David Leidholdt Returns for Summer at Millbrook Playhouse
By Christopher Miller
MILL HALL – After a one-year hiatus but not a permanent move back to the Clinton County area, David Leidholdt is reclaiming the reins of Artistic Director at Millbrook Playhouse for the interim period of the 2024 summer season on the heels of Shannon Agnew’s resignation announcement due to family and health concerns.
“We have a very tight budget, and the cost of doing shows is very high with a thin return on investment in a small rural town, but we need to make money to keep growing…it has been tough since COVID and the hit on regional theaters,” Leidholdt told The Record.
For David, being away for a year was hard, but he is thrilled to be coming back to Millbrook.
“Shannon’s shoes will be very hard for me to fill,” David said. “Being away for a year I do miss the community, and living and working in the community and producing in the summer; I truly grew to love this area and Michigan has been great but challenging, but for right now the idea is that I will be back this season to help.”
This summer, Millbrook announced Monday afternoon that there will be two shows on the Ryan Main Stage, three in the Poorman Cabaret Theatre, and the Youth Ensemble.
“It is a little bit scaled back, but it is not all doom and gloom – Millbrook is still here after 61 years and growth is still happening,” David said. “We are planning the season with at least eight people for the shows all happening in a short period of about ten weeks and we really plan to use a lot of the things we currently have in stock for sets and props, just repurposed.”
With the long history of Millbrook Playhouse and a supportive community to attend shows and make in-kind donations, it can still be a challenge for the small nonprofit to operate and put on a season’s worth of shows.
“We really rely on the model of “summer stock,”” David said, which is hiring actors who may be in college to help them build their career and resume of experiences on stage. “It is hard to produce with, but we will hold auditions mid-March for local actors and for some for the youth show.”
After a year of being away, David is excited to be back in his former role.
“I was burned out; it was 10 years and probably 100 shows when I left for Michigan, but I’m back and ready for the 61st season at Millbrook Playhouse,” David said.
Subscription tickets are on sale now at https://tickets.millbrookplayhouse.org/packages and individual show tickets will be on sale mid-April.
