The Lunt-Fontanne Fellows

Stephen Berenson

Nominated by Trinity Repertory Company | Providence
“Stephen Berenson is that rare actor whose gift for finding and nurturing young talent is as great as the artistry of his own performances. While a member of Trinity Rep’s resident acting company for more than twenty seasons, he directed our graduate training program since joining the faculty of the Trinity Rep Conservatory in 1985. When the Conservatory transitioned from a two-year certificate program with Rhode Island College to a three-year program granting a MFA in acting and directing from Brown University, Stephen’s vision and stewardship made it a national flagship for professional training. For Stephen, our national theater community is an extension of Trinity Rep’s resident acting company and the Bread Loaf Acting Ensemble, with whom he has shared fifteen summers. He has quite literally fed the community’s new generation, launching every Brown/Trinity MFA graduate on a career path and proudly chronicling their success. Stephen empowers each student to become the best actor s/he can be. As an actor, he is a generous collaborator in the rehearsal hall. A generation of New England audiences has grown up enjoying Stephen’s versatility in roles such as Shakespeare’s Puck and Feste and musical delights such as Herr Schultz in Cabaret. Virtuosic artist to his audiences, mentor and mother hen to his students, consummate gentleman and witty raconteur to his colleagues, we are all proud to call him our friend.”
- Curt Columbus, Artistic Director

Suzanne Bouchard

Nominated by Seattle Repertory Theatre
“Suzanne Bouchard is a treasured member of the Seattle theater community; she is loved by her fellow actors and adored by audiences across this city. Suzanne has worked in Seattle and other venues for twenty-five years. Most recently she played Catherine in Robert Schenkkan’s By the Waters of Babylon at the Seattle Rep and Mary Haines in The Women at ACT in Seattle. Her range as an actor is uncanny – from Shakespeare to musical work and contemporary comedy. Suzanne is castable in just about any play. She has shined as Nora in A Doll’s House, Amanda in Private Lives, Hanna Jelkes in Night of the Iguana, her perennial favorite, Karen Knightly in The Revengers’ Comedies, and as Shakespeare’s Rosalind, Beatrice, Titania, Lady Macbeth, Ariel, and Margaret. This fall she will appear as Ginger in Steven Dietz’s premiere of Becky’s New Car. Suzanne inspires our community and embodies the notion that acting is among the most noble of professions.” – Jerry Manning, Producing Artistic Director

James Carpenter

Nominated by California Shakespeare Theater
“It is rare that I think of certain actors as artists. Jim Carpenter certainly is one. He doesn’t just perform roles. He creates them. Jim begins his process of creating a character from deep within him. He and I always joke about the acting ‘bogameter,’ an imagined device that goes off when a moment is phony (or bogus) in rehearsal or performance. But he’s dead serious about authenticity in his work, and the work of others. He challenges me at every turn, and it took us a while to trust each other, with my pushing him to places he may be uncomfortable with, and his getting me to trust the simplicity of a gesture or a look, of a moment between two people. He is a master of acting American Shakespeare; his work is confident, unforced, nuanced, skillful, and real. And when he’s afforded the chance to work on modern material, he uses all of those qualities to lift any script off the page in ways that are nothing short of thrilling. Jim’s also become a touchstone for me as a person, professionally and personally. He’s such a rich, deep human that not only is his work significantly informed by that, but also all of his relationships. When you talk to Jim, it’s a real conversation. There’s no ‘bogameter’ going off when you’re in a room with him. Jimmy Carpenter is the real deal, on stage, in rehearsal, in life.” – Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director

Celeste Ciulla

Nominated by The Old Globe | San Diego
“Celeste Ciulla has been a treasured member of The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival repertory season for several years. An absolute chameleon on stage, her artistry is as unparalleled as is her versatility. Last season alone she played both the chilling, controlling Volumnia in Coriolanus and the sweet, devoted Duenna to Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac – two women who could not have come from more opposite ends of the spectrum. In Celeste’s expert hands, audiences were terrified one night and delighted the next by one singular artist performing two disparate roles. An actress who clearly thrives in the repertory process, audiences and the critics marvel at her work on the Globe’s stage. Among her many attributes as a performer, Celeste’s signature velvet voice, coupled with her superior ability to speak in verse, envelops and captivates the audience. In recent years at the Globe, she has brilliantly performed Gertrude in Hamlet, (a fiddle-playing) Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Lucetta in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Mistress Overdone in Measure for Measure, Emilia in Othello, Tamora in Titus Andronicus and Helen of Troy in The Trojan Women. Whether the part is large or small, Celeste creates finely etched performances, bringing the same attention to detail to each role she plays. Her hard work, combined with her wonderful sense of humor, is an inspiration to her fellow actors. Whether maid or queen, duenna or wife, Celeste truly embodies the spirit of regional theater.”
– Louis Spisto, CEO/Executive Producer

Bob Davis

Nominated by Guthrie Theater | Minneapolis
“Bob Davis has been a vital member of the Guthrie Theater company since 1987, playing a wide variety of roles on our stage. Bob has also played in most Twin Cities theaters and is widely regarded as a leading player in our community. He has a passion for classical theater and a real capacity to absorb great character roles and make them his own. The first time I worked with Bob was in The Cherry Orchard in 1996, where he played Pischick, the hapless local landowner. Resplendent in Desmond Heeley’s florid costume, Bob was both hilarious and touching. He has that rare ability to make you laugh one minute and cry the next. What distinguishes Bob Davis, also, is his strong attachment to Shakespeare and his passionate belief that people should be introduced to him at an early age. Together with his wife, Mary Alette, he has conducted a summer program – named Brazil! School of the Arts – in Minneapolis that produces Shakespeare plays with young school age actors. He has also played a number of Shakespearean roles on the Guthrie stage to great effect. The combination of an highly intelligent understanding of a text with a finely honed technique makes Bob a very compelling actor to watch on stage. Most recently, we have worked together in William Nicolson’s Shadowlands, where he played an Oxford Don, whose acerbic attitude hid a genuinely emotional nature. Bob found the center of the character brilliantly and played the contradictions with integrity and skill, and in Macbeth, where he played Rosse and, again, brought creative ideas and innate skill to the table and gave a most original reading of a political survivor in a time of chaos. Whatever the task Bob takes on, he does it with integrity, skill and a strong sense of collaboration with director and fellow actors. We are proud of his work here in the Twin Cities and look forward to many more fine performances on our stages.” – Joe Dowling, Director

Dan Donahue

Nominated by Oregon Shakespeare Festival | Ashland
“Dan Donohue is a genius. I don’t use that word often or lightly. His idiosyncratic way with language, both classical and contemporary, is always surprising and yet completely true to whatever character he is playing. Indeed, he reveals the truth in what it means to try (and fail) to express one’s self with language. As a member of the acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has played over 30 roles in 23 plays. Highlights of his remarkable career here in Ashland including his recent Iago in Othello, Dvornichek in Tom Stoppard’s Rough Crossing, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Edgar in King Lear, and the three year cycle playing Hal in Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 and Henry in Henry V. Highlights away from Ashland include Scar in The Lion King on Broadway, Vincent van Gogh in the world premiere of Steven Dietz’s Inventing Van Gogh at Arizona Theatre Company, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Seattle Rep, and several productions with Stephen Wadsworth including Triumph of Love and The Game of Love and Chance. He is a tireless workhorse, never satisfied with his work but always pushing himself and his collaborators to find new angles and greater truth. He is also a gentleman, with a great sense of humor and a joyful collaborative spirit. I am deeply proud that Dan is an ongoing member of OSF’s acting company.” – Bill Rauch, Artistic Director

Lee Ernst

Nominated by Milwaukee Repertory Theater
“Lee Ernst is a truly exceptional actor, possessed of extraordinary language and physical skills, acute, razor sharp intelligence, and disciplined scholastic insight – engined with heart, courage, stamina and a relentless and tireless quest for perfection. Over the years many of America’s finest actors have been members of the Milwaukee Rep’s resident acting company, but few have matched Lee’s achievements in such a vast array of highly varied roles: classical and modern, comic and dramatic, young and old, romantic leads and eccentric character roles. Lee’s range as a performer encompasses the theatrical craft to be a chameleon and the openness to stand simply on an all but bare stage with nothing but the text and the depth of his intelligence and emotions to support him. An inaugural member of American Players Theatre, Lee played scores of characters, including the title roles in Hamlet, Cyrano, King Lear and Barrymore. As a member of Milwaukee Rep’s resident company, in roles including Frank Lloyd Wright in the acclaimed world premiere of Work Song and the title roles in Richard III, Tartuffe and Cyrano de Bergerac, Lee has been a shining example of artistic integrity and an inspiration. In the way of all great artists who constantly grow, evolve, and refine, Lee is never content – always working, perfecting, and practicing the smallest moment or detail of every performance.” – Joseph Hanreddy, Artistic Director

Mary Beth Fisher

Nominated by Goodman Theatre | Chicago
“In a community overflowing with actors of exceptional talent, Mary Beth Fisher is without peer. She brings a fierce intelligence, a meticulous craft, and an amazing emotional breadth and depth to each of her roles, and these qualities have made her a genuine treasure in the world of Chicago theater. Although she has appeared on virtually every stage in our city (and has worked with a whole fleet of regional and New York companies), much of her most distinctive work has been at the Goodman Theatre, where she has shone in an astonishing variety of roles: the trashy sister in Marvin’s Room, a dizzy socialite in Heartbreak House, the uptight doctor in Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House, the beleaguered wife in Dinner with Friends. Her most celebrated work at the Goodman has come in her collaborations with playwright Rebecca Gilman; her unique blend of rueful irony, passionate intelligence, and emotional honesty led to indelible portrayals of the central heroines in the premiere productions of Spinning into Butter and Boy Gets Girl. Above all, Mary Beth is an ensemble player in the best sense of that term: a compassionate mentor for younger actors, an energetic and upbeat collaborator in the rehearsal room, and a consummate professional in every aspect of her work and her life. For all of us who have had the good fortune of working with and knowing Mary Beth, she is that rarity: a theater artist at the top of her game whose skill and artistry are matched by her offstage generosity and great good spirit. She brings honor and honesty to every endeavor with which she is associated, and we are thrilled to count her among our family of artists.” – Steve Scott, Associate Producer

Jon Gentry

Nominated by Arizona Theatre Company | Phoenix & Tuscon
“Jon Gentry is one of America’s only actors to have an equally distinguished and thriving career in professional theatre created for families and “Big People” theatre. He has created dozens of roles for Childsplay, Arizona’s great professional theatre for young people and families. Jon just might hold the record for playing the largest number of animal characters in the history of the American theatre! Jon enjoys an equally important concurrent career as a guest actor in virtually every professional adult theatre in the region. But by actively choosing to direct the majority of his considerable creative talents to stimulate and challenge young people, he is a nationally visible and supremely gifted ambassador for the entire field of theatre for youth. Probably most memorable in this arena were his performances around the globe as Benjamin in The Yellow Boat by David Saar, the first play for young people about HIV/AIDS. To each role he occupies, whether it’s the procrastinating Bunny in Goodnight, Moon or Roy Cohn in Angels in America or Max Bialystock in The Producers, he brings a signature uniqueness and wit to his creations. Jon is unafraid to take enormous imaginative risks that are always grounded in a base of reality. Through his considerable talent, passion, love of theatre, and belief in its potential as a change agent in the lives of young people – as both an actor and a teacher – Jon challenges young people to discover their best and inspires adult audiences to examine their world with childlike wonder.” – David Ira Goldstein, Artistic Director

Laura Gordon

Nominated by Milwaukee Repertory Theater
“Laura Gordon has been a treasured member of the Milwaukee Rep’s Resident Acting company for seventeen years. In that time she has played an astonishing range of roles, from an incandescent performance as the Princess of France in Love’s Labours Lost in her debut year to her recent triumph as Ann Landers in The Lady with All the Answers. She created a series of memorable classical roles including Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Stuart, and has given equally unforgettable turns in contemporary plays such as Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, George Walker’s Escape From Happiness, and Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House. Laura possesses all of the premium attributes of the actor’s art; passionate intelligence, probing curiosity, pitch perfect facility with language, physical grace, intuitive perception, a spontaneous piquant sense of humor, and above all – a generous open heart that keeps the creative energy in the rehearsal hall joyful and spontaneous while staying intensely focused on the task at hand. Laura is a woman of tremendous depth and substance, and her instinctive acuity into the life of a play and the logic and dynamics of action, character, and composition have led her to be an equally fine director as well as actress. She has directed many stellar productions for the Milwaukee Rep as well as for our colleague theaters in the city. Laura is a singular artist and a vital asset to the cultural life of our community. I am extremely thankful for my years of creative partnership with her and look forward to the exciting theatrical work that she is sure to create in the years to come.” – Joseph Hanreddy, Artistic Director

Donald Griffin

Nominated by Alliance Theatre | Atlanta
“A versatile actor, storyteller, and beacon of Atlanta’s theatrical community – Don Griffin is simply a treasure. He is an engaging actor with an ever-increasing ability to create contradictory, nuanced, and deeply felt characters. What’s more, Griffin possesses an exceptional quality, the common touch. People of all walks of life find their way into his characterizations through a subtle, yet effective ingenuousness. This trait was likely sharpened through his work as a storyteller, where he went to various schools and communities throughout the Southeast, and learned that diverse audiences receive work in different ways. When Griffin performs, it appears that he invented the work in that instant, as though the life onstage was being lived for the very first time, and that the text was coined spontaneously. His timing is laser-like in its specificity; his sense of comic invention is impeccable; and his ability to mine a text for language-based laughs of truthful recognition cannot be matched. This is what Don Griffin so often delivers to the Alliance stage and to the audiences of Atlanta. He is a secret weapon, naturally playing characters that seem “unplayable.” This was most recently proven in August Wilson Full Circle, a rotating repertory of Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf. Griffin’s indelible artistry brought two of August Wilson’s most complex and difficult characters to vivid, often hilarious, and unforgettable life. Don Griffin is a natural, poetic, and consummate actor at the apex of his craft, a historian of Atlanta theatre, and a precious gem of this community.” – Susan Booth, Artistic Director

Francis Guinan

Steppenwolf Theatre Company | Chicago
“Fran is one of the original members of the Steppenwolf ensemble, and has worked on the stages of Steppenwolf for thirty years. He spent fourteen years in Los Angeles, where he pursued a career in television and film in addition to continuing his life on the stage at Steppenwolf and theaters in Los Angeles. With Steppenwolf, Fran has traveled with productions to Broadway, London, Australia, La Jolla and Los Angeles. In addition, Fran has directed, worked in the Steppenwolf for Young Adults education program, and taught in our professional training program for actors, the School at Steppenwolf. Fran’s return to Chicago in 2006 has been a huge boon to Steppenwolf. In his time here since his return, he has become a central figure in our season’s productions and this year, he anchors three of our five subscription-series productions. He returns to this season after his Broadway run in our production of August: Osage County in the role he originated at Steppenwolf. As an original member of the Steppenwolf ensemble and an active participant in the theater’s current work, Fran serves as a crucial link in the theater’s culture. In our current production, Fran is working with Jon Hill, one of the newest members of the ensemble, under the direction of long-standing ensemble member Frank Galati. Fran has worked repeatedly with Frank (he was an original cast member in our production of Frank’s The Grapes of Wrath), and this admixture of three generational perspectives enlivens the culture of the theater and deepens the connection among them. Fran is enormously conscientious about serving as an ambassador for the theater with visiting artists and audiences, helping to integrate the values of the theater into the expanding culture of our work.” – Martha Lavey, Artistic Director

Naomi Jacobson

Nominated by Arena Stage | Washington, D.C.
“Naomi is a perpetual favorite on our stage and is an affiliated artist with Arena. She most recently appeared in last season’s Arthur Miller Repertory, where she performed roles in both A View from the Bridge (Beatrice) and Death of a Salesman (The Woman). She was embraced by audiences and reviewers alike and thrived under the demands of rehearsing and performing in rep. Naomi’s range is remarkable – from the searing portrayal of Beatrice in A View from the Bridge to her wonderfully comic portrayal of Lucetta in Two Gentlemen of Verona, she is always a wonder on stage. Outside of Arena, Naomi has been a cornerstone of the D.C. theater community for nearly two decades; she is a company member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and her credits cover nearly every major theater in Washington, D.C. Her dedication to high-quality regional theater extends to her time off-stage as well. She has taught classes in acting, improvisation, and speech at several large universities in the area and is a well-respected coach for public speaking and auditioning. Naomi is living proof that you can have an exciting, successful career in professional theater without being based in New York City. I am extremely thankful that she is a part of our D.C. community, and look forward to watching her continue to flourish in the years to come.” – Molly Smith, Artistic Director

Andrew Long

Shakespeare Theatre Company | Washington, D.C.
“Andrew Long is one of the most committed members of Washington’s theatre community and a veteran of the Shakespeare Theatre Company stage. He has been extremely loyal to STC for nearly two decades, committing to demanding rehearsal schedules and all-consuming roles while maintaining an active role in our education programs. His bravery in attacking a daunting role is truly commendable. Two years ago we were faced with the challenge of losing the male lead in our Roman Repertory – Mark Antony in both Antony and Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Andrew stepped in, fully prepared to tackle both roles on the first day of rehearsal with very short notice, on top of a demanding rehearsal schedule for the upcoming production of Major Barbara. He’s an actor with a really strong technique in verse-speaking, a great voice, a real personality on stage, and masculinity – all the characteristics a director could want in a classically trained artist. But his talents don’t begin and end with lead roles. He’s a dutiful ensemble member who enjoys collaborating with other actors in creating not just individual performances, but a true company effort whose output is greater than the sum of its parts. Above all, he brings to each role a fierce intelligence informed by endless research in the text, diction and history of the play. In addition to acting, Andrew is also a gifted teacher whose master classes have been a cornerstone of our Academy for Classical Acting program. In short, Andrew is the complete package and we are honored to count him as a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Company family.” – Michael Kahn, Artistic Director

Pete Pryor

Nominated by The Wilma Theater | Philadelphia
“I first worked with Pete Pryor on our production of Jim Cartwright’s Road, and even though Pete was still a very young actor he brought tremendous talent and remarkable dedication to the role. I knew I had the pleasure of working with a young man who was going to accomplish great things in the craft. His work on Road also won him the admiration of his peers in the theatre community, who saw fit to give Pete his first Barrymore Award for Excellence for that same role. Since that time I have seen Pete in countless roles in Philadelphia’s best theatres – as a devious Richard III at Lantern Theatre company, as an irrepressible Teach in American Buffalo at Theatre Exile, and as the pitiable simpleton, Michal, in our own production of The Pillowman. Pete’s range as an actor is remarkable not merely for his ability to embody such differing roles, but because of the nuance of characterization that he brings which is both subtle and deeply engaging. He is a joy to watch perform. Beyond all of this, however, Pete brings to his work and life a deep generosity of spirit and a very admirable humility. He has been a tremendous asset to Philadelphia’s local theatre community through mentoring and teaching and has worked to create new opportunities for other actors in the community by co-founding a theatre company here, 1812 Productions, and by working tirelessly with all his efforts. For nearly two decades I have personally watched Pete grow from merely a very talented young actor into a passionate advocate for the arts and mentor for other artists, a performer who is deeply committed to his craft, and gifted jack-of-all-trades of the theatre world who is never content to be merely good enough at what he pursues.” – Blanka Zizka, Artistic Director

Kim Staunton

Nominated by Denver Center Theatre Company | Denver
“Kim Staunton is an extraordinary actress, bringing a fierce intelligence, remarkable vulnerability, and astonishing emotional range to her work at the Denver Center. A native of Washington, D.C. and a graduate of The Juilliard School, Kim has also performed on and off Broadway and at top regional theatres across the country. She has worked extensively in films (including First Sunday, Changing Lanes, Dragonfly, and Heat) and on television (including The Nine, Bones, Strong Medicine, Judging Amy, Law and Order, and TNT’s Original Movie, Glory and Honor). Her acting work has covered an extraordinarily wide range of roles: a haunted, vulnerable, passionate, amusing but tragic Blanche Dubois; the crazed Madwoman of Harlem in Madwoman; the repressed, careful wife transforming into the knowing, defiant woman in Oyamo’s play Selfish Sacrifice (a contemporary adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House); many of the remarkable women in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle; and Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. Kim Staunton is one of the most generous actresses that I know. After so many years of working in the theatre, Kim continues to bring total commitment to the moment and, perhaps most astonishing, an unfettered joy to her acting. Because she is so generous onstage and offstage, everyone loves working with her. Her commitment to the ensemble of a production has an alchemical effect on the other actors – everyone’s work gets better because Kim cares so deeply. Above all, Kim brings heart, passion, and compassion to each and every role. It’s part of who she is – a deeply committed, imaginative, talented, caring, and sensitive woman.” – Kent Thompson, Artistic Director

Jacqueline Williams

Nominated by Goodman Theatre | Chicago
“Jacqueline Williams is truly a force of nature. Her passion, her wit, her intelligence, and her unyielding presence transform every production she’s in into an event of fire, eloquence, and beauty. There is literally no genre in which she doesn’t excel, no type of role that she can’t play; since she burst onto the Chicago theatre scene a little more than two decades ago, she has brought her special brand of artistry to the classics of Shakespeare and Molière, to the contemporary works of August Wilson and Regina Taylor, and even to the occasional musical. On the Goodman stage, she’s played roles as varied as a schoolgirl (in JoAnne Akalaitis’s ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore), a dinosaur (in Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth), a sympathetic maid (in Horton Foote’s The Young Man From Atlanta), and a World War II-era musician (in Regina’s Oo-Bla-Dee) — and all of them were performances of beauty, of grace and dignity, of unadorned honesty and astonishing depth. She’s worked her magic on nearly every stage in Chicago, and every director who’s worked will testify gladly to the spark that she brings to every project. And she’s generous—an ensemble player in the great Chicago tradition, a strong and principled mentor to the younger members of a company, and always a dedicated, proud professional. When I first met Jacqueline twenty-odd years ago, I knew that she was someone to watch—and legions of Chicago audiences (and her fellow performers) now agree with me. At the end of the day, there’s only one word to adequately describe her artistry: extraordinary.” – Steve Scott, Associate Producer

Jack Willis

Nominated by American Conservatory Theater | San Francisco
“Jack Willis is a force of nature. Unfailingly generous, hugely courageous, astonishingly transformative, and profoundly committed to the art of live theater, Jack Willis has been a real beacon at A.C.T. He has inspired our students to make bigger, bolder choices, he has supported his fellow company members in their own quests for artistic growth at the same time that he has challenged himself to venture into uncharted territory (from South African accents to Jacobean drama) without fear, and he has never hesitated to ask for help and to push himself to the next level. I have found him to be a delightful and compassionate collaborator, even in very tough circumstances, and a passionate advocate for A.C.T. in the community. But most of all, Jack Willis is an astonishing stage actor. He has enormous depth and inner life, and at the same time he has a vocal and physical instrument that makes every audience member feel he is performing just for them. He can play desperate drag queens (Happy End), domineering patriarchs (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), duplicitous businessmen (The Little Foxes) and fanatic Communist intellectuals (Rock ‘N’ Roll) with complete honesty, huge panache, and great imagination. Every performance is a surprise and a discovery, yet he is also infinitely consistent and dependable.” – Carey Perloff, Artistic Director

Larry Yando

Nominated by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
“Every now and then an actor holds a mirror up to nature that touches the core of who we are and who we may be. Larry Yando, one of Chicago’s finest actors has thrilled audiences with his breathtaking honesty and versatility. His work is ferocious, layered and singular. He first worked at Chicago Shakespeare twenty years ago and since that first appearance as Jupiter in Cymbeline his work has spanned an amazing range of Shakespearean characters, from Timon, to Lear’s Fool, to Enobarbus, King Henry IV, Malvolio and many more. He’s best known across the country for his soaring Scar in the National Tour of The Lion King. His performance in La Cage Aux Folles earned him a Jeff Best Actor award, Chicago Magazine named him Actor of the Year and DePaul University gave him their Excellence in Arts Award. Larry is a superb teacher of the Folio technique and acting – his love of teaching is one of his greatest joys. And he is one of ours.” – Barbara Gaines, Artistic Director

Olympia Dukakis, Master Teacher 2011

Olympia Dukakis is best known as an Academy Award-winning film actress, garnering great popular and critical acclaim in movies such as Moonstruck, Steel Magnolias, and Mr. Holland’s Opus – as well as on the epic miniseries Tales of the City. Ms. Dukakis is also a revered, award-winning stage actress, with New York and London credits including: The Marriage of Bette and Boo, A Man’s a Man, Curse of the Starving Class, Electra, Hecuba, Mother Courage, Peer Gynt, Titus Andronicus, Social Security, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and Rose. She has starred in and directed multiple productions of The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya, and other plays by Chekov. For 15 years, Ms. Dukakis was the Artistic Director of The Whole Theatre Company, which she co-founded with her husband, actor Louis Zorich. In addition to Chekov, her prolific directing credits include Orpheus Descending, A Touch of the Poet, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – and she has adapted plays including Mother Courage and The Trojan Women.

Journal of the 2010 Fellowship Program

For decades, Ten Chimneys has been a marvelous place for Broadway’s elite to entertain and rejuvenate. Now, Ten Chimneys Foundation offers stunning rental spaces for your event. Although guests can no longer entertain in the estate, the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center, coupled with Shully’s Cuisine & Events, is the ideal venue for your corporate event, wedding reception or private party.

To book your special event, please contact Shully’s Cuisine & Events at (262) 242-6633, (800) 818-6633, or .

A Lovely Evening in the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center Lower Level Hall

A Stunning Summer Twilight Event in the Lower Level Hall

View scenes from enchanting events at Ten Chimneys in our photo album on Facebook. (A Facebook account is not required to view the album.)

SPACE DESCRIPTION

Program Hall (Lower Level) (3,150 sq. ft., 250+ Guests Seated)

This gracious hall boasts of reclaimed antique maple floors, theatrical lighting, vintage photos of the Lunts, and floor-to-ceiling views of the grounds’ sheltering oaks. Generally, evening events may start no earlier than 6 p.m. and set-up may begin no earlier than 3 p.m. Daytime events may run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Main Floor Lobby (2,500 sq.ft., 150+ Guests Standing)

This spacious lobby dazzles guests with its eclectic furnishings and playful, Lunt-inspired elegance. During the tour season, events may start no earlier than 7 p.m. and set-up may begin no earlier than 6 p.m. The lobby is not generally available for daytime events during the tour season.

Barry Edelstein, Master Teacher 2010

Widely respected as one of the leading Shakespeareans in the United States, Barry Edelstein is the Director of The Public Theater’s Shakespeare Initiative, overseeing all Shakespearean production at the theater, as well as The Public’s extensive educational, community outreach, and artist-training programs.

Mr. Edelstein has directed nearly half the canon at both The Public Theater and at venues around New York City and the country. Just a few highlights include Julius Caesar starring Jeffrey Wright; The Merchant of Venice featuring Ron Leibman’s OBIE award-winning portrayal of Shylock, Richard III starring John Turturro and Julianna Margulies, The Winter’s Tale starring David Strathairn, and As You Like It starring Gwyneth Paltrow. In his role overseeing all Shakespeare at The Public, he has also supervised Twelfth Night starring Anne Hathaway, Othello starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, and The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino.

“Mr. Edelstein is greatly revered for his love and understanding of Shakespeare. Our dear friend, Lynn Redgrave, was so in love with Shakespeare – its power and its truth – that I know she would have been thrilled to have someone of Mr. Edelstein’s talent, passion, and abilities carry on for her.”
– Sean Malone, President of Ten Chimneys Foundation

Highlights of his non-Shakespearean New York credits include: the world premiere of Steve Martin’s The Underpants, which he commissioned; Jonson’s The Alchemist; and Moliere’s The Misanthrope, starring Uma Thurman in her stage debut (all during his tenure as the Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company – 1998-2003); Arthur Miller’s All My Sons (Williamstown, then Roundabout; won Lucille Lortel Award for Best Revival); and Steve Martin’s Wasp and Other Plays (The Public). He has directed many contemporary and classic plays at leading regional theaters. His first film, My Lunch with Larry, starring Lisa Edelstein (no relation) and Greg Germann, played the festival circuit in 2006 and 2007.

Edelstein’s book Bardisms: Shakespeare for All Occasions (HarperCollins, 2009) “instructs and entertains” (New York Post), and was re-released in paperback by Harper Perennial in 2010. His book Thinking Shakespeare (called by New York Magazine “a must-read for actors”) was published in 2007, and is now the standard text on American Shakespearean acting.

Edelstein has taught at the Juilliard School, NYU’s Graduate Acting Program, and USC. He has lectured on theater around the USA and the world, and has written on the subject for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and American Theater Magazine. He is a graduate of Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with his wife Hilit and their daughter Tillirose.

Barry Edelstein with (left to right) Anne Hathaway, John Turturro, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Press Releases and Photos

Delve Into The 2009 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program

The videos below share personal reflections on the inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship week at Ten Chimneys, along with excerpts from the 2009 LFFP Concluding Presentation, a public program where Lynn Redgrave and the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows treated a live audience to a behind-the-scenes look at their Master Class process. Filming and Footage by Educational Television Productions of Northeast Wisconsin; Editing by Mainly Editing and Erika Kent. All videos are also available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tenchimneys

Click on image to view video.

For the 2010 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, Ten Chimneys Foundation selected nine of the most prestigious and accomplished regional theatres in the country to serve as Partner Theatres for this groundbreaking program. Each Partner Theatre was invited to nominate the “master actors” of their communities, to be considered for recognition as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. Selected with the guidance of a National Advisory Board, following are the nine actors who have been selected as the 2010 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows, along with their nominating Partner Theatres:

“Stephen Berenson is that rare actor whose gift for finding and nurturing young talent is as great as the artistry of his own performances. While a member of Trinity Rep’s resident acting company for more than twenty seasons, he directed our graduate training program since joining the faculty of the Trinity Rep Conservatory in 1985. When the Conservatory transitioned from a two-year certificate program with Rhode Island College to a three-year program granting a MFA in acting and directing from Brown University, Stephen’s vision and stewardship made it a national flagship for professional training. For Stephen, our national theater community is an extension of Trinity Rep’s resident acting company and the Bread Loaf Acting Ensemble, with whom he has shared fifteen summers. He has quite literally fed the community’s new generation, launching every Brown/Trinity MFA graduate on a career path and proudly chronicling their success. Stephen empowers each student to become the best actor s/he can be. As an actor, he is a generous collaborator in the rehearsal hall. A generation of New England audiences has grown up enjoying Stephen’s versatility in roles such as Shakespeare’s Puck and Feste and musical delights such as Herr Schultz in Cabaret. Virtuosic artist to his audiences, mentor and mother hen to his students, consummate gentleman and witty raconteur to his colleagues, we are all proud to call him our friend.”
– Curt Columbus, Artistic Director

“It is rare that I think of certain actors as artists. Jim Carpenter certainly is one. He doesn’t just perform roles. He creates them. Jim begins his process of creating a character from deep within him. He and I always joke about the acting ‘bogameter,’ an imagined device that goes off when a moment is phony (or bogus) in rehearsal or performance. But he’s dead serious about authenticity in his work, and the work of others. He challenges me at every turn, and it took us a while to trust each other, with my pushing him to places he may be uncomfortable with, and his getting me to trust the simplicity of a gesture or a look, of a moment between two people. He is a master of acting American Shakespeare; his work is confident, unforced, nuanced, skillful, and real. And when he’s afforded the chance to work on modern material, he uses all of those qualities to lift any script off the page in ways that are nothing short of thrilling. Jim’s also become a touchstone for me as a person, professionally and personally. He’s such a rich, deep human that not only is his work significantly informed by that, but also all of his relationships. When you talk to Jim, it’s a real conversation. There’s no ‘bogameter’ going off when you’re in a room with him. Jimmy Carpenter is the real deal, on stage, in rehearsal, in life.” – Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director

“Celeste Ciulla has been a treasured member of The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival repertory season for several years. An absolute chameleon on stage, her artistry is as unparalleled as is her versatility. Last season alone she played both the chilling, controlling Volumnia in Coriolanus and the sweet, devoted Duenna to Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac – two women who could not have come from more opposite ends of the spectrum. In Celeste’s expert hands, audiences were terrified one night and delighted the next by one singular artist performing two disparate roles. An actress who clearly thrives in the repertory process, audiences and the critics marvel at her work on the Globe’s stage. Among her many attributes as a performer, Celeste’s signature velvet voice, coupled with her superior ability to speak in verse, envelops and captivates the audience. In recent years at the Globe, she has brilliantly performed Gertrude in Hamlet, (a fiddle-playing) Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Lucetta in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Mistress Overdone in Measure for Measure, Emilia in Othello, Tamora in Titus Andronicus and Helen of Troy in The Trojan Women. Whether the part is large or small, Celeste creates finely etched performances, bringing the same attention to detail to each role she plays. Her hard work, combined with her wonderful sense of humor, is an inspiration to her fellow actors. Whether maid or queen, duenna or wife, Celeste truly embodies the spirit of regional theater.”
– Louis Spisto, CEO/Executive Producer

“Bob Davis has been a vital member of the Guthrie Theater company since 1987, playing a wide variety of roles on our stage. Bob has also played in most Twin Cities theaters and is widely regarded as a leading player in our community. He has a passion for classical theater and a real capacity to absorb great character roles and make them his own. The first time I worked with Bob was in The Cherry Orchard in 1996, where he played Pischick, the hapless local landowner. Resplendent in Desmond Heeley’s florid costume, Bob was both hilarious and touching. He has that rare ability to make you laugh one minute and cry the next. What distinguishes Bob Davis, also, is his strong attachment to Shakespeare and his passionate belief that people should be introduced to him at an early age. Together with his wife, Mary Alette, he has conducted a summer program – named Brazil! School of the Arts – in Minneapolis that produces Shakespeare plays with young school age actors. He has also played a number of Shakespearean roles on the Guthrie stage to great effect. The combination of an highly intelligent understanding of a text with a finely honed technique makes Bob a very compelling actor to watch on stage. Most recently, we have worked together in William Nicolson’s Shadowlands, where he played an Oxford Don, whose acerbic attitude hid a genuinely emotional nature. Bob found the center of the character brilliantly and played the contradictions with integrity and skill, and in Macbeth, where he played Rosse and, again, brought creative ideas and innate skill to the table and gave a most original reading of a political survivor in a time of chaos. Whatever the task Bob takes on, he does it with integrity, skill and a strong sense of collaboration with director and fellow actors. We are proud of his work here in the Twin Cities and look forward to many more fine performances on our stages.” – Joe Dowling, Director

“Laura Gordon has been a treasured member of the Milwaukee Rep’s Resident Acting company for seventeen years. In that time she has played an astonishing range of roles, from an incandescent performance as the Princess of France in Love’s Labours Lost in her debut year to her recent triumph as Ann Landers in The Lady with All the Answers. She created a series of memorable classical roles including Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Stuart, and has given equally unforgettable turns in contemporary plays such as Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, George Walker’s Escape From Happiness, and Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House. Laura possesses all of the premium attributes of the actor’s art; passionate intelligence, probing curiosity, pitch perfect facility with language, physical grace, intuitive perception, a spontaneous piquant sense of humor, and above all – a generous open heart that keeps the creative energy in the rehearsal hall joyful and spontaneous while staying intensely focused on the task at hand. Laura is a woman of tremendous depth and substance, and her instinctive acuity into the life of a play and the logic and dynamics of action, character, and composition have led her to be an equally fine director as well as actress. She has directed many stellar productions for the Milwaukee Rep as well as for our colleague theaters in the city. Laura is a singular artist and a vital asset to the cultural life of our community. I am extremely thankful for my years of creative partnership with her and look forward to the exciting theatrical work that she is sure to create in the years to come.” – Joseph Hanreddy, Artistic Director

“Andrew Long is one of the most committed members of Washington’s theatre community and a veteran of the Shakespeare Theatre Company stage. He has been extremely loyal to STC for nearly two decades, committing to demanding rehearsal schedules and all-consuming roles while maintaining an active role in our education programs. His bravery in attacking a daunting role is truly commendable. Two years ago we were faced with the challenge of losing the male lead in our Roman Repertory – Mark Antony in both Antony and Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Andrew stepped in, fully prepared to tackle both roles on the first day of rehearsal with very short notice, on top of a demanding rehearsal schedule for the upcoming production of Major Barbara. He’s an actor with a really strong technique in verse-speaking, a great voice, a real personality on stage, and masculinity – all the characteristics a director could want in a classically trained artist. But his talents don’t begin and end with lead roles. He’s a dutiful ensemble member who enjoys collaborating with other actors in creating not just individual performances, but a true company effort whose output is greater than the sum of its parts. Above all, he brings to each role a fierce intelligence informed by endless research in the text, diction and history of the play. In addition to acting, Andrew is also a gifted teacher whose master classes have been a cornerstone of our Academy for Classical Acting program. In short, Andrew is the complete package and we are honored to count him as a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Company family.” – Michael Kahn, Artistic Director

“I first worked with Pete Pryor on our production of Jim Cartwright’s Road, and even though Pete was still a very young actor he brought tremendous talent and remarkable dedication to the role. I knew I had the pleasure of working with a young man who was going to accomplish great things in the craft. His work on Road also won him the admiration of his peers in the theatre community, who saw fit to give Pete his first Barrymore Award for Excellence for that same role. Since that time I have seen Pete in countless roles in Philadelphia’s best theatres – as a devious Richard III at Lantern Theatre company, as an irrepressible Teach in American Buffalo at Theatre Exile, and as the pitiable simpleton, Michal, in our own production of The Pillowman. Pete’s range as an actor is remarkable not merely for his ability to embody such differing roles, but because of the nuance of characterization that he brings which is both subtle and deeply engaging. He is a joy to watch perform. Beyond all of this, however, Pete brings to his work and life a deep generosity of spirit and a very admirable humility. He has been a tremendous asset to Philadelphia’s local theatre community through mentoring and teaching and has worked to create new opportunities for other actors in the community by co-founding a theatre company here, 1812 Productions, and by working tirelessly with all his efforts. For nearly two decades I have personally watched Pete grow from merely a very talented young actor into a passionate advocate for the arts and mentor for other artists, a performer who is deeply committed to his craft, and gifted jack-of-all-trades of the theatre world who is never content to be merely good enough at what he pursues.” – Blanka Zizka, Artistic Director

“Jacqueline Williams is truly a force of nature. Her passion, her wit, her intelligence, and her unyielding presence transform every production she’s in into an event of fire, eloquence, and beauty. There is literally no genre in which she doesn’t excel, no type of role that she can’t play; since she burst onto the Chicago theatre scene a little more than two decades ago, she has brought her special brand of artistry to the classics of Shakespeare and Molière, to the contemporary works of August Wilson and Regina Taylor, and even to the occasional musical. On the Goodman stage, she’s played roles as varied as a schoolgirl (in JoAnne Akalaitis’s ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore), a dinosaur (in Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth), a sympathetic maid (in Horton Foote’s The Young Man From Atlanta), and a World War II-era musician (in Regina’s Oo-Bla-Dee) — and all of them were performances of beauty, of grace and dignity, of unadorned honesty and astonishing depth. She’s worked her magic on nearly every stage in Chicago, and every director who’s worked will testify gladly to the spark that she brings to every project. And she’s generous—an ensemble player in the great Chicago tradition, a strong and principled mentor to the younger members of a company, and always a dedicated, proud professional. When I first met Jacqueline twenty-odd years ago, I knew that she was someone to watch—and legions of Chicago audiences (and her fellow performers) now agree with me. At the end of the day, there’s only one word to adequately describe her artistry: extraordinary.” – Steve Scott, Associate Producer

“Every now and then an actor holds a mirror up to nature that touches the core of who we are and who we may be. Larry Yando, one of Chicago’s finest actors has thrilled audiences with his breathtaking honesty and versatility. His work is ferocious, layered and singular. He first worked at Chicago Shakespeare twenty years ago and since that first appearance as Jupiter in Cymbeline his work has spanned an amazing range of Shakespearean characters, from Timon, to Lear’s Fool, to Enobarbus, King Henry IV, Malvolio and many more. He’s best known across the country for his soaring Scar in the National Tour of The Lion King. His performance in La Cage Aux Folles earned him a Jeff Best Actor award, Chicago Magazine named him Actor of the Year and DePaul University gave him their Excellence in Arts Award. Larry is a superb teacher of the Folio technique and acting – his love of teaching is one of his greatest joys. And he is one of ours.” – Barbara Gaines, Artistic Director

About Ten Chimneys

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are widely considered the greatest acting team in the history of American theatre. The Lunts’ passion for excellence and commitment to the art of live theatre was legendary, even at the beginning of their careers. Summer after summer, the Lunts came to Ten Chimneys to retreat, relax, and rejuvenate. Because the Lunts were so widely loved and respected, “anyone who was anyone” in theatre, arts, and literature wanted to come to Ten Chimneys to be with and work with the Lunts. The estate, almost inevitably, became an important place for artistic creation, discussion, and inspiration. More than just the Lunts’ home, Ten Chimneys was a home for the arts—literally and metaphorically.

Ten Chimneys is a landmark unique among our national treasures. Ten Chimneys’ diverse collections and enchanting décor are comprised of the original pieces hand-picked by the Lunts in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. And the magic is undiminished. As guests are welcomed through the Lunts’ remarkable creation, they are surprised and then moved by countless details.

Created with the same humanizing wit and passion for perfection that distinguished their stage performances, Ten Chimneys is the Lunts’ most enduring and tangible artistic legacy. For decades, their idyllic retreat beguiled and inspired the country’s finest actors, writers, designers, directors, and artists. Now, an invitation to Ten Chimneys, once coveted by the nation’s greatest luminaries, is extended to the public.

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Video Highlights of
Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program

On July 13, 2009, ten of the most respected and talented actors from across the United States formed the inaugural class of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program and embarked on a week of intensive study and reflection on the art of acting, led by master teacher and revered Shakespearean actress, Lynn Redgrave. The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program is a groundbreaking national program to serve regional theatre actors and the future of American theatre.  The program, created by Ten Chimneys Foundation, is a fitting tribute to Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, who are widely regarded as the greatest acting couple in the history of the American theatre.  Answering the question, “where do our nations acting mentors go to be mentored?” the inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellows have come to Ten Chimneys to study with Ms. Redgrave and literally walk in the footsteps of the Lunts closest pals and protégés (Helen Hayes, Noël Coward, Alexander Woollcott, Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, Uta Hagen, Montgomery Clift, Julie Harris, and on and on).  Click here for more information.

The videos below share personal reflections on the inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship week at Ten Chimneys, along with excerpts from the 2009 LFFP Concluding Presentation, a public program where Lynn Redgrave and the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows treated a live audience to a behind-the-scenes look at their Master Class process.  Filming and Footage by Educational Television Productions of Northeast Wisconsin; Editing by Mainly Editing and Erika Kent.  All videos are also available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tenchimneys

Click on image to view video.

Job Opportunities

Currently, there are no staff vacancies at Ten Chimneys. If you would like to be a part of Ten Chimneys Foundation, please consider joining our volunteer program.

Summer 2008:  Ten of the most prestigious and accomplished regional theatres in the country were invited to nominate multiple actors for consideration to be named LUNT-FONTANNE FELLOWS.  All of the actors who were nominated for this honor: have 20-plus years of experience as professional actors; are widely considered among the top actors in their community; and are widely respected by audiences, directors, and fellow actors for their talent, dedication to craft, attention to detail, and passionate pursuit of excellence – the qualities for which Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were so revered.

Fall 2008:  With the guidance of a National Advisory Council, Ten Chimneys Foundation selected the “best of the best” from great theatre cities across the country.  

The following are the inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellows, as described by their nominating theatres.

“Suzanne Bouchard is a treasured member of the Seattle theater community; she is loved by her fellow actors and adored by audiences across this city. Suzanne has worked in Seattle and other venues for twenty-five years. Most recently she played Catherine in Robert Schenkkan’s By the Waters of Babylon at the Seattle Rep and Mary Haines in The Women at ACT in Seattle. Her range as an actor is uncanny - from Shakespeare to musical work and contemporary comedy. Suzanne is castable in just about any play. She has shined as Nora in A Doll’s House, Amanda in Private Lives, Hanna Jelkes in Night of the Iguana, her perennial favorite, Karen Knightly in The Revengers’ Comedies, and as Shakespeare’s Rosalind, Beatrice, Titania, Lady Macbeth, Ariel, and Margaret. This fall she will appear as Ginger in Steven Dietz’s premiere of Becky’s New Car. Suzanne inspires our community and embodies the notion that acting is among the most noble of professions.” - Jerry Manning, Producing Artistic Director
Seattle Repertory Theatre

“Dan Donohue is a genius. I don’t use that word often or lightly. His idiosyncratic way with language, both classical and contemporary, is always surprising and yet completely true to whatever character he is playing. Indeed, he reveals the truth in what it means to try (and fail) to express one’s self with language. As a member of the acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has played over 30 roles in 23 plays. Highlights of his remarkable career here in Ashland including his recent Iago in Othello, Dvornichek in Tom Stoppard's Rough Crossing, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Edgar in King Lear, and the three year cycle playing Hal in Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 and Henry in Henry V. Highlights away from Ashland include Scar in The Lion King on Broadway, Vincent van Gogh in the world premiere of Steven Dietz’s Inventing Van Gogh at Arizona Theatre Company, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Seattle Rep, and several productions with Stephen Wadsworth including Triumph of Love and The Game of Love and Chance. He is a tireless workhorse, never satisfied with his work but always pushing himself and his collaborators to find new angles and greater truth. He is also a gentleman, with a great sense of humor and a joyful collaborative spirit. I am deeply proud that Dan is an ongoing member of OSF’s acting company.” - Bill Rauch, Artistic Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival

“Lee Ernst is a truly exceptional actor, possessed of extraordinary language and physical skills, acute, razor sharp intelligence, and disciplined scholastic insight – engined with heart, courage, stamina and a relentless and tireless quest for perfection. Over the years many of America’s finest actors have been members of the Milwaukee Rep’s resident acting company, but few have matched Lee’s achievements in such a vast array of highly varied roles: classical and modern, comic and dramatic, young and old, romantic leads and eccentric character roles. Lee’s range as a performer encompasses the theatrical craft to be a chameleon and the openness to stand simply on an all but bare stage with nothing but the text and the depth of his intelligence and emotions to support him. An inaugural member of American Players Theatre, Lee played scores of characters, including the title roles in Hamlet, Cyrano, King Lear and Barrymore. As a member of Milwaukee Rep’s resident company, in roles including Frank Lloyd Wright in the acclaimed world premiere of Work Song and the title roles in Richard III, Tartuffe and Cyrano de Bergerac, Lee has been a shining example of artistic integrity and an inspiration. In the way of all great artists who constantly grow, evolve, and refine, Lee is never content – always working, perfecting, and practicing the smallest moment or detail of every performance.” - Joseph Hanreddy, Artistic Director, Milwaukee Repertory Theater

“In a community overflowing with actors of exceptional talent, Mary Beth Fisher is without peer. She brings a fierce intelligence, a meticulous craft, and an amazing emotional breadth and depth to each of her roles, and these qualities have made her a genuine treasure in the world of Chicago theater. Although she has appeared on virtually every stage in our city (and has worked with a whole fleet of regional and New York companies), much of her most distinctive work has been at the Goodman Theatre, where she has shone in an astonishing variety of roles: the trashy sister in Marvin’s Room, a dizzy socialite in Heartbreak House, the uptight doctor in Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House, the beleaguered wife in Dinner with Friends. Her most celebrated work at the Goodman has come in her collaborations with playwright Rebecca Gilman; her unique blend of rueful irony, passionate intelligence, and emotional honesty led to indelible portrayals of the central heroines in the premiere productions of Spinning into Butter and Boy Gets Girl. Above all, Mary Beth is an ensemble player in the best sense of that term: a compassionate mentor for younger actors, an energetic and upbeat collaborator in the rehearsal room, and a consummate professional in every aspect of her work and her life. For all of us who have had the good fortune of working with and knowing Mary Beth, she is that rarity: a theater artist at the top of her game whose skill and artistry are matched by her offstage generosity and great good spirit. She brings honor and honesty to every endeavor with which she is associated, and we are thrilled to count her among our family of artists.” - Steve Scott, Associate Producer, Goodman Theatre

“Jon Gentry is one of America’s only actors to have an equally distinguished and thriving career in professional theatre created for families and “Big People” theatre. He has created dozens of roles for Childsplay, Arizona’s great professional theatre for young people and families. Jon just might hold the record for playing the largest number of animal characters in the history of the American theatre! Jon enjoys an equally important concurrent career as a guest actor in virtually every professional adult theatre in the region. But by actively choosing to direct the majority of his considerable creative talents to stimulate and challenge young people, he is a nationally visible and supremely gifted ambassador for the entire field of theatre for youth. Probably most memorable in this arena were his performances around the globe as Benjamin in The Yellow Boat by David Saar, the first play for young people about HIV/AIDS. To each role he occupies, whether it’s the procrastinating Bunny in Goodnight, Moon or Roy Cohn in Angels in America or Max Bialystock in The Producers, he brings a signature uniqueness and wit to his creations. Jon is unafraid to take enormous imaginative risks that are always grounded in a base of reality. Through his considerable talent, passion, love of theatre, and belief in its potential as a change agent in the lives of young people – as both an actor and a teacher – Jon challenges young people to discover their best and inspires adult audiences to examine their world with childlike wonder.” - David Ira Goldstein, Artistic Director, Arizona Theatre Company

“A versatile actor, storyteller, and beacon of Atlanta’s theatrical community - Don Griffin is simply a treasure. He is an engaging actor with an ever-increasing ability to create contradictory, nuanced, and deeply felt characters. What’s more, Griffin possesses an exceptional quality, the common touch. People of all walks of life find their way into his characterizations through a subtle, yet effective ingenuousness. This trait was likely sharpened through his work as a storyteller, where he went to various schools and communities throughout the Southeast, and learned that diverse audiences receive work in different ways. When Griffin performs, it appears that he invented the work in that instant, as though the life onstage was being lived for the very first time, and that the text was coined spontaneously. His timing is laser-like in its specificity; his sense of comic invention is impeccable; and his ability to mine a text for language-based laughs of truthful recognition cannot be matched. This is what Don Griffin so often delivers to the Alliance stage and to the audiences of Atlanta. He is a secret weapon, naturally playing characters that seem “unplayable.” This was most recently proven in August Wilson Full Circle, a rotating repertory of Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf. Griffin’s indelible artistry brought two of August Wilson’s most complex and difficult characters to vivid, often hilarious, and unforgettable life. Don Griffin is a natural, poetic, and consummate actor at the apex of his craft, a historian of Atlanta theatre, and a precious gem of this community.” - Susan Booth, Artistic Director, Alliance Theatre

“Fran is one of the original members of the Steppenwolf ensemble, and has worked on the stages of Steppenwolf for thirty years. He spent fourteen years in Los Angeles, where he pursued a career in television and film in addition to continuing his life on the stage at Steppenwolf and theaters in Los Angeles. With Steppenwolf, Fran has traveled with productions to Broadway, London, Australia, La Jolla and Los Angeles. In addition, Fran has directed, worked in the Steppenwolf for Young Adults education program, and taught in our professional training program for actors, the School at Steppenwolf. Fran’s return to Chicago in 2006 has been a huge boon to Steppenwolf. In his time here since his return, he has become a central figure in our season’s productions and this year, he anchors three of our five subscription-series productions. He returns to this season after his Broadway run in our production of August: Osage County in the role he originated at Steppenwolf. As an original member of the Steppenwolf ensemble and an active participant in the theater’s current work, Fran serves as a crucial link in the theater’s culture. In our current production, Fran is working with Jon Hill, one of the newest members of the ensemble, under the direction of long-standing ensemble member Frank Galati. Fran has worked repeatedly with Frank (he was an original cast member in our production of Frank’s The Grapes of Wrath), and this admixture of three generational perspectives enlivens the culture of the theater and deepens the connection among them. Fran is enormously conscientious about serving as an ambassador for the theater with visiting artists and audiences, helping to integrate the values of the theater into the expanding culture of our work.” - Martha Lavey, Artistic Director, Steppenwolf Theatre Company

“Naomi is a perpetual favorite on our stage and is an affiliated artist with Arena. She most recently appeared in last season’s Arthur Miller Repertory, where she performed roles in both A View from the Bridge (Beatrice) and Death of a Salesman (The Woman). She was embraced by audiences and reviewers alike and thrived under the demands of rehearsing and performing in rep. Naomi’s range is remarkable – from the searing portrayal of Beatrice in A View from the Bridge to her wonderfully comic portrayal of Lucetta in Two Gentlemen of Verona, she is always a wonder on stage. Outside of Arena, Naomi has been a cornerstone of the D.C. theater community for nearly two decades; she is a company member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and her credits cover nearly every major theater in Washington, D.C. Her dedication to high-quality regional theater extends to her time off-stage as well. She has taught classes in acting, improvisation, and speech at several large universities in the area and is a well-respected coach for public speaking and auditioning. Naomi is living proof that you can have an exciting, successful career in professional theater without being based in New York City. I am extremely thankful that she is a part of our D.C. community, and look forward to watching her continue to flourish in the years to come.” - Molly Smith, Artistic Director, Arena Stage

“Kim Staunton is an extraordinary actress, bringing a fierce intelligence, remarkable vulnerability, and astonishing emotional range to her work at the Denver Center. A native of Washington, D.C. and a graduate of The Juilliard School, Kim has also performed on and off Broadway and at top regional theatres across the country. She has worked extensively in films (including First Sunday, Changing Lanes, Dragonfly, and Heat) and on television (including The Nine, Bones, Strong Medicine, Judging Amy, Law and Order, and TNT’s Original Movie, Glory and Honor). Her acting work has covered an extraordinarily wide range of roles: a haunted, vulnerable, passionate, amusing but tragic Blanche Dubois; the crazed Madwoman of Harlem in Madwoman; the repressed, careful wife transforming into the knowing, defiant woman in Oyamo’s play Selfish Sacrifice (a contemporary adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House); many of the remarkable women in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle; and Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. Kim Staunton is one of the most generous actresses that I know. After so many years of working in the theatre, Kim continues to bring total commitment to the moment and, perhaps most astonishing, an unfettered joy to her acting. Because she is so generous onstage and offstage, everyone loves working with her. Her commitment to the ensemble of a production has an alchemical effect on the other actors – everyone’s work gets better because Kim cares so deeply. Above all, Kim brings heart, passion, and compassion to each and every role. It’s part of who she is – a deeply committed, imaginative, talented, caring, and sensitive woman.” - Kent Thompson, Artistic Director, Denver Center Theatre Company

“Jack Willis is a force of nature. Unfailingly generous, hugely courageous, astonishingly transformative, and profoundly committed to the art of live theater, Jack Willis has been a real beacon at A.C.T. He has inspired our students to make bigger, bolder choices, he has supported his fellow company members in their own quests for artistic growth at the same time that he has challenged himself to venture into uncharted territory (from South African accents to Jacobean drama) without fear, and he has never hesitated to ask for help and to push himself to the next level. I have found him to be a delightful and compassionate collaborator, even in very tough circumstances, and a passionate advocate for A.C.T. in the community. But most of all, Jack Willis is an astonishing stage actor. He has enormous depth and inner life, and at the same time he has a vocal and physical instrument that makes every audience member feel he is performing just for them. He can play desperate drag queens (Happy End), domineering patriarchs (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), duplicitous businessmen (The Little Foxes) and fanatic Communist intellectuals (Rock 'N' Roll) with complete honesty, huge panache, and great imagination. Every performance is a surprise and a discovery, yet he is also infinitely consistent and dependable.” - Carey Perloff, Artistic Director, American Conservatory Theater

Remembering Lynn Redgrave

Ms. Redgrave (in the Library of Ten Chimneys) talks about the work being done at the July 2009 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship at Ten Chimneys

The 2009 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows talk about their work with Ms. Redgrave at Ten Chimneys in July 2009

What is the program and why is it important?

The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program is a groundbreaking national program to serve American theatre. Every year, 8-10 of the most accomplished regional-theatre actors in the country are invited to participate in a weeklong master class and retreat with a world-renowned and respected Master Teacher. The 8-day immersion at Ten Chimneys includes intensive daily master class sessions, both in the historic rooms of the estate and in the modern facilities of the program center.

Through this groundbreaking national program, the top actors in the country are given a rare and deeply needed opportunity to grow artistically, renew their passion for their art form, deepen their commitment to mentorship, and form a national community of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. These actors return to their home communities more inspired, and more inspiring — offering great benefits to other actors, to individual theatres, to students, to communities across the country, and to American theatre as a whole. Ultimately, this program does not exist simply to serve actors, but to strengthen the ability of actors and theatres to enrich people’s lives in communities throughout the country. Lunt-Fontanne Fellows do this as artists, as mentors, as teachers, and as leaders in their communities.

Why Ten Chimneys?

This one-of-a-kind program, so much more than a workshop or conference, takes place within the rooms of Ten Chimneys, a National Historic Landmark that has been widely hailed as one of the most inspirational historic sites in the country.

This special home is particularly inspirational for actors. Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne constructed their Ten Chimneys estate to be the perfect working retreat for themselves and for their peers, the greats of the theatre: Laurence Olivier, Helen Hayes, Noël Coward. Beyond inspiring peers, the Lunts were also known for their dedication to the next generation of actors. Legends such as Uta Hagen, Montgomery Clift, and Julie Harris proudly considered themselves protégés of the Lunts. The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program continues that tradition of mentorship at Ten Chimneys. This historic context, and the inherent inspiration of Ten Chimneys, is why Lynn Redgrave said that “this program simply couldn’t happen anywhere else,” and why participating Fellows have all talked about the experience being transformative.

Who are the Lunt-Fontanne fellows?

Quite simply, Lunt-Fontanne Fellows are the best regional stage actors in America — the great mentor actors in the great theatre communites. They have 20+ years of experience as professional actors. They are widely respected by audiences, directors, and fellow actors for their talent, dedication to craft, attention to detail, and passionate pursuit of excellence – the qualities for which Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were so revered. These extraordinary artists have few, if any, opportunities to be protégé rather than mentor – to work with a world-renowned and respected master teacher. These theatre artists are the best of the best – widely considered the top actors in their cities. They are their communities’ theatre mentors. These are the actors who will be named as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows.

Who is a Lunt-Fontanne Master Teacher?

Every year, Ten Chimneys selects and collaborates with a Master Teacher for the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program — a luminary stage actor whose talent, generosity, ability to teach, and dedication to mentoring are deeply admired by stage actors and the entire theatre community. The Master Teacher for each year is a key collaborator in the program, working with Ten Chimneys staff to develop the curriculum, content, and focus of the artistic elements of the experience. During the first two years of the program, the top regional theatre actors in the U.S. spent the artistic portion of their Ten Chimneys immersion delving into Shakespeare — with the late actress Lynn Redgrave in 2009, and renowned Shakespearean Barry Edelstein in 2010. In 2011, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will explore Chekhov, with revered actress, Olympia Dukakis.

How are the Lunt-Fontanne fellows selected?

Fall: Ten Chimneys Foundation selects and invites ten of the most prestigious and accomplished regional theatres in the country to serve as Partner Theatres in this groundbreaking national program to serve regional theatre actors and the future of American theatre.

Winter: Leadership at each Partner Theatre nominates between one and three actors they feel should be considered for recognition as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. A National Advisory Council consults with Ten Chimneys Foundation to select the actors to be named as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows.

Spring: Ten Chimneys Foundation announces the full “class” of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows – with one Fellow selected from each Partner Theatre.

Summer: From the time the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows are selected through the start of the master class and retreat at Ten Chimneys, Ten Chimneys Foundation helps the selected Lunt-Fontanne Fellows connect with each other from across the country, so that their identity and interaction as a group begins before they meet together for the first time at Ten Chimneys. Lunt-Fontanne Fellows also receive regular updates and additional details regarding the developing content of the master class component of the week at Ten Chimneys, including correspondence with the master teacher about advance preparation.

July 24-31, 2011: The weeklong retreat and master class with Olympia Dukakis will take place at Ten Chimneys (focusing on Chekhov).

What happens during the week at Ten Chimneys?

The intensive weeklong retreat and master class will include:

INTENSIVE MASTER CLASS: The content and structure of the daily master class activities will be shaped by the expertise of the master teacher. Ms. Dukakis and the 2011 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will focus extensively on Chekhov; this exciting and challenging work will take place at the historic Ten Chimneys estate and in the state-of-the-art Lunt-Fontanne Program Center.

INSPIRATIONAL RETREAT: Significant time will be set aside for Lunt-Fontanne Fellows to explore the historic estate and grounds, rest, rejuvenate, work with each other between master class “sessions,” and take in the extraordinary spirit and inspiration of Ten Chimneys.

HOSPITALITY: Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were passionate about their hospitality. For them, it was about more than “good manners”; making guests feel truly comfortable and sincerely welcome was the foundation for meaningful rejuvenation, inspiration, and substantive work. Ten Chimneys Foundation will offer the same care to Lunt-Fontanne Fellows that the Lunts did for their illustrious guests: first-rate air travel on Midwest Airlines, deluxe accommodations at the luxurious Delafield Hotel near Ten Chimneys, delicious and ample meals, comfortable local transportation, and other amenities – all included as part of the Fellowship.

Who are the partner theatres?

There are, of course, more than 8-10 “prestigious and accomplished regional theatres” nationwide. So the participating theatres will vary and rotate every year. Past Partner Theatres include:

• Alliance Theatre (Atlanta)
• American Conservatory Theater (San Francisco)
• Arena Stage (Washington , D.C.)
• Arizona Theatre Company (Phoenix and Tucson)
• California Shakespeare Theater (Orinda)
• Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Chicago)
• Denver Center Theatre Company (Denver)
• Goodman Theatre (Chicago)
• The Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis)
• Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Milwaukee)
• The Old Globe (San Diego)
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland)
• Seattle Repertory Theatre (Seattle)
• Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, D.C.)
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago)
• Trinity Repertory Company (Providence)
• The Wilma Theater (Philadelphia)

Public and Community Programs

REGIONAL MASTER CLASS: In addition to working with the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows, the master teacher will offer a workshop for an invited group of professional local actors. At the same time that we offer this national program to serve the future of American theatre, Ten Chimneys Foundation remains deeply committed to serving the professional actors and theatres here in our own backyard.

CONCLUDING LUNT-FONTANNE FELLOWSHIP PRESENTATION: On the final night of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, Lunt-Fontanne Fellows and their master teacher will offer a glimpse of what took place during their week at Ten Chimneys. To illustrate the work that was accomplished, the Fellows will share pieces of the scenes and monologues on which they worked.

What happens after the week at Ten Chimneys?

When the on-site program is completed, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will return to their home communities across the country, bringing with them everything they gained artistically as part of the master class, along with renewed energy and a deepened commitment to mentorship. Ten Chimneys Foundation will help Lunt-Fontanne Fellows stay connected with each other and subsequent cohorts of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. In particular, Ten Chimneys Foundation will actively encourage Lunt-Fontanne Fellows to engage in mentoring activities in their communities, with students and with younger actors. As Lunt-Fontanne Fellows engage in these mentoring activities, Ten Chimneys Foundation will share their stories and successes with other Lunt-Fontanne Fellows – further encouraging continued mentorship and educational outreach in communities across the country.

We anticipate that a good deal of post-Ten Chimneys interaction will be driven and shaped by the growing community of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows. Ten Chimneys Foundation is well-suited to be an effective liaison and facilitator, and is prepared to meet the needs and requests of Fellows that have returned to their home communities.

What are the expected outcomes of the program?

This exciting new program will reap extensive benefits – both direct and indirect – for individual actors, for participating regional theatres, and for the communities both call home.

DIRECT BENEFITS: Actors participating directly in the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program will grow artistically, renew their passion for their art, form a national community of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows, and deepen their commitment to mentorship.

INDIRECT BENEFITS: Direct participants will then exponentially expand the impact of the program when they return to their home communities. Highlights of the “indirect benefits” to communities, individuals, and Partner Theatres include:

• Other actors (particularly younger actors) who work with Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will grow artistically from the results of the participants’ transformative experiences.
• Audiences will benefit from the artistic results of the growth and passion of actors at the Partner Theatres (both direct participants and other actors being indirectly affected).
• Individual theatres will benefit from the artistic results of their actors’ growth and passion (both direct participants and other actors being indirectly affected), from the media attention this national program will generate, and from increased donor and community enthusiasm.
• Students in these communities will benefit from the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows’ deepened commitment to mentorship.

More broadly, American theatre as a whole will benefit from an inspirational program fulfilling a critical and deeply felt need. Many of the most accomplished and dedicated regional-theatre actors in the country are desperate for this level of opportunity for mentorship and rejuvenation. And it simply hasn’t existed for them… until now. The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program will have a profound and immediate impact – improving the vitality of American theatre and the artform’s dedication to nurturing the next generation.

How is the program funded?

The Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program is made possible by the generosity of insightful and engaged donors. Ten Chimneys Foundation is actively seeking support to fund this important, unparalleled program. Individual support, combined with the generosity of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and other institutional supporters, makes it possible for us to serve actors, theatres, and communities across the country – as well as the overall vitality and strength of American Theatre – at no cost to actors or Partner Theatres. To contribute to Ten Chimneys Foundation and support the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, click here.

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Estate Tours of Ten Chimneys are offered May through mid-November, Tuesday through Saturday, rain or shine. In general, tours begin every 15 minutes from 10am to 2:45pm, and leave from the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center. Reservations are highly recommended. Please call our reservation line at (262) 968-4110 between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday to reserve your tour time. A credit card is required to confirm your reservation. Visa and MasterCard are both graciously accepted.

Please note that the Estate will be closed to tours July 11-18, while Ten Chimneys hosts the 2010 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program.

2010 Admission	Full Estate Tour	Main House Tour
Standard Rate	$35	$28

Standard Tour Tips and Policies:

• Reservations are highly recommended. We cannot guarantee “walk-in” availability. Please call our reservation line at (262) 968-4110 to schedule your visit.
• All tours require standing, stair climbing, and walking on uneven terrain. Comfortable footwear is a must. Please be prepared to walk both indoors and out, rain or shine. Umbrellas are permitted.
• Plan to arrive at the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center at least fifteen minutes before your scheduled tour time.
• Remember to allow two hours for a “Full Estate Tour” experience and ninety minutes for a “Main House Tour” experience.
• Much of the Main House and the entire Lunt-Fontanne Program Center are accessible by wheelchair. Prior to visiting, please alert us to any mobility concerns you may have, and let us know if you will be bringing a wheelchair.
• Due to the estate’s fragility, we regret that children under 12 are not permitted to tour.
• There may be other guests touring with you (as most of our tour groups are comprised of ten guests).
• Each group is met by a docent (tour guide) who will escort you to the estate via shuttle.
• Prior to boarding the shuttle, all guests are required to store any personal belongings (bags, purses, etc.) in our complimentary lobby lockers.
• You are welcome to explore the museum store, the permanent exhibition, and nature trails before and after your tour.
• Outdoor photography is permitted; however, no photography of any kind is allowed inside the historic buildings.
• Please bring your confirmation letter (it serves as your ticket) to the front desk when you arrive.
• Tours leave promptly every fifteen minutes. If you are running a few minutes late, you are welcome to call the front desk, (262) 968-4161 ext 120, to let us know. Because tours are often booked solid throughout the day, we regret that we cannot always guarantee tour slots for late guests.
• Tour payments are non-refundable. Date exchanges require at least one week’s notice. We regret that no exceptions can be made.

Call now to make your reservation! (262) 968-4110

Read more about the Estate Tours and Reservations

Might you bring 20 or more guests? Please see Tours for Large Groups.

Do you know someone who would just love Ten Chimneys? Why not treat them to one of the most inspirational tours in the country? Tour gift certificates are $35 and good for Full Estate or Main House Tours during the current season. Please call our reservation line at (262) 968-4110, or stop by our Museum Store, to purchase a keepsake gift certificate for that simply-divine someone.

Banner photo credit: Michael David Rose Photography.

Yes, there are ten chimneys! Lynn and Alfred named their Genesee Depot, Wisconsin, estate after the number of chimneys on the Main House, Cottage, and Studio combined. The elegant three-story Main House has six chimneys and eighteen rooms (including the: Entry Hall, Garden Room, Flirtation Room, Drawing Room, Library, Belasco Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Helen Hayes Bedroom, Laurence Olivier Bedroom, Noël Coward Bedroom, Master Bedroom, Lynn’s Dressing Room, and Lynn’s Sewing Room). The Lunts’ quaint country Cottage has three chimneys and five main rooms (Living Room, Kitchen, Syrie Maugham Bedroom, Library, and Bugbee Bedroom). The one-room Swedish-style log cabin Studio has one chimney. The 60-acre estate, nestled in the rolling Kettle Moraine of southeast Wisconsin, also includes a charming pool and pool house, a creamery, a greenhouse, barns, stables, and other bucolic outbuildings.

In 1914, Alfred Lunt came into an inheritance from his father and purchased undeveloped land in Genesee Depot where he and his family often picnicked. He then personally designed the first portion of Ten Chimneys’ Main House as a home for his mother and sisters. In 1922-23, after the Lunts were married, the house was extensively remodeled and the chicken coop was converted into a cottage for Lynn and Alfred to live in when they weren’t performing.

Most of the renovations and additions to Ten Chimneys took place during the 1930s. In 1932, eight years after signing the contract that gave them every summer off, the Lunts moved into the main house themselves. Alfred’s mother and sister moved into the cottage (the former chicken coop), which the Lunts renamed “the hen house.” In the same year, a Swedish-style log cabin was assembled on the grounds of the Lunts’ estate as a Studio for artistic creation and collaboration. In 1940, final additions were made to the Main House, giving it six chimneys (from a multitude of fireplaces and Swedish stoves). Added to the three chimneys at the Cottage and the one at the Studio, the estate now had ten chimneys, and, by 1943, a formal name from its devoted owners.

The décor at Ten Chimneys mirrors the lives and experiences of the Lunts, with mementos from international trips, remembrances from treasured friends, pervading theatrical techniques, and countless personal references. As guests journey through the estate, they are surrounded, and often inspired, by Lynn and Alfred’s creativity, passion, and humor.

The estate is filled with remarkable collections of original furnishings, art, and artifacts: Delft china, Staffordshire figures, rare original prints, converted pre-Civil War oil lamps, French bottles, Spanish statues, and much, much more – all with personal connections, theatrical references, and coexisting in perfect harmony. Desks, closets, safes, and bookshelves are overflowing with irreplaceable and treasured artifacts from the Lunts and their friends: scores of first edition books hand inscribed by friends like Alexander Woollcott and Edna Ferber; personal hand-made gifts from intimates Helen Hayes and Noël Coward; snapshots of the Lunts with Charlie Chaplin or the Queen Mother; letters from devoted protégé Laurence Olivier; and on and on. Even outdoors, the birch trees that populate the estate were a gift from Alexander Woollcott, and the beautiful copper mermaid on top of the pool house was designed by Cecil Beaton, who crafted it himself as a gift to the Lunts.

The Lunts also invited a prominent scenic and costume designer, Claggett Wilson, to visit Ten Chimneys and help them. Wilson painted murals on walls and ceilings throughout the estate, in addition to creating other unique decorative effects using intricately cut-out wallpaper and a variety of inventive stage techniques.

Ten Chimneys is as personal as a diary. Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne designed and decorated Ten Chimneys the same way they crafted each performance – one delightful detail building upon another. Each room was carefully dressed as if it were a stage set. Their choices were more about theatricality and whimsy than opulence. After all, why use real marble when you can tease your audience with surprising trompe l’oeil? Yet, despite meticulous planning, Ten Chimneys exudes an easy comfort.

Banner illustration credit: Funnel, Inc.

From the Desk of Sean Malone, Ten Chimneys Foundation President

Fall 2009

Dear Friends,

2009 has been a milestone year for Ten Chimneys Foundation. Our national impact, reputation, and recognition have all increased dramatically. Ten Chimneys is making a real difference – for American theatre, for our community, and for the thousands of individuals and students who are affected by our public programs every year.

This is a time of extraordinary success for Ten Chimneys. It is also a time of great financial need and urgency. I know you understand the impact current economic conditions have had on non-profit organizations, including Ten Chimneys. As a result, individual contributions, at every level, are more important than they have ever been.

Please consider becoming a part of this annual campaign to support the programs and activities of Ten Chimneys Foundation, with a gift at whatever level makes sense to you as you reflect upon your philanthropic activities for the year. Your generosity would accomplish so much – and would be appreciated more than I can express.

I hope you know how much Ten Chimneys Foundation values and respects your generosity. Ten Chimneys spends an impressive 93% of our annual budget on the programs and services we exist to provide – much higher than the national average for non-profits. We also manage our budgets very tightly and conscientiously; expenses have been at or under budget in every single year since we were founded.

Above all, the Board and staff and I are tirelessly dedicated to ensuring that your generosity yields results – that Ten Chimneys continues to live up to and build on its growing acclaim as “a powerful resource for American theatre” and as “one of the most inspirational and innovative historic sites in the country.”

Thank you for giving as generously as you are able at this critical time. We need you now, more than ever, to ensure the continued success and stability of Ten Chimneys Foundation.

Yours most sincerely,

Sean Malone
(262) 968-4161 ×206

Click here to find out What Your Gift Buys!

2009 Annual Giving Opportunities

$50

A “Grand Entrance in the Arrival Hall” Donor

$250

A “Brunch with Helen Hayes on the Garden Terrace” Donor

$500

A “Game of Hearts with Larry Olivier in the Library” Donor

$1,500

A “Chat with Kate Hepburn in the Flirtation Room” Donor

$5,000

A “Song with Noël Coward in the Drawing Room” Donor

$10,000+

A “Dinner with Lynn and Alfred in the Dining Room” Donor

Click here to open a printable Donation Card.

Ten Chimneys Foundation, Inc.

PO Box 225, Genesee Depot, WI 53127
(262) 968-4161 phone, (262) 968-4267 fax
501©3 Non-Profit Organization
Tax ID #: 39-1862290

For more information, please contact Mr. Sean Malone at (262) 968-4161 extension 206 or .

Ten Chimneys Foundation Privacy Policy

Ten Chimneys recognizes all donors in annual recognition materials and/or displays. Donors have the option to give anonymously. If they choose to do so, their name(s) are replaced by the word “anonymous” in all donor recognition.

Ten Chimneys does not sell or exchange lists of donors, their contact information, and/or giving details.

If you have any questions, or would like to add, update, or restrict your personal information, please contact us.

Banner photo credit: Warren O’Brien from the O’Brien Family Collection at WHS.

We're sorry!

We apologize, but the page you are looking for is not here. You may simply step back to the page from which you came, or visit any of the following:

• Welcome Home - Ten Chimneys: The Home of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
• Tours - The tour of a lifetime.
• Theatre Resource Programs - Programs for theatre, arts, and arts education professionals.
• Permanent Exhibition - Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne: A Life on Stage
• Annual Exhibition - Our current annual exhibition.
• Museum Store - Ten Chimneys' Museum Store, "Design for Living"
• Volunteer - Opportunities in many areas at Ten Chimneys
• Gift Certificates - Treat someone to one of the most inspirational tours in the country.
• Who were Lynn and Alfred? - The story behind the most revered acting team in American theatre history.
• Who's Who Guest Book - A look into the glamorous world of Broadway's best kept secret.
• Foundation History - From near destruction to National Historic Landmark status.
• Gallery - Photos from Ten Chimneys' traveling exhibition The Lunts: A Life in the Theatre
• Reservations - …are highly recommended. Reservation Line: (262) 968-4110.
• Map & Directions - A downloadable map, as well as area lodging and dining information.
• Contact - Get in touch with our wonderful staff.

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Area Lodging

This list was designed to enhance the Ten Chimneys experience, and does not intend to rank or favor lodging. For most current room information, amenities, and occupancy rates, please contact individual places of stay listed below.

Area Restaurants

This list was designed to enhance the Ten Chimneys experience, and does not intend to rank or favor individual restaurants. Please call the restaurants listed below for current hours, menu, and pricing information. Minutes from Ten Chimneys are approximate.

Press Releases & Other Documents

This page and its contents are intended and provided for media contacts and members of the press, group estate tour organizers and promoters, and the extra-curious Ten Chimneys enthusiast. If you require more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program

Click here to visit the full press room for the groundbreaking Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program.

A Home for the Arts™

Through our THEATRE RESOURCE PROGRAMS, an invitation is extended to all (profit and non-profit) theatres and established theatre-related organizations to utilize Ten Chimneys as a place to retreat, rejuvenate, and collaborate.

For decades, Ten Chimneys was a beacon to the theatre community. The “best of the best” from around the country were drawn to Ten Chimneys – and, upon arriving, were inspired. Ten Chimneys is reassuming its historic role as an important place for artistic creation, discussion, and leadership. Ten Chimneys Foundation is dedicated to being an inspirational resource to American theatre.

Hosting a program at Ten Chimneys is easy. Interested organizations submit an application to hold a program of their choosing and design at Ten Chimneys. The Theatre Resource Program Application (see download link below) requests a brief description of the proposed program, its purpose, and why the applying organization feels Ten Chimneys is an appropriate and inspiring place to convene. It also includes all information an organization needs to hold a theatre resource program at Ten Chimneys.

Once an application is approved, Ten Chimneys Foundation does not charge a fee for holding the program at Ten Chimneys. Complimentary Estate Tours are also a possibility for Theatre Resource Program groups. (Restrictions apply. Please see application for more details.) Following the program, participating organizations are asked to provide a brief written summary of their experience.

Theatres and theatre-related organizations interested in the possibility of hosting a program at Ten Chimneys are encouraged to contact Kristine Weir-Martell, Program Manager, to discuss Ten Chimneys and their idea(s) before applying. Kristine can be reached at 262-968-4161 ×203 or .

Download the Theatre Resource Program Application form (PDF, 104k)

Examples of Past Theatre Resource Programs
Retreats:	A number of theatre-related organizations have held retreats at Ten Chimneys. These have included artistic retreats attached to specific productions and casts (e.g. Goodman Theatre, Madison Repertory Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre ), as well as board and staff retreats, usually focused on long-range strategic planning (e.g. Chamber Theatre , Renaissance Theatreworks).
Creation of New Endeavors and Institutions:	Theatre Wisconsin, the statewide association of professional theatres, was “born” at Ten Chimneys. Leaders in Wisconsin’s theatre community had been trying to bring the State’s disparate groups together for many years. They communicated that having Ten Chimneys as a draw was integral to making the inaugural (planning) meeting finally happen, and that the historic context and inspirational power of Ten Chimneys made a real impact on the positive outcome of the gathering.
Conferences:	The League of Chicago Theatres brought leaders from the top institutions in Chicago to strategize on how to strengthen the future of Chicago theatre, Theatre Wisconsin held a successful conference for Trustees of theatres in Wisconsin, and UW-Milwaukee’s PTTP and leaders in the Wisconsin theatre community gathered to have a candid discussion about the challenges and future of the PTTP.
Workshopping New Productions:	The Chicago Humanities Festival workshopped and performed Noël & Alfred & Lynn (starring Rosemary Harris), Renaissance Theatreworks workshopped Red Pepper Jelly II, and UW-Milwaukee’s PTTP workshopped and performed Beloved Celestials.
Educational Programs:	The National Endowment for the Arts held its New Career Development Program at Ten Chimneys, and Theatre Communications Group held its New Initiatives Program here. Both are major educational projects of the respective organizations, focusing on the next generations of theatre professionals (directors and administrators).

Representatives from the following organizations (among others) have participated in Theatre Resource Programs:

• American Conservatory Theater
• Chamber Theatre
• Chicago Cultural Center
• Chicago Humanities Festival
• Court Theatre
• Denver Center for the Performing Arts
• Eugene O’Neill Theater Center
• Goodman Theatre
• The Guthrie Theater
• Juilliard
• Kennedy Center
• League of Chicago Theaters
• Los Angeles High School for the Arts
• Lincoln Center
• Madison Repertory Theatre
• Manhattan Theatre Club
• Milwaukee Public Schools
• Milwaukee Repertory Theatre
• Minnesota Center for Arts Education
• National Endowment for the Arts
• National Theatre (Britain)
• National Young Audiences
• New York State Council on the Arts
• Pilobolus Dance Theatre
• Renaissance Theatreworks
• San Francisco Unified School District
• Second City
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Theatre Communications Group
• Theatre Development Fund
• Theatre Wisconsin
• UW-Milwaukee Professional Theatre Training Program
• Victory Gardens Theatre
• Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research
• Every Professional Theatre in Wisconsin (through Theatre Wisconsin)

The Lunt-Fontanne Program Center

Through decades of collaboration, leadership, and mentoring, Ten Chimneys’ log cabin Studio impacted the course of 20th-century theatre and arts. In order to fulfill its mission to extend that tradition and maintain the integrity of the estate, Ten Chimneys Foundation developed the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center to serve as the “Studio for the 21st Century.”

The Lunt-Fontanne Program Center supports educational and artistic programs, including public tours, play readings, and lectures; permanent exhibitions; Theatre Resource Programs; and high school outreach tours.

In keeping with the Lunts’ love of the natural world, Ten Chimneys’ Program Center was designed to fit unobtrusively into the sloping hills of the land that inspired and rejuvenated the greats of 20th Century theatre. The thirty acres surrounding the Program Center remain a haven for lush flora and fauna. This land, in addition to the adjacent thirty-eight acre parcel the Lunts donated to the Town of Genesee as a nature preserve, is open to tour guests and program participants, walking in the footsteps of the Lunts, Katharine Hepburn, Noël Coward, Helen Hayes, and Laurence Olivier – among countless others.

While creating only a small footprint on the landscape across the road from the historic buildings of Ten Chimneys, the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center includes: a spacious lobby, engaging exhibitions, a large program hall, a museum store, and other gracious amenities. It also provides museum archives for an expanding collection and staff offices to support the Foundation’s ongoing operations.

Banner photo credit: Michael David Rose Photography.

Volunteers are the heart of our organization. From tending Alfred’s gardens to leading inspirational tours to cleaning precious artifacts, Ten Chimneys offers volunteers the priceless sense of beauty, accomplishment, and community that the Lunts so cherished.

Preservation Volunteers

Do you have a keen eye for detail, an aptitude for organizing papers, an interest in researching historic furnishings, or skill with a needle and thread? Join the Curator and dedicated volunteers in documenting the Ten Chimneys collection. You’ll learn to see artifacts through a curator’s eyes, to properly store historic materials, and to safely care for your own heirlooms. For information on becoming a Preservation Volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Megan Rohde, at (262) 968-4161, ext. 212.

Foundation Office Volunteers

The staff of Ten Chimneys Foundation is always looking for individuals to help around the office (and join us for a cup of coffee). Volunteers are welcome to set a regular schedule or add themselves to the office-project “Call me” list. For information on becoming an Office Volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Megan Rohde, at (262) 968-4161, ext. 212.

Front Desk Volunteers

Guests to Ten Chimneys have always been welcomed with extraordinary hospitality. This warm tradition continues at the front desk of the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center as volunteers greet and register tour guests. Flexible hours, a pleasant environment, and the opportunity to introduce a diverse audience to the Ten Chimneys experience make this one of our most popular volunteer opportunities. For information on becoming a Front Desk Volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Megan Rohde, at (262) 968-4161, ext. 212.

Gardening Volunteers

Do you find yourself daydreaming of the smell of warm earth and green leaves? Well, we are always searching for folks who’d like to exercise their green thumbs by tending to basic garden chores (weeding, watering, dead-heading, perhaps a bit of planting) in the various beds and boxes on the estate. You supply a couple hours during the tour season, we supply the plants, tools, and the idyllic setting. For information on becoming a Gardening Volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Megan Rohde, at (262) 968-4161, ext. 212.

Housekeeping Volunteers

Roll up your sleeves and grab that dust cloth, we are looking for weekly cleaning help (dusting, vacuuming, etc.) in the Main House, Studio, and Cottage. Come for an hour or so, once a week, tidy up and enjoy the company of other volunteers in beautiful surroundings. Darling, cleaning simply can’t be more enjoyable than this! For information on becoming a Housekeeping Volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Megan Rohde, at (262) 968-4161, ext. 212.

Museum Store Volunteers

Ten Chimneys guests find delightful gifts, keepsakes, and mementos in our Museum Store, “Design for Living.” We welcome individuals who would like to assist visitors in the discovery and selection of beautiful things that reflect the style, values, and legacy of the Lunts. Opportunities include showing products to customers, restocking displays, and performing simple register work. For information on becoming a Museum Store Volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Megan Rohde, at (262) 968-4161, ext. 212.

Tour Guides (Volunteer Docents and Shadows)

A tour at Ten Chimneys is more than a walk about a house; it’s a true experience of place. Because Ten Chimneys docents do not employ a script, there is freedom and flexibility to be creative in the moment during each tour and customize presentations for specific audiences.

In order to give both guests and docents the best possible experience, docents receive comprehensive training over a period of 14 weeks (approximately 2 hours per week). Although there is much to learn, we strive to provide training that allows docents to add their own interpretive flair and grace to their tour…to help guests feel as if the Lunts invited them personally.

For more information on the Ten Chimneys Volunteer Docent Program, please contact our Volunteer Manager, Megan Rohde, at (262) 968-4161, ext. 212.

DESIGN FOR LIVING

National experts in the field cite the Museum Store at Ten Chimneys, “Design for Living,” as one of the most progressive and engaging museum stores in the country. Visitors simply know that it’s the perfect place to find unique, beautiful, and entertaining gifts and mementos. Our store is designed to enhance the Ten Chimneys experience by offering only the most delightful things, representing the style, values, and legacy of Broadway’s most beloved couple – Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.

Many tour guests return several times a season just to visit our museum store. Whether it’s a wedding, birthday, anniversary, shower, Christmas, or any other occasion, there are wonderful items for people of all ages and varied interests. Please drop in – we guarantee you will find something divine! Click here for map and directions.

You are invited to explore our permanent exhibition off the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center’s main floor lobby.

Enter a bygone era of drama and sophistication as you step through the façade of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. You can easily envision Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, “the greatest acting couple in theatre history,” on stage in their lavish Broadway landmark.

Ah, but perhaps you’d like to direct? Try your hand at the Lunts’ production in the miniature theatres, each with its own unique mechanization. (Alfred adored miniature theatres…you will too.)

Maybe you yearn for the footlights? Well, just step on stage. You will find there is much to know about the artistic legacy of Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt.

Ah, but you, you should be in pictures. You will want to pose as a very celestial Lynn or Alfred.

Color photo credit: Michael David Rose Photography.

The Road to Opening

Ten Chimneys Foundation was formed in 1996 to save Ten Chimneys, restore and preserve the estate, and open it to the public as a world-class museum and national resource for theatre and arts education.

In 1996, Ten Chimneys came perilously close to destruction through commercial development until Joseph W. Garton – a Madison-area restaurateur, theatre historian, and arts advocate – led a public opposition to this unthinkable fate. Mr. Garton spent the next two years connecting with community and civic leaders and national experts in various fields. A team of national preservation experts performed a Historic Site Analysis and Master Plan. The renowned Wingspread Conference Center of The Johnson Foundation in Racine, Wisconsin, hosted a conference of national leaders in theatre, the arts, and arts education – to help define the role a restored Ten Chimneys could play locally and nationally. In November of 1997, twenty-four prominent civic leaders came together to form the board of trustees of Ten Chimneys Foundation.

In January of 1998, Ten Chimneys Foundation purchased the estate from Mr. Garton at the original purchase price, allowing the Foundation to begin emergency repairs on several roofs. The Foundation then began extensive research and planning for restoration, preservation, and program development – continuing to collaborate with local, regional, and national experts and advisors.

In 1999, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative Lunt-Fontanne postage stamp. Ten Chimneys was one of the first historic sites to be named an official project of Save America’s Treasures, a public-private partnership between the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Dedicated volunteers, generous donors, and other Foundation leaders made extraordinary strides between the beginning of 2000 and May 26th, 2003 – when Ten Chimneys opened to the public for the first time (on what would have been the Lunts’ 81st wedding anniversary). These accomplishments include:

Ten Chimneys has been carefully restored. Before opening to the public on May 26th, 2003, the Foundation updated the estate to current standards and committed to a particularly ambitious restoration. The goal was not a museum restoration “like new,” but the more challenging “lived in” feel of Ten Chimneys in the 1940s – when Lynn and Alfred led their staff in lavishing T.L.C. on their pride and joy.

The resulting restoration was a partnership between the country’s finest restoration professionals and dedicated volunteers. Conservators repaired 18th Century inlaid furniture, reproduced water-damaged wallpaper, restored the Claggett Wilson murals, replanted gardens, and re-laid flagstone paths. After being trained by professionals, volunteers disassembled, restored, and re-hung chandeliers, reframed pictures, polished brass, weeded gardens, and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. A substantial amount of the restoration was completed by opening day. The work, however, is never truly completed and continues on.

Scores of volunteers now consider Ten Chimneys their home.
You can, too! Follow this link for more information.

Ten Chimneys Foundation Timeline

Vision of Ten Chimneys Foundation

Ten Chimneys will be nationally recognized as:

Banner photo credit: Jim Brozek Photography.

Book a Tour of Ten Chimneys

Tours are offered May through mid-November, Tuesday through Saturday, rain or shine. For reservations, please call our reservations line at (262) 968-4110 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Admission	Full Estate Tour	Main House Tour
Standard Rate	$35	$28
Group Rate (24+ Guests)	$30	$28

Reservation Line: (262) 968-4110

Directions from Milwaukee (Marquette Interchange)

• Take I94 West to Hwy 83 South (24 miles).
• Take Hwy 83 South to Genesee Depot (6 miles).
• When Hwy 83 curves left, turn right onto Depot Road.
• Watch for the Ten Chimneys sign on your left. Proceed up the drive, pass the white Lunt-Fontanne Program Center, and park in the lot. Tours begin (and foundation offices are housed) in this building.

From Madison (I94 – E. Washington Road)

• Take I94 East to Hwy 83 (approximately 50 miles).
• Take Hwy 83 South to Genesee Depot (6 miles).
• When Hwy 83 curves left, turn right onto Depot Road.
• Watch for the Ten Chimneys sign on your left. Proceed up the drive, pass the white Lunt-Fontanne Program Center, and park in the lot. Tours begin (and foundation offices are housed) in this building.

From Chicago (I94 – Touhy Avenue) via Milwaukee

• Take I94 West to (through) Milwaukee (80 miles).
• Then follow the above directions “From Milwaukee.”

From Chicago Direct ( 194-Touhy Ave. )
Detour due to Highway 20 Closure (scheduled until Oct. 8, 2010)

• Take I94 West to Hwy 11 West – Exit 335 (51 miles).
• Turn right onto Hwy 75 North.
• Turn left onto Hwy 20 West.
• Hwy 20 West will merge with Hwy 83 North.
• When Hwy 20 and Hwy 83 split (15 miles), veer right and stay on Hwy 83 North.
• Take Hwy 83 North to Genesee Depot (16 miles).
• When Hwy 83 curves right, go straight onto Depot Road .
• Watch for the Ten Chimneys sign on your left. Proceed up the drive, pass the white Lunt-Fontanne Program Center , and park in the lot. Tours begin in this building.

Please note that Yahoo and Google Maps do not currently give accurate directions to Ten Chimneys. Apparently, Ten Chimneys is still “Broadway’s best kept secret!”

Whether before a Ten Chimneys’ tour or after, you are invited to take a peek at those who have gone before you. Although it doesn’t include all of the Lunts’ lucky guests, this guestbook provides a look into the glamorous world of Broadway’s best kept secret.

If you have a suggestion for this list, please let us know.

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are widely considered the greatest acting team in the history of American theatre. Not willing to simply coast on their extraordinary natural talent, the Lunts were consummate professionals. Their passion for excellence and commitment to the art of live theatre was legendary, even at the beginning of their careers.

By the mid 1920s, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were the two most respected, most popular, most critically acclaimed, and highest-paid stage actors in the country. At the height of their individual careers, they made a remarkable decision. They each took enormous pay cuts (from $900 per week to $300 per week) to sign on with The Theatre Guild – a fledgling company dedicated to performing new and avant-garde work – by writers like Ibsen and Shaw. The Lunts believed strongly that creating great theatre with broad impact was far more important than money. But since they were taking such large cuts in salary, they were able to put two clauses into their contracts that would profoundly affect the rest of their lives and careers.

First, the Lunts insisted that they only act together, rather than in separate plays. By 1928, until they retired in 1960, the Lunts never appeared on stage separately. And as impressive as their individual careers had been, that was nothing compared to their impact together. The Lunts were instrumental in the transition of American theatre from oratory (or declamation) to naturalism. They revolutionized theatre with innovations that we now accept as commonplace: overlapping dialogue, turning their backs to the audience, passionate physical contact, and a level of truth and realism in everything they did that simply could not be found on the American stage prior to the Lunts. In fact, the Lunts’ devotion to excellence was matched only by the respect and affection they inspired in their peers and protégés alike.

Biographer Maurice Zolotow wrote, “Lynn and Alfred projected an animal vitality, a spirit of gaiety and intense pleasure in being alive and in being in love. Separately, they had been original and brilliant actors. Together, they were an irresistible expression of the life force – of the joy of living.”

The other requirement of the contract with The Theatre Guild was that the Lunts would never act in the summer, so they could instead come to Ten Chimneys to retreat, relax, and rejuvenate. And every summer they did just that. Because the Lunts were so widely loved and respected, “everyone who was anyone” in theatre, the arts, literature, wanted to come to Ten Chimneys to be with and work with the Lunts. The estate, almost inevitably, became an important place for artistic creation, discussion, and inspiration. More than just the Lunts’ home, Ten Chimneys was a home for the arts – literally and metaphorically.

From the 1920s to 1960, the Lunts had a prolific stage career, with over 40 plays. Although their first movie together, The Guardsman, was a critical and commercial success, the Lunts hated the process of making films and chose instead to dedicate themselves to the art of live theatre. The film studios, however, were falling over themselves to sign the Lunts. Whoever signed them was sure to make a fortune. Not only were they the best-known actors throughout the country, but because the Lunts were so respected by other actors, whichever studio signed the Lunts was likely to sign all of the other “greats”. Finally, in 1932, one studio offered the Lunts $1,000,000 for a two-film deal. Lynn was reported to tell the studio head, “My dear sir, we can be bought, but we cannot be bored.” No more films.

In 1958, the Lunts began the American run of what would be their final stage performance – The Visit. The play opened in the newly dedicated Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, honoring the couple for their extraordinary contribution to American theatre.

Once the Lunts retired from the stage in 1960, they lived in their beloved Ten Chimneys year-round and spent many happy years there enjoying the extraordinary retreat they had created together.

Alfred passed away in 1977, at the age of 84. Lynn passed away six years later, in 1983, at the age of 96. A monument at their grave reads, “Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were universally regarded as the greatest acting team in the history of the English speaking theatre. They were married for 55 years and were inseparable both on and off the stage.”

Interested in more information on the Lunts’ careers? Visit the Internet Broadway Database (The IBDB archive is the official database for Broadway theatre information) and search for “Lunt”, “Fontanne”, or any stage actor, play, or theatre you are interested in.

Banner photo credit: Warren O’Brien from the O’Brien Family Collection at WHS.

This Fall at Ten Chimneys…

Tonight at 8:30 by Noël Coward
Monday, August 30th, 7:00pm
Play Readings at Ten Chimneys

A delightful (and rarely produced) collection of short plays by Noël Coward. Written in 1936 and originally performed by Noël Coward and his lifelong friend Gertrude Lawrence. Four short plays, with live performances of Noël Coward songs throughout the (2-hour) evening. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Call (262) 968-4110 to reserve.

Design for Living by Noël Coward
Monday, October 18th, 7:00pm
Play Readings at Ten Chimneys

Widely regarded as one of Noël Coward’s greatest, and funniest, plays. The original production starred Coward and his dear friends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. It was the culmination of a plan the trio hatched before any of them had “made it.” And, as Coward predicted in 1921 letter to his mother, when the play premiered in 1933, “the theatre world had a new cosmos.” Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Call (262) 968-4110 to reserve.

Mark Nadler and KT Sullivan
Friday, October 22nd 6:00pm. & 8:30pm
Music in the Drawing Room

Ten Chimneys favorites KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler will return to Ten Chimneys this October, to bring the Drawing Room and the Noël Coward Piano back to life with a special performance of their exciting show, “Gershwin… Here to Stay.” Earlier this year, Ms. Sullivan and Mr. Nadler teamed up at The Algonquin Hotel in New York for one of the most acclaimed Gershwin reviews in decades. (This New York Times review is just the tip of the iceberg.) Tickets ($100) are sure to go quickly, so call (262) 968-4110 to reserve yours today.

Robert Osborne
Saturday, November 13th, 8:00 PM
Conversations at Ten Chimneys

The host of Turner Classic Movies television network since its debut in 1994, Robert Osborne is widely considered one of American film’s preeminent authorities – and enthusiasts. Mr. Osborne is known as “the official biographer of the Oscars.” His book, 75 Years of the Oscar, was written at the request of the Academy and was praised as “a scholar’s dream, a researcher’s paradise, a movie buff’s heaven.” He has interviewed countless legendary filmmakers, has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and he serves as the Academy’s official greeter at the Academy Awards ceremony. Mr. Osborne will share insights and stories about the evolution of American film during the time that the Lunts ruled the American stage. Tickets: $25/$50/$100. Call (262) 968-4110 to reserve.

About Ten Chimneys

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne are widely considered the greatest acting team in the history of American theatre. The Lunts’ passion for excellence and commitment to the art of live theatre was legendary, even at the beginning of their careers. Summer after summer, the Lunts came to Ten Chimneys to retreat, relax, and rejuvenate. Because the Lunts were so widely loved and respected, “anyone who was anyone” in theatre, arts, and literature wanted to come to Ten Chimneys to be with and work with the Lunts. The estate, almost inevitably, became an important place for artistic creation, discussion, and inspiration. More than just the Lunts’ home, Ten Chimneys was a home for the arts—literally and metaphorically.

Ten Chimneys is a landmark unique among our national treasures. Ten Chimneys’ diverse collections and enchanting décor are comprised of the original pieces hand-picked by the Lunts in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. And the magic is undiminished. As guests are welcomed through the Lunts’ remarkable creation, they are surprised and then moved by countless details.

Created with the same humanizing wit and passion for perfection that distinguished their stage performances, Ten Chimneys is the Lunts’ most enduring and tangible artistic legacy. For decades, their idyllic retreat beguiled and inspired the country’s finest actors, writers, designers, directors, and artists. Now, an invitation to Ten Chimneys, once coveted by the nation’s greatest luminaries, is extended to the public.

Alfred Lunt & Lynn Fontanne

Do you know someone who would just love Ten Chimneys? Why not treat them to one of the most inspirational tours in the country? Tour gift certificates are $35 and good for Full Estate or Main House Tours during the current season. Please call our reservation line at (262) 968-4110, or stop by our Museum Store, to purchase a keepsake gift certificate for that simply-divine someone.

Might you bring 20 or more guests?

Click here for our printable 2010 Group Tour Operator Information Sheet

2010 Admission	Full Estate Tour	Main House Tour
Group Rate (20+ Guests)	$30	$28

Additional special volume discounts are available; please ring: Kristine Weir-Martell, Director of Program & Group Tour Liaison, at (262) 968-4161, ext. 203

Group Tour Contract and Payment Options

• NO DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED. To hold your tour date and times, you need only to provide a credit card number and a signed contract to be returned two (2) weeks after booking your group tour.
• THERE ARE JUST A FEW DATES TO REMEMBER. After booking your tour, relax and know that you do not have to worry about a long list of deadlines. Your minimum guest count locks in four (4) weeks prior to your group’s tour, and payment can be processed the morning you arrive for your tour.
• NO PAYMENT DUE UNTIL THE MORNING OF YOUR TOUR DATE. If you choose to pay for your group’s tour by credit card, the balance of the tour, plus a 3% processing fee, will be charged to the credit card number on file the morning of your group’s tour. You may also choose to pay the balance of your group’s tour by check, due two (2) weeks prior to the date of your tour.
• NO CANCELLATION FEE. If you find that the date you chose is not working out, you may cancel up to four weeks prior to your tour date without incurring any cancellation fee.

Boxed Lunch Options are Available. Ordering is Easy!

• Choose one of the vendors listed below.
• At least one week prior to your visit, call the vendor directly to place your order and arrange for payment. ALL LUNCH OPTIONS ARE JUST $11.
• Rest assured that your guests will be treated to a fresh, tasty lunch.

Brewers Two Café

(262) 719-5107, Speak to Ellen – A specialty sandwich shop offering gourmet sandwiches, wraps, and salads, complemented by side options and a variety of desserts. Beverages and condiments are included.

CornerStone

(262) 968-3093, Speak to Judy – Specializes in focaccia, croissant, and sourdough sandwiches, complemented by homemade chips or fruit salad and fresh-baked dessert. Beverages and condiments are included.

Group Tour Tips and Policies

• Group rates are extended for advance reservation to groups of 20 or more guests. Please call (262) 968-4161 ext. 203 to book your group’s visit.
• All tours require standing, stair climbing, and walking on uneven terrain. Please remind your guests to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk both indoors and out, rain or shine. Umbrellas are permitted.
• Please have your group arrive at the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center at least thirty minutes before the first tour is scheduled to depart. Click here for a map and directions to Ten Chimneys
• Tour Rotation: Tours generally leave every fifteen minutes and are usually comprised of eight to ten guests. When planning your group’s arrival and departure time, please remember to allow enough time for the tour rotation detailed in your confirmation letter.
• If arriving by bus, your guests will receive tour-time assignments and a brief orientation while still on the bus.
• If arriving separately, guests will receive tour-time assignments and a brief orientation at the front desk as they arrive.
• Each tour is usually led by two tour guides, a “ docent" and a “shadow” who will escort your guests to the estate via shuttle.
• Prior to boarding the shuttle, all guests are required to store any personal belongings (bags, purses, etc.) in our complimentary lobby lockers.
• Much of the Main House and the entire Lunt-Fontanne Program Center are accessible by wheelchair. Prior to visiting, please alert us to any mobility concerns you may have, and let us know if you will be bringing a wheelchair.
• Due to the estate’s fragility, we regret that children younger than 12 are not permitted to tour.
• Your guests are welcome to explore the museum store, permanent and annual exhibitions, and nature trails before and after their tour.
• Outdoor photography is permitted; however, no photography of any kind is allowed inside the historic buildings.
• Tours leave promptly every fifteen minutes. If your group is running a few minutes late, please call our front desk staff at (262) 968-4161 ext. 120. Because tours are often booked solid throughout the day, late arrival can significantly impact your guests’ experience. Please allow enough travel time.
• If you have any questions, or are interested in booking your group tour, do call our Director of Program & Group Tour Liaison, Kristine Weir-Martell, at (262) 968-4161 ext. 203.

Read more about the Ten Chimneys Experience

Banner photo credit: Michael David Rose Photography.

Unique among historic sites, Ten Chimneys offers guests a virtually barrier-free tour of an estate replete with original furnishings and overflowing with the romance of the Golden Age of Theatre. Tour guests are placed in small groups (usually no more than ten guests per group) and are led through the estate by highly-trained docents. Docents share stories that interpret not only the objects and décor of the estate, but also the lives and values of its remarkable creators. When visiting, you will feel as if Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne have just stepped out for a moment . . . but will be right back to welcome you through their gracious home.

Estate Tours of Ten Chimneys are offered May through mid-November, Tuesday through Saturday, rain or shine. In general, tours begin every 15 minutes from 10am to 2:45pm, and leave from the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center. Reservations are highly recommended. Please call our reservation line at (262) 968-4110 between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday to reserve your tour time. A credit card is required to confirm your reservation. Visa and MasterCard are both graciously accepted.

Admission	Full Estate Tour	Main House Tour
Standard Rate	$35	$28
Group Rate (20+ Guests)	$30	$28

Ten Chimneys is located just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the town of Genesee Depot. Please see our driving directions for suggested routes from Milwaukee, Madison, or Chicago.

Full Estate Tours

Full Estate Tours provide the optimum Ten Chimneys experience. Full Estate Tours feature the eclectic rooms of the elegant three-story Main House (including the Entry Hall, Garden Room, Flirtation Room, Drawing Room, Library, Belasco Room, Helen Hayes Bedroom, Laurence Olivier Bedroom, Noël Coward Bedroom, Master Bedroom, Lynn’s Dressing Room, Lynn’s Sewing Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen), the Swedish-style log cabin Studio, and the enchanting Cottage, as well as the exteriors of the Poolhouse, Greenhouse, Creamery, and other outbuildings. Guests should allow two hours for this comprehensive tour.

Main House Tours

Main House Tours are offered to those who may have difficulty traversing the full estate. This tour features over fourteen rooms in the estate’s
three-story Main House. Guests should allow ninety minutes for this tour experience.

Theatre Workshops For Kids (And Tours For Parents)

The Children’s Theatre Workshop allows children (ages 9-12) to participate in a special theatre workshop presented by FIRST STAGE CHILDREN’S THEATRE while their parents enjoy a Full Estate Tour. Watch our website for upcoming 2010 workshop dates. $35 per adult and $25 per child. Please call (262) 968-4110 for more information.

Banner photo credit: Zane Williams Photography.

We Offer Three Types of Tours:

Full Estate Tours

Full Estate Tours provide the optimum Ten Chimneys experience. Full Estate Tours feature the eclectic rooms of the elegant three-story Main House (including the Entry Hall, Garden Room, Flirtation Room, Drawing Room, Library, Belasco Room, Helen Hayes Bedroom, Laurence Olivier Bedroom, Noël Coward Bedroom, Master Bedroom, Lynn’s Dressing Room, and Lynn’s Sewing Room, Dining Room, Kitchen), the Swedish-style log cabin Studio, and the enchanting Cottage, as well as the exteriors of the Poolhouse, Greenhouse and Creamery, and other outbuildings. Guests should allow two hours for this comprehensive tour.

Twilight Tours

For the 2007 tour season, “Twilight Tours” of Ten Chimneys are offered the first Friday of the month from June through October. Normally available only during the day, these guided Full Estate tours allow guests to experience a one-of-a-kind National Historic Landmark as the sun sets on sixty acres of bucolic Kettle Moraine. Admission is $35 per guest (standard daytime admission).

This year, Ten Chimneys Foundation is partnering with area restaurants Andrew’s and The Union House for special Twilight Tour dinner packages. For the guest’s convenience, reservationists at Ten Chimneys will help you establish reservations for both your Full Estate tour and your meal at either restaurant. Dinners at Andrew’s or The Union House are available from a three-course pre fixe menu for an additional $41 per person (alcohol and gratuity not included).

Andrew’s (housed in The Delafield Hotel) features classic steaks, seafood and chops on its fine dining menu, served in a relaxing, luxurious atmosphere.
A staple in Genesee Depot for over 125 years, The Union House continues to offer warm hospitality, delectable meal offerings, and courteous service.

“Twilight Tours” departure times range from 4 – 6 p.m. and return times range from 6 – 8 p.m. Reservations are required; “walk-in” guests cannot be accommodated. Tour availability is limited. Call (262) 968-4110 for more information or to make reservations.

Main House Tours

Main House Tours are offered to those who may have difficulty traversing the full estate. This tour features over fourteen rooms in the estate’s
three-story Main House. Guests should allow ninety minutes for this tour experience.

The Tour of a Lifetime

Tours are offered early May through mid-November, Tuesday through Saturday, rain or shine. Reservations are highly recommended. Please call our reservation line at (262) 968-4110 between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday. Visa and MasterCard are graciously accepted.

Call now to make your reservation!
(262) 968-4110

Read more about the Ten Chimneys Experience »
Might you bring 24 or more guests? Please see Group Tours »

Mailing Address

Ten Chimneys Foundation
Post Office Box 225
Genesee Depot, WI 53127

Shipping and Physical Address

Lunt-Fontanne Program Center
S43 W31575 Depot Road
Genesee Depot, WI 53127

Phone & Fax Numbers

Foundation Line: (262) 968-4161
Facsimile: (262) 968-4267
Reservation Line: (262) 968-4110

Tours are offered Tuesday – Saturday. Please call our reservations line
(262) 968-4110 for specific tour times and availability.

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