Curtain's up at Mason Street Warehouse

As vacationers head to Southwest Michigan and seasonal residents open their summer homes, Kurt Stamm is busy readying the Mason Street Warehouse for its sixth season of uptown theater in downtown Saugatuck.
"It's a little amazing," Stamm said after finishing rehearsals for "Das Barbecu," which opens June 20 in the popular lakeside resort town. "It's really a dream come true for me."
Stamm, with an armload of New York, Broadway and regional credits, arrived in 2002 with co-founder Tom Mullen to lay the groundwork for the professional theater's first season. The results speak for themselves. "It's been a ridiculous amount of work, but it's been incredibly rewarding to know that we're bringing what I think is such great entertainment to West Michigan," Stamm, the company's artistic director, said.
Theatergoers obviously agree, since the box office experienced its single biggest sales day ever when it opened for business this season. Stamm believes he knows why. "Part of our success is that everything we have chosen to do, every show that we have picked, I have really made a strong commitment to the production values and the quality of the work that we do."
Unlike the safe, fluffy fare typically seen at most summer stock theaters, Stamm had a different goal in mind for Mason Street Warehouse. "What I wanted was a theater company where we could take some risks and try some new things in a summer environment that people wouldn't normally see."
Some shows have been more successful than others, of course. "'Cabaret' a few years ago, for me, was one of the most rewarding theatrical experiences I've ever had. That was definitely a high point. Sometimes it just happens that all the puzzle pieces fall into place. But there HAVE been some lower points," he laughed.
One significant advantage Stamm has over his counterparts elsewhere in Michigan is a healthier economy. "There is quite a bit of money here, and as they say, if the country goes into a recession, it's not going to effect the wealthy. So people who come to Saugatuck and want entertainment, they're going to be able to afford it."
Still, managing a successful theater has its challenges. "Knowing we're in a resort town, I could never do 'Doubt' or 'Dinner with Friends' or something by Ibsen. It just wouldn't happen over here. People are on vacation – they don't come to Saugatuck to see a drama. They come to forget about the drama in their lives," Stamm explained.
Instead, theatergoers are offered a summer of new or unique plays and musicals. "Last year we were the first theater in the country to get 'Altar Boyz," which was a coup," Stamm said. "I love being able to do that – getting stuff right out of the licensing house if I can."
This year, the season opener is a regional premiere – one of 12 (and three world premieres) MSW has staged since its inception.