Thrasher Opera House Brings Film Series to Green Lake

GREEN LAKE, WI- (WISS) – The Thrasher Opera House excels in bringing music to the area. It boasts a gallery of visual art featuring local artists and photographers, and, now, it brings a film series Green Lake.

“ All of the films that we are welcoming in have a direct correlation to us somehow.”

Jason Mansmith, Marketing Director said with this film series, the Thrasher Opera House is going back to its roots.

“So when this place was built in 1910 by Charlie Thrasher, it was a community gathering place, but they also showed movies here – silent movies, piano player, all those kinds of things that go along with it. Then the talkies came along, some more movies were shown here,” said Mansmith. “In fact, there’s a story that they would stop a movie in the middle of the movie. And the post office was right across the street at the time. They would stop the movie at a certain point; everybody goes get their mail. And then they come back and finish up the movie.”

Jazz Fest – A New Orleans Story

The first film of the series will be Thursday, February 6, 2025. 

Jazz Fest – A New Orleans Story weaves together live performances and interviews from the 50th anniversary of the iconic festival, featuring some of the biggest names in the music industry, along with a wealth of archival documentary footage from the past half-century. 

This film not only captures the festival but also delves deep into the rich culture of The Big Easy.

“But one of the performers in that movie is Tab Benoit,” Mansmith said. “Tab’s conveniently playing here on February 22nd at Thrasher Opera House.”

FEBRUARY

The second film in the series, FEBRUARY, will be Monday, February 24, 2025.

FEBRUARY tells the story of a recent Mexican immigrant (David Ezekiel Duran) who struggles to fit into a small town in Wisconsin – until he discovers ice fishing.  Winner of a “Golden Badger” at the 2024 Wisconsin Film Festival and part of the “Year Project,” a film series based on each month of the year all set in Wisconsin. 

“February” is a film written and directed by Nathan Deming as a part of the “Year Project” –a Q&A with the director will occur after the film.

Mansmith said this film, too, has a connection to The Thrasher Opera House.

“You’ve got to do a movie called February in February, right? So this movie is actually directed by Nathan Deming, and his aunt, Lisa, is involved with the Green Lake Festival of Music. And the Green Lake Festival of Music also works with us here at Thrasher Opera House,” Mansmith enthused.

The Low-Phe Life

The final film in the series will be The Low-Phe Life by Kurt Sensenbrenner on Thursday, May 29, 2025. 

The Low-Phe Life is an animated-documentary-comedy web series about living with PKU—a rare metabolic disorder. PKU or phenylketonuria, inhibits a person’s ability to break down protein. 

People with PKU, like Kurt Sensenbrenner the series’ director, must adhere to a strict low-protein diet of fruits and vegetables and must drink a supplemental formula multiple times a day for their entire life to avoid serious neurological and physical side effects. 

For reference, a non-PKU person consumes about sixty grams of protein per day, Kurt can only have seven. May is also PKU Awareness Month. A Q&A with the director will follow the film.

“ Well, Kurt’s from Ripon. He’s a great filmmaker who’s not only done this film, but other films as well,” said Mansmith. “So we have these local connections to all these fantastic films.”

Make plans to attend the Thrasher Opera House Film Series

Whether you’re a movie buff or are looking for a unique date night, the series has something for everyone, says Mansmith. 

All of the films are free to attend. The doors open at 5 p.m. and the films start at 6 p.m. The Thrasher Opera House bar will be open to purchase drinks.