Performing arts venues throughout the county had to ditch the scripts and scores last week and rely on improvisation after the area filled with smoke from the Canadian wildfires.
At times, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached levels between 400 and 700 — more than 100 points above the 300 AQI threshold for hazardous air conditions and far from the 0-50 range considered healthy for everyday outdoor activity.
It forced many venues to either cancel performances or make alternate plans. Peninsula Players Theatre was forced to cancel three performances because of poor AQI levels, while Northern Sky Theater moved its performances from Peninsula State Park indoors and presented concert-style versions of its shows. At Birch Creek Music Performance Center, outdoor performances were moved inside the Dutton Concert Barn, while people who were more sensitive to the smoke could watch via simulcast in Juniper Hall.
Birch Creek Music Performance Center Executive Director Jenna Ferdon says it was a frantic time as staff worked to determine the best way to keep everyone safe.
With the AQI trending downward, Ferdon expects performances will return to normal for the second week of the first Big Band Jazz session, including ambassador performances in Ellison Bay, Sister Bay, Sturgeon Bay and Ephraim, as well as concerts on Birch Creek's Egg Harbor campus.
