Many reviews have addressed issues with the older Timber Lake artistic and administrative team and as a recent hire, I can confirm that none of these issues in leadership have resolved in the changing of hands—they’ve just gotten better at hiding it to some members of the company, mainly the performers, who the AD likes to keep happy (as opposed to the crew). Over the course of my contract at TLP: - A donor who was known by the entire company (including leadership) to make racist and sexual remarks to performers was invited to attend multiple designer runs and the cast was forced to have lunches with him despite his behavior being reported. The former executive director even gave this donor cast member’s personal cell phone numbers—including one of the poor women he harassed. - AD publicly provided and smoked weed with underaged cast members - AD gossips about employees to other employees, creating a toxic work environment - One of the guest directors publicly hazed and verbally berated the lead actor throughout the entire rehearsal and performance process, and questioned his sexuality in front of the rest of the cast. Instead of reprimanding this behavior, the AD proceeded to side with the director and shit-talk this cast member in front of other employees. On one occasion this white director was also racially insensitive during rehearsal, making multiple cast members uncomfortable and this was never addressed by leadership. - OSHA Violations <3 - Actor's Equity Fines <3 - And FINALLY: The AD cast himself as both Tony AND Maria in a West Side Story medley at the end of the year gala. One of the more embarrassing things I’ve seen. At least 9 people did not finish their contracts—either through quitting or firing. Timber Lake has a revolving door of employment that all of the permanent staff and leadership seem to view as normal. I completely understand positive responses to the change in leadership. The current AD is extremely charismatic and presents as someone who is focused on contributing to the new wave of “kind theater”. However, when things do not go his way or someone is no longer useful to him, he takes a complete 180. I have never met someone so comfortable with blaming others instead of taking accountability and actually treating staff with the care, compassion and empathy he claims to have. If you are an actor, there is a large chance you will have a great experience at TLP. Everyone’s hours are long and at times brutal, but the housing and food are pretty okay and I feel like I've only seen a few very unhappy actors by the end of the season. The venue is cute with a revolving stage that makes the staging dynamic and interesting. If you want a fun little summer stock experience, this place might suit you well. If you are on the technical side, PLEASE DO NOT WORK HERE. You will be worked until you drop and caught up in a toxic culture where every mistake you make is inflated and you are in constant fear of being fired. You will not be treated with understanding, your time will not be respected, and you will constantly be manipulated into hating your coworkers so that the AD seems like your only ally when in reality he is saying the same vile things about you to your coworkers. Save yourself the mental anguish. No one deserves to be treated that way. I love the community that surrounds TLP. Again, it has so much potential and is a hidden gem of Northwestern Illinois. But, it has year after year been failed by its leadership. If they overhaul their current leadership and finally get their shit together, I would go back in a heartbeat. Until then, avoid, avoid, avoid. That place is an active dumpster fire and it’s only getting worse. (edited)

TLP is a gem of summer stock theatre. I worked 2 contracts in their last season and had a wonderful experience both times. The directors and staff at the theater are extremely passionate about what they’re creating and go above and beyond to make sure that the visiting professionals feel comfortable and supported. I had heard from folks that worked here in previous seasons under a different ED and AD and that was not their experience. Those leadership positions have changed over and the theatre has definitely hired folks that are moving in the right direction. I cannot say enough about the AD, who I saw pitch in to help anywhere that was needed at all times of day and night. I personally saw him with power tools in hand on set builds, helping to build props, carry laundry, bring folks to local shops, and always have a ready smile and ear for anyone he was talking to. The community around the theater is deeply invested in its history and future and often volunteers to pick up actor from the airport, or open their homes for a BBQ. On more than one occasion I saw community members donate sweet treats and snacks on changeover days. It made for such a nice taste of home while I was there. There is an onsite dining hall and staff who provide 2 meals a day (lunch and dinner) but they also made sure there were snacks and breakfast options (bagels, cereal, eggs, etc). They were lovely and always open to suggestions. There are cabins for the resident company (2-3 to a cabin) but I stayed at the equity house which is on the campus of the theater. It was a cute little farmhouse with a full kitchen and multiple bathrooms as well as laundry. My understanding is that it is currently being renovated and will be even more accommodating next season. I’ll be returning so I can’t wait to see what they do. The AD, ops manager, and stage managers physically checked in with me daily to make sure I wasn’t lacking anything and were very Responsive to any concerns I had. Overall, I had a very enjoyable experience at TLP and look forward to returning.

Worked a month long contract with TLP, and had a really great time. The creative leaders at the theater (particularly the AD) are really passionate about what they’re creating for the community and go above and beyond to make sure that the visiting professionals feel at home and have all the support they need. The community around the theater cares deeply for the art being made, which made the experience very rewarding. There is an onsite chef who provides 2 meals a day, stocks the kitchen with snacks and breakfast essentials, and is passionate about making life easier for the cast and crew- they even have a recommendation box for meals. A few company vehicles were provided for walmart runs and general days off. I stayed at the equity house which is on the campus of the theater, very cute and comfortable. The staff makes it their mission to see that everyone feels well taken care of, and that everything they need is provided at the theater. Overall, the people at the theater work hard to make their staff feel comfortable and supported, and I would absolutely work another show with them!

TLP is a wonderful theater that's finding its footing again under new artistic leadership. The energy and collaboration from nearly everyone on site was incredibly refreshing given the previous couple of years' companies' experiences. Genuinely had one of the most artistically stimulating processes I've ever had while working here -- everyone is working toward a common goal and to put on exciting theater for a community that does not otherwise get to experience live arts. The community is the biggest plus - everyone in town loves the theater and the actors, crew, designers, creatives, musicians, etc all form a really tight bond. Absolutely loved my summer.

Working at Timber Lake Playhouse was such a rewarding experience. From the get-go, the staff and the local community made me feel right at home. Everyone was super friendly, and it was easy to settle into my role because of the great support around me. One of the best parts was working with the artistic director. They were so supportive and really brought the designers together, helping us form a strong team. It wasn’t just about giving direction—they jumped in to help with set dressing and anything else that needed doing, which really showed their commitment to the work and to us as a team. Timber Lake Playhouse has left me with lasting memories, and I’ve learned so much. If you’re looking for a place with great people and a creative, supportive environment, I can’t recommend it enough.

I have put up with a lot of contracts but this one was definitely the worst I’ve experienced so far. Designers did about 4 overnights in a row- scenic elements were about a week behind due to a lack of support and not because of anything the designer did. I was brought in to Prop Design and Swing the show and was basically assigned an additional ASM track mid-tech week, and when I brought that up as a breach of contract (and also just something I didn’t have the bandwidth to take on) to the Artistic Director, I was told I felt behind because I wasn’t doing overnights with the other designers (never mind that I was doing two positions and I can’t set dress until there is a set). Rehearsals had been fine but there was a clear shift in attitude from the Director and Artistic Director (who were close friends) as soon as tech started. I had been clear that I don’t do overnights as soon as I was aware other designers were doing them and when I stated that I did not realize that was an expectation, I was told that “it’s not an expectation but when the other designers are choosing to stay until 5:30am and you aren’t there it makes me feel like you aren’t a team player”. It’s also important to note that I was still coming in at least an hour early every morning and working through all of my breaks- I was not giving bare minimum by any means. While I was swinging this show, I am normally a designer and have never been made to feel like pulling overnights is a good thing as much as I was at this theatre- from the director clapping for people who said they only got 3 hours of sleep, to the complete lack of a tech schedule and no set work hours for the crew or lock up time for the theatre. I was also told that the other designers were upset at me and disappointed in my work, but when I pulled them aside individually to clear the air on what I was led to believe was an across the table issue with me, I was assured that was not the case and they were much more upset to be doing overnight techs with little support. It was crazy to me that I was being absolutely lied to my face by the Artistic Director and made to feel like I was ostracized by the other people I was working with and if that doesn’t say enough about how the theatre is willing to operate and treat employees I don’t know what would. I frankly feel like the theatre was taking advantage of younger designers by praising them for working 20 hour days and not having any sort of tech schedule, additional tech support, or planning work hours into the day, and instead of acknowledging it as an issue were attempting to find a scapegoat for everyone’s frustrations and as one of the only people not staying past the production meetings I was an easy target. As a swing, my costume wasn’t completed until after opening night, was never hemmed to the correct length, and I had to brush/fix my own wig. Other cast members had shoddily finished costumes that were never fixed, and costumes overall weren’t wearable until the last day of tech (but please tell me how I’m not doing my job in a timely manner when they’ve had show props for almost a week). It’s 2024 and if designers are doing multiple overnights in a row for a show with 4 people and one set I feel like theatres should take a look at the amount of support they provided and not jump to push blame/additional positions on others. We had done the entire rehearsal process with the assumption that no one would be backstage and to assign me a backstage track during tech for a few lighting cues that could have been controlled by the board absolutely felt like a power play by the Director and Artistic Director. Housing was full of bugs, the water was undrinkable when we arrived, and the only upside was the incredibly kind cooks on campus (love you Misty). Also if you are not housed in equity housing (which no one but the equity cast members and equity SMs would be during the summer) you will be walking outside to get to the shared bathroom/showers. The entire experience was full of gaslighting, glorification of unsafe work practices, and overall was unprofessional and undersupported. I left needing to take a break from theatre for a bit which was absolutely not what I expected from what was supposed to be a cute Christmas contract. We were housed in a house with the Artistic Director so there was simply never a time to decompress as the theatre is quite simply in the middle of nowhere and there was also no executive director or additional position of power at the time that issues could be brought to, so gigintel is probably the only outlet that will see these concerns. I cannot recommend anyone pursue a contract at this theatre if you cherish your sanity or sleep.

I worked in 2022, and I know people who worked theirs 2023 season and it didn’t improve. The board of the theatre was informed about the sexist and unsafe measures of the executive director by multiple individuals and they did nothing about it. The theatre floods any time it rains, and you have to squeegee water to keep it from getting in the turntable (or stand on chairs holding wires.) I worked 15+ hour days doing multiple different departments getting paid the least of anyone there. Actors are treated way better than technicians, which is why they can’t keep technicians, but the acting crew has good experiences. The scene shop paint sink had whole mushrooms growing from it. We were given moldy food at times. I would not consider working here until things change (edited)

Unacceptable in nearly every way. Poor housing. Producer changed the pay numbers after we arrived. Kept waiting until payday to say they couldn't pay until next week. Unprofessional anger junkie running the place.

My experience is very different from others. I did only one show in the season in 2023. It is in the middle of nowhere and is pretty much a campsite. Imagine behind this theatre in the woods there are "cabins" and that is where most everyone stays. The cabins are just small little buildings with AC/heat and closets, beds, 2 dressers, desks, and camp stations. They fit either 2 or 3 people in one cabin. There is a separate building for the bathroom where one entrance leads to men and one to women with separate bathrooms for the handicapped. Also, a laundry room. There also is a dining hall where you are served lunch and dinner. They also have things for you to make breakfast. My experience was different because I was working with people I already knew for a show we already did. It was like a summer camp. The rehearsal space is amazing as well as the theatre. The downside is that is like a camp and can get dirty easily just from being outdoors. They had a former artistic director who was since replaced because of allegations of sexual harassment back in 2022. The place I believe is on the up and up. But I don't think I could spend a whole summer doing 7 shows there because it's a campsite in the middle of nowhere. The pay also isn't great - $200 a week and no travel stipend. It's a great theatre to start in during college.

Summer stock theater. Run down cabin-style housing in the woods - as well as canteen à la summer camp. The bathroom & showers are in a separate building like at a campsite!! Big revolve stage and truly in the middle of nowhere IL. Fun for a college summer stock experience if you like the outdoors! Artistic direction just changed this year so who knows what that will bring.