Unless noted otherwise, please use the Contact Form on this website or call the Playhouse at (231) 894-0119 for additional information
| Gentle Yoga | |||||
Yoga Guide »9:30 AM Mondays »9:30 AM Fridays Class fee is $10 and may be paid by cash, check, PayPal, or Venmo to the teacher guiding each session, with no advance registration required. A portion of the proceeds benefit the White Lake Youth Theatre. Arrive early to sign in and settle in on your first session.
| Gentle Yoga ended May 30th, will resume September 12th Gentle Yoga in a Cozy Community
Our yoga instructors are
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| January | |||||
Friday, January 6 Tickets: |
Joshua Davis was raised in the Folk Tradition: The Music, The Social Movements, The Land
Over the past twenty years, Michigan-based Davis has honed an impressive range of skills—songwriter, bandleader, guitarist, and vocalist among them—in the most honest possible fashion: night after night, song after song, show after show Davis simply delivered every performance as though his life depended on it. Investing himself in the American musical diaspora, he has explored the common thread connecting folk, blues, jazz, ragtime, and country forms—discovering his personal perspective as a composer in the process. “My sound is rooted in the folk tradition,” Davis explains, “but it’s not folk music. Terms like Americana, roots rock, and heartland rock come up, but there’s so much more to it than that. I’m not a purist: I play with that American folk lineage, I play with those metaphors.” His versatility and ravenous musical curiosity has resulted in a divergent and fervent output. Since his appearance as a finalist on Season 8 of NBC’s The Voice, Davis has been churning out an album a year and has plans to continue to do so. His sensibilities shine brightest on his latest trio of solo releases, each a thoughtful dispatch on life, love, change, and growth. Joshua has graced The Playhouse stage with many musical projects including Steppin' In It, Shout Sister Shout, and as his solo project, and we're honored to have him back to kickstart the return to our wildly popular, Playhouse First Fridays Michigan Music series in 2023.
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Tickets: $20
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The Bootstrap Boys - Sponsored by Shepherd & Shepherd Law
The Bootstrap Boys are Jake (acoustic guitar, vox), Nick (electric guitar, bgv), Jonny (bass), and Jeff (drums, bgv). They travel the country in their vintage Chevy Coachman RV, affectionately dubbed The Delta Dawn 2. Existing in the same world that Waylon inhabited: unfiltered and tangible country rock that has attitude yet keeps your foot tapping. Glide Magazine, September 2021
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Tickets:
| Improv Afternoon The event is a fundraiser for a future community event, the Cupid's Balls, being hosted February 11 with sessions available both families and for teenagers. The event is estimated to run an hour and a half. Audience participation is allowed and encouraged—but only if you want!
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| February | |||||
Friday, February 3 Tickets: |
Michigan-born Navy veteran Drew Nelson is a storytelling songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A fly fisherman and world traveler, he writes as a witness to the lives and journeys of those he has met along the way, mixing Americana and roots-rock with traditional folk styles. Drew has toured across North America and Europe, performing solo and opening for popular rock artists like Melissa Etheridge and Edwin McCain as well as esteemed folk singers like Josh White Jr. and John Gorka.
John Gorka says “Drew Nelson is one of my favorite new artists. His songs sound like the rest of us feel … dazed, angry, amazed, and climbing.” When Drew is not on the road, he enjoys reading, rooting for the Detroit Tigers, doing hot yoga, and working as an amateur luthier, building guitars and octave mandolins.
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Tickets: $20
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Grace Theisen Band Sponsored by White Lake Family Dentistry
After graduating from Hope College in 2014 with a double major in Gender Studies and Psychology, Grace moved to Nashville, TN, from 2015-2018 to run her nonprofit, Songs Against Slavery, full-time. Their mission was to raise awareness and fight sex trafficking in the U.S. through benefit concerts. They ended up raising over $375,000 to aid in the fight. In that time, she opened for Emmylou Harris, played the infamous Bluebird Cafe, participated in songwriter rounds at The Listening Room and opened for Matthew Perryman Jones at The Nashville City Winery. She recently moved back to Kalamazoo to pursue music full-time. Fairly new to the Michigan Music Scene, she has created quite the buzz since moving back. Grace won Cari Cole’s Best New Artist of 2021 and was named “Artist To Watch” by Michigan’s Local Spins media outlet in January of 2022. In March, she released her 3rd EP, Dance With The Shadows. This record was produced by Jake Rye of the Social Recording Company and is a mix of Americana, Blues and Pop. From that EP, the Down To The River Official Music Video won Best Americana Video & The Audience Choice Award at the 2022 Michigan Music Video Awards. Behind the Rain was picked up by one of Spotify's official playlists, Home At Last. This past July, She was just named by Revue as one of the “Top 10 Bands Heating Up The Summer.” Just this past year alone, she and her band have already played some of Michigan’s hottest venues including Bell’s Eccentric Café, The Crofoot, The Ark, Grand Rapids Listening Room, The Livery, and 20 Front Street. This summer they played in multiple Michigan festivals, and made their debut on the mainstage at the inaugural Sounds of the Zoo Festival this past October. She is currently on tour around Michigan promoting her new single, Master of Fire, and is partnering with Michigan Reproductive Freedom for All to raise awareness about reproductive rights.
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Tickets:
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The Gnarly Heifer Goes to The Playhouse
Join the Gnarly Heifer and raise a glass to help them celebrate their One Year Anniversary. Owners Kara & Mike Smith and crew will be sharing tastes of their incredible catering menu: Smoked BBQ pork sliders, Smoked Mac & Cheese, green beans and bacon, smoked wings, jalapeno maple bacon cornbread and more. The fabulous FAN Club (Tommy Foster, Justin Avdek, and Scott Nesbitt) will be playing tunes, and there will be door prizes. Fetch is brewing up a very special beer, The Gnarly Heiferweizen, that will be on tap for the night. The Playhouse will also have domestic beers, wine, seltzers, soft drinks and more available for purchase. Come out for a great evening of food, music and fun and to wish The Gnarly Heifer all the best.
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| March | |||||
Friday, March 3 Tickets:
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Truck Driver Bingo & Forged in friendship and family, the West Michigan-based band The Smokin’ Dobroleles has the uncanny ability to feed off each other and their audience to create the perfect mix of medicine to cure what ails you. The Smokin melodic tremolo and solid chops of Mike Renna’s resonator ukulele and songwriting skills blend perfectly with Abe Kurzer’s soulful dobro and their vocal harmonies create a singular sound that will have your whole body swaying. Rounding out this eclectic crew and sure to have you smiling, we have Brandon Tabor holding down the low end on upright bass and the well seasoned, fearless timekeeper, John Ellsworth, on all things drums and percussion.
The band pulls from a long history together and a deep repertoire of original and cover songs, all with that Smokin’ Dobro flavor. Their albums, Take Two and Pass (2018), and The Smokin’ Dobroleles (2021), take you on a journey through these various artistic influences. Their songs take on a life of their own when performed live and no two shows are ever the same. That explains why they’ve developed a following over the years while sharing the stage and opening for bands like Michael Cleveland & the Flamekeeper, Full Cord, ClusterPuck, Native Howl, and Fauxgrass, and playing festivals including: Shorts Fest, Michigan Glass Project, Tamarack Music Fest, Noreast’r Music Festival, Hippiefest, Tie-Dye Festival, FarmFest, and Forest Trail Music Festival.
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Tickets: $20
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Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish Sponsored by Tri County Feed
While Jesse likes to let his music do the talking you might be interested in this April 2022 article from the Revue West Michigan.
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| April | |||||
Monday - Friday Workshop: $150
| Spring Break Day Camp for the Arts
This week long, five afternoon session runs 12 noon to 3 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The camp ends with a presentation for families and friends at 2:15 PM on the final day, Friday, April 7. Homeschool stipends DO qualify for this program, and all ages of kids can look forward to a week of fun and creativity, social development, and team building on the Playhouse stage Cost is $150 for the week, and can be made in two payments, a $50 deposit and $100 final payment. Limited spaces are available, so sign your kiddo up to reserve their space today. This program is generously underwritten by Carmichael Heating and Air Conditioning back to top of page …
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The White Lake Youth Theatre invites all students ages 8 through 18 to audition for our Summer Theatre Festival Play The Wind in the Willows. Actors ages 8 to 10 are welcome from 4:00 - 4:45 PM and can attend either or both dates. Actors ages 10 (by rehearsal start date) to 18 are invited for either, or both full sessions. No experience necessary.
You must complete and submit the audition application online prior to the auditions. Come dressed in comfortable clothing and ready to move and have fun.
The White Lake Youth Theatre summer production schedule will be as follows:
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Tickets: $20
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Nomads Grass Bash Sponsored by New Standard Cannabis
Joining Nomads will be guests Karen & Eric Smith, Tommy Foster, Eric Engblade, Mark Lavengood, and more.
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Saturday, April 22 Tickets:
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Join us for the Premier of the enchanting ballet, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The dancers of Michigan Youth Ballet Theatre bring to life this work originally choreographed by George Balanchine in 1962. This version was choreographed by Richard France (father of Michigan Youth Theatre Artistic Director Sean France) and adapted for MY Ballet Theatre. This ballet is inspired by the Shakespeare play and put to music by Mendelssohn. This Shakespeare story is full of magic and mischief staring Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies, and the infamous Puck. Fairies, butterflies, and other mystical characters enchant the audience with their own spells.
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Saturday, April 29 | 2023 Summer Theatre Festival Auditions
You do not need to attend both days, but you may if you choose
Download the Audition Application* *Click the link to view an online application form Please have resume and headshot ready to upload, if you have them to include. back to top of page … |
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| May | |||||
Friday, May 5 Doors at 6:30 PM Tickets:
| the ACWL—Nuveen Center Presents
Tonight I'm My Mother is a one-woman show and dark comedy written and performed by Liz Allen, a Chicago improv luminary. Through portrayal of her mother, Liz explores the eternal mother/daughter dynamic on a personal level.
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10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Workshop Fee: $20
| the ACWL—Nuveen Center Presents An Improv Workshop: Having Fun While Collaborating
We’ll demonstrate that there are no wrong choices or lackluster ideas, there’s only lackluster support. And, we’ll demonstrate that improv thrives in an environment of acceptance and encouragement. We’ll foster an atmosphere of trust among the group. Once trust is in place, fun begins to happen. We’ll focus on the tenets of improv, leading us to silliness, unexpected discoveries and poignancy together, without the worries of being wrong or lackluster. We’ll have fun while creating something new together, on the fly. Anyone 16 and over is welcome no matter experience level. Class minimum: 10 About the Instructor
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Doors and Dinner 6:00 PM Tickets: After May 12
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Kayak Bassin' 101 Meet 2022's three-time BassMaster Kayak Series Champion and Angler of the Year, Drew Gregory, during an evening full of food, discussion, and professional advice from one of the best in the business. Doors open at 6:00 PM with dinner immediately served until the seminar begins at 7:00 PM. Limited tickets available, so book in advance and invite your friends. back to top of page … |
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| June | |||||
Friday, June 16 Tickets:
| The Moxie Strings—Their Farewell Tour A Playhouse Summer Kickoff Celebration Soon after forming in 2007, The Moxie Stringswere inspired not only to perform, but also to teach. Having made the exploratory journey from classical music to a world of eclecticism and music creativity, the band has now dedicated their careers to helping young musicians make this life-changing and transformative transition. Moxie clinics focus on musical self-discovery and the importance of incorporating socially and culturally relevant genres of music in the music classroom. They have taught clinics in over 200 schools throughout the US, and also present on their research and methodologies to teachers at many music education professional development conferences. During most clinics, The Moxie Strings perform for students on electric instruments, teach music by ear, and introduce non-classical playing styles. The group has researched and created an innovative sequence of activities designed to introduce improvisation to classically trained musicians, which they employ at every clinic. The Moxie Strings deliver their message in a fun, accessible way, and stand before students as the illustration of the many opportunities that music holds. The Billboard-chart topping instrumental duo released their first live album in July. It is the band's fifth full-length album and features six original songs, two traditional fiddle tunes, and four cover songs including Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams and Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit. It has often been said that the magic of The Moxie Strings is in their live show, and the two are thrilled to have an album that captures all the exciting, heartwarming, virtuosic, and humorous moments that make up their one-of-a-kind experience. The band prides themselves on pushing the creative limits of 5-string violin and electric cello, and this album is their best example yet. back to top of page … |
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9 am- 5 pm Price $100
| Stage for a Day—Animals Onstage!
Welcoming young performers ages 5-18 for a full, jam-packed day of performance arts education and FUN to kickoff the summer with an ANIMALS ONSTAGE theme. Students will get to choose a path of education for the day, including options for dance and movement, OR stage combat, silk dying, mask making, acting and improvisation, scenic design, and directed scenes. There will be a small performance at 4:30 PM to showcase for families all the fun skills and projects the kids worked on for the day. Contact Cindy Beth for a possible scholarship. Payment plan available: $50 deposit plus 2 payments of $25.00, paid every four weeks back to top of page … |
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Our yoga sessions welcome yogis of all levels, and are completely beginner friendly! Class is $10 and students should arrive early for their first session to sign in and set up in the glass-encased lobby. Bring a water bottle (a water filling station is available onsite) and your mat and any props you may like, as none are available onsite.
Joshua Davis 
North Grove Brewers & 
The White Lake Youth Theatre Council (WLYTC) invites our community to come out for an entertaining afternoon of Improvisation performance at their first ever improv show. The Playhouse will be filled with laughter, alongside delicious baked goods as the WLYTC will also be hosting a bake sale. 
He first met John Gorka in 2006, when Drew performed as part of 
Come Celebrate Their One Year Anniversary 
Because each musician has their own musical influences that span genres across the wide tapestry of music including bluegrass, folk, country, jazz, rock, reggae, hip-hop, and blues, the group likewise expresses themselves in a cornucopia of style and sound that is uniquely Smokin’-Dobrolelesque. 
Jesse was 12 when he picked up guitar after his "Gumpy" bought his first 6 string. Jesse then began playing open mic nights with his mama at his side to gain him entry into the bars. In 2013 Jesse Ray formed 
Fairy tales take life onstage through music, acting, and dance during this weeklong 
Michigan Youth Ballet Presents 
Auditions will be held for the 
Hailed by The Grand Rapids Press as “top-notch, instrumental wizardry,” 
A Full Day of Performance Arts Education for Ages 5-18
