Thursdays & Fridays at 7:30 pm
Saturdays & Sundays at 2 pm
Written by Peter Rothstein. Vocal Arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach
Original Staging for Four Seasons Theatre production by Brian Cowing
“A beautiful musical recounting of a World War I cease-fire of gifts, poetry, and melody." – The New York Times
The Western Front, Christmas, 1914. Out of the violence―a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into “No Man’s Land” singing Stille Nacht. This begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music, peace. A remarkable true story told in the words and song of the men who lived them.
This Drama Desk Award winning show uses music (from patriotic and popular tunes to folk music) and text (drawn from letters, journals, and interviews) to tell stories of soldiers in World War I. The holiday tradition of sharing this beautiful story with our community continues after packed houses in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 as Four Seasons Theatre brings ALL IS CALM back to The Playhouse.
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CREDITS: All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 is presented by special arrangement with and all materials are provided by Broadway Licensing (www.broadwaylicensing.com)
Tickets on sale Monday, August 3 through the Overture Center Box Office in person, online, or by phone at (608) 258-4141. Student Tickets ($25), limit 2 per Student ID.
“This show combines exquisite music with a deeper message about what makes us human, and what makes Christmas so powerful,” adds Swiggum. “And the fact that it’s a true story, told through the voices of the men who were there, means…well, no one will forget this show.”
from "Temporary Peace" | Preview article in The Isthmus | Gwendolyn Rice
“For a long time I thought that it would make such a great piece of music theater if I could find the right way to tell it,” said Rothstein, who got a masters degree in directing from UW-Madison in 1992, and six years later co-founded his own theater company in Minneapolis called Theater Latté Da, where he still serves as artistic director.
from "WWI Truce at center of theatrical work" | Wisconsin State Journal | Samara Kalk Derby
“While the staging, storytelling and the subject matter for the piece are all extraordinary, perhaps the greatest accomplishment for All is Calm is the cohesion of the ensemble, exhibited in close vocal harmonies in one song after another."
from "Four Seasons' 'All is Calm' is very bright indeed" | Review by Gwendolyn Rice
Four Seasons first produced All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 in December 2019 and has since presented the remount to sold out houses in December 2021 and 2022.
Written and conceived by Peter Rothstein, graduate of the UW-Madison Department of Theatre & Drama and Co-founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Latté Da, this highly original work features a cappella choral arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach. The show premiered at Theatre Latté in Minneapolis, MN in 2007, toured North America with Cantus Vocal Ensemble for several years, and ran off Broadway November-December 2018, earning a 2019 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. More on that here.
ALL IS CALM: The Christmas Truce of 1914 was created by Theatre Latte Da in Minneapolis, MN. Learn about that production and access their extensive study guide.
Listen to the NPR feature "A Century Ago, When the Guns Fell Silent On Christmas" and learn more about the Christmas Truce of 1914.
In 2008, Cantus and Theatre Latte Da produced a CD of the incredible music of ALL IS CALM: The Christmas Truce of 1914. You may be able to pick up a copy on Amazon or at your local library. Unfortunately it is not available as a digital album. You can also listen to the Cantus album on YouTube via the link below.
Support for this production provided by the Pleasant Rowland Foundation, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Fund for Theater, a component fund of the Madison Community Foundation. Additional support provided by PBS Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Radio, Distillery Design, and Park Printing Solutions.
