the director and I can still hear him instruct the actors and actresses, ‘you must project your voice!’ Center Street at the time was Highway 30 and truck noise was a tough competitor when trying to sing ‘Camelot.’
“The Wagon Wheel Centre for the arts is important to our community as a vital cultural center. It provides economic impact as a tourist destination. It is an outlet for children honing a craft and gaining experience. It is a venue that can enrich our lives through live entertainment and wonderful story telling. It is a community treasure that is unique - how often do the performers mention, ‘In the round? Well why not!’ It is up close and personal.
“Who remembers when Marie Osmond brought a child from the audience to center of the stage and sang? Who remembers when Phyllis Diller made us laugh so hard we ached for days? Who recalls how the actor portraying the King in ‘Shrek’ made the most out of a slight costume malfunction and stoled our hearts?
“Wagon Wheel is about entertainment but it is about people and experiences that enrich our lives.”
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