ARGYLE — The Driftless Area Land Conservancy and Let’s Play Outside Productions, in association with 16th Street Theater, wish to announce the performance of a new, outdoor play, “House Hunters: Erickson Edition.” 

The play will be performed at the Erickson Conservation Area in Argyle on Oct. 6 with performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the play will be performed on Oct. 7, with two performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Reservations are required. 

“House Hunters: Erickson Edition” is a play for all ages but especially for children. A comedy, it features as characters some of the fascinating creatures who call Erickson Conservation Area home. The play is an outdoor, traveling play. This means that audience members will walk from spot to spot to watch each scene of the play, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Erickson Conservation Area as they go. 

“House Hunters: Erickson Edition” tells the story of a hard-to-please house hunter who wants to build her dream home in the country. Her realtor takes her to the Erickson Conservation Area to pick the perfect site. But as they walk through Erickson, they discover that the land might already be occupied. With the help of a good-natured naturalist and the many colorful animals who live at Erickson, the house hunter and the realtor gain a new appreciation for the land and a new understanding of its value. 

The run-time of the play is approximately 40 minutes. The play travels a short, quarter-of-a-mile path in the Erickson Conservation Area. It begins at the kiosk at the west end of the Argyle Legion Community Park, off of Wisconsin 78. After the play, audience members are invited to walk the loop trail at Erickson Conservation Area and enjoy spectacular views of the Pecatonica River. 

The play was written by Rebecca Gilman, who teaches playwriting at Northwestern University and is also a Wisconsin Master Naturalist. It is directed by Ann Filmer, Artistic Director of 16th Street Theater in Berwyn, Illinois. Members of the cast are Ayanna Bria Bakari, Debbie Banos, Mark West, Gabriela Diaz, Amy Dunlap, Christian Stokes, C. Jaye Miller, Nicole Tuthill—all of whom are professional actors from Chicago.

The Erickson Conservation Area is a 220-acre property that was previously owned by Alex and Mary Erickson, who envisioned a future where their land would become a community treasure, something for people from all walks of life to enjoy. The land was purchased by The Driftless Area Land Conservancy in 2012. For the last six years, DALC has focused on protecting the many diverse creatures that live there while fostering a greater love of the land through recreation, education, and community programming. 

The Driftless Area Land Conservancy is a non-profit conservation organization located in Dodgeville, whose mission is to maintain and enhance the health, beauty, and diversity of Southwest Wisconsin’s landscape, while connecting people to the land and one another.

Let’s Play Outside Productions is a non-profit theatre company whose mission is to present plays that help children learn to love the outdoors by teaching them about the natural habitats that surround them, and the many wonderful creatures who call those habitats home.

16th Street Theater is a professional, not-for-profit theater located in Berwyn, Illinois, whose mission is to tell the stories of all of our community, which has now expanded to include our animal friends in this, our first, Pop-Out Performance.