Upcoming Dates
Schedule subject to change.
Dates are continually added.
Watch this page for the latest information on tour dates.
Please contact the individual venues to purchase tickets.

May 15, 2009
Hayward, WI
Big Top in Concert

May 16, 2009
Center City, MN
Big Top in Concert

May 17, 2009
Duluth, MN
Acafellas

May 21, 2009
Minneapolis, MN
BCO Unplugged

June 11-13, 2009
Sheboygan, WI
American Stories

June 17, 2009
Minocqua, WI
Big Top in Concert

June 22, 2009
Woodruff, WI
Big Top in Concert

June 23, 2009
Antigo, WI
Big Top in Concert

August 11, 2009
West Allis, WI
WI State Fair
Big Top in Concert

Sept. 25-26, 2009
Monroe, WI
Wild Woods & Waters

Oct. 2-4, 2009
Bayfield, WI
Applefest

Oct. 7-8, 2009
WI Rapids, WI
Wild Woods & Waters

Oct. 10, 2009
Fish Creek, WI
Autumn Fancy

Nov. 11-12, 2009
Oshkosh, WI
Wild Woods & Waters

Bring
Big Top
to Your Community
For information about bringing a Big Top Chautauqua show to your community,
call Terry Meyer
at 715-373-5552 or email her at terry@bigtop.org.

Often we will perform student shows during the day and public concerts in the evening.
Our shows work best in venues with capacities of 500-1,000 seats.

When it’s time to pull up the tent stakes and roll up the canvas in the fall, the Big Top Chautauqua performers and crew hit the road to bring our original shows to performing arts centers and schools throughout the Midwest. Our Chautauqua Original Musicals capture the essence of living in the Midwest through original music, stories and large-screen historic images, with songs about the Great Lakes, the people and the land. We always enjoy going on the road to share the stories, songs and images of the places we call home. We hope to see you in your community!

Below is information about the various shows we are currently traveling with. Dates are continually added to our touring schedule so check back for the most up-to-date listing. Please contact individual theaters directly for tickets and information unless otherwise noted.

We are especially pleased to note that Big Top Chautauqua is THE touring show for the Minnesota Sesquicentennial. Look for a performance in a town near you or call to book us.

SHOWS AVAILABLE FOR TOURING
NEW! Acafellas
NEW! BCO Unplugged
Old Minnesota: Song of the North Star
Wild Woods & Waters
Best of the Big Top
Blue Canvas Orchestra in Concert
Riverpants
30th Star

Acafellas
Mullet hairdos, reality V. shows, pet rocks! These are phenomena that have, and will, as surely as you are reading this right now, go out of style. However, exquisitely close harmonies sung to perfection with heart, wit, and grace? This is something that never will. Enter the Acafellas, an a cappella quartet built from the Lake Superior Big Top’s vocal section. They are: Jack Gunderson, Phil Anich, Ed Willett, and Cheryl Leah. While it is true that in most instances an acafella group contains no men, (acafella being Italian for, without fellas) - Cheryl says ciao to this convention and graciously allows them to sing.

The Acafellas embrace that grand Big Top Chautauqua tradition of virtuosity and eclecticism, navigating effortlessly between a huge range of styles. Whether it’s “Shenandoah” or “Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, Won’t Have to Go to Church no More”, or the music of Crosby, Stills and Nash, they bring with them their infectious love of music. And so, from Queen to Bach, then back to the Big Top, their performance is always warm, always fresh, and never to be missed.

Acafellas Press Photo

Blue Canvas Orchestra Unplugged
BCO Unplugged is an amazing sextet comprised of Cello, Dobro, Fiddle, Mandolin, Bass and Drums, and represents the instrumental side of the Big Top’s house band. If you’ve been to one of the Big Top’s large cast shows (actors, singers, visuals, instrumentalists), you’ll remember that, featured in every one are those moments when it’s time for the instrumentalists to shine.

This is a band whose members draw from a very deep and diverse well of musical experience - from conservatory training and orchestral experience (under the batons of the great conductors John Williams and Zubin Mehta) to multiple appearances on the Grand Old Opry, from touring with Zydeco music’s iconic first lady “Queen Ida”, to National Endowment for the Arts’ supported work for history-based musical endeavors. They bring all this to their performance and more. You’ll hear burnin’ Newgrass, swing style Jazz, classical influences, celtic influences and some of the great vocal tunes that their fans have come to expect.

BCO Unplugged Press Photo

Old Minnesota: Song of the North Star
Hear what Minnesota was all about in its early history in the newest musical theatre production by famed Midwest composer/historian/poet and founder of Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, Warren Nelson. Old Minnesota: Song of the North Star is an original, musical, and historical hike through the old ways of the Gopher State. Travel back down the river of time with Warren and the Big Top Chautauqua Orchestra to see and hear what Minnesota was all about in its early history. The show portrays in story, song and large-screen vintage visuals the lives, ambitions and accomplishments of Minnesota’s Native inhabitants, European settlers and their descendants, reminding us of how far we’ve come and how much we’ve left behind.

Old Minnesota Press Kit PDF

Wild Woods & Waters
The Blue Canvas Orchestra takes you on an illuminated journey celebrating the wild side of our nation’s waters and landscapes by song. From the rivers to the Great Lakes, and from the wetlands to the forests, this show features the stories and songs of our greatest natural resources. It is a celebration of these resources and a call to good stewardship to keep them safe for future generations. A simply beautiful show!

WWW Press Kit PDF

Best of the Big Top
Best of the Big Top showcases a selection of Warren Nelson’s songs from Chautauqua’s Original Musicals created by the Nelson/Ferris Concert Company and the Sioux River Song Farm. These shows feature original songs and large-screen images of the Great Lakes, the Native peoples, the pioneers, the lighthouses and their keepers, shipping and shipwrecks, logging and farming, and the natural beauty of the land. These musicals keep the stories alive, remind us of who we are, how far we've come, and what we've left behind. The second half of the show features individual members of the Blue Canvas Orchestra performing original favorites.

Best of the Big Top Press Kit PDF

Riverpants Ress Kit PDF

The Blue Canvas Orchestra
The Blue Canvas Orchestra is the heart and soul of Big Top Chautauqua. These professional musicians present a well-seasoned blend of bluegrass, folk and blues - more than ready for prime time after appearing on the Big Top stage for 19 years. The gang combines professional musicianship with humor and a spirited rapport with live audiences. Beautifully blended vocal harmonies are smoothly blended with exceptionally precise and exciting instrumentals. The Blue Canvas Orchestra has entertained hundreds of live audiences over the past two decades.

30th Star
30th Star is a a songwitness account celebrating 150 years of Wisconsin statehood. The show recalls the era when immigrant families searched for opportunity in the Wisconsin wilds. Audience members will also hear voyageurs who witnessed the transformation of this land and much more. These tales are told through songs, storytelling, and hundreds of historic photographs drawn from archives and collections across the state.