Longtime patron, actress, board president named artistic director of Lake City Playhouse

COEUR d'ALENE — All the world may be a stage, but to Brooke "Brookie" Wood, the Lake City Playhouse stage and the community that surrounds it is all the world.

The longtime patron, actress and supporter of the little nonprofit theater on Garden Avenue recently stepped down as its board president.

She is now Lake City Playhouse's artistic director, officially announced Feb. 24. In this role, Wood believes this to be true: "The best is yet to come."

"I can see it," she said early Friday evening, seated just inside the old playhouse doors, surrounded by members of her newly structured board.

"We're putting the people in the right spots that can just see it," Wood said.

Board member Kerry McGrath met Wood about 17 years ago, when Wood was at Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities volunteering as a playground duty.

"She won me over, just like that, then it just built," McGrath said. "Then she started doing the theater at Sorensen and you could just watch her, she's got this way — I call her the 'Willy Wonka of Theater' because she's kind of just pure magic."

She said she witnessed Wood work that magic on the school and bring every student into the production.

"It was absolutely mind-boggling and just beautiful, just the synergy that creates," McGrath said, turning to Wood. "That's what you do, you create synergy, and that synergy builds and builds and now look at all of us here who are like, 'We're here, what do you need?'

"She allows the space for us to dream with her," McGrath said.

Wood has been serving as interim artistic director for a couple years alongside her role as board president. She helped the Playhouse weather storms of financial fallout and board upheavals, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and a flood that nearly took it out altogether.

Wood said she will never forget when they made the tough decision to close the theater in the wake of the pandemic.

"There were people on our board who said we shouldn’t do it," Wood said. "I said, ‘They’re doing it in New York, it’s coming this way, just do it now.’ So, we shut the doors. But I remember going home and crying to my husband because I was like, 'I can breathe for a couple weeks.’”

It was a bit longer than a couple weeks, but when it was time to return, Wood was ready.

After the flood recovery and board restructuring, she is more ready than ever.

Wood said as artistic director, she now finally has the opportunity to focus on what she’s good at — the art.  

"The idea from the beginning was to build a board that each person came in with their own amazing attributes that could help facilitate the things we need to do around here to make it run efficiently and legit," Wood said. "We’ve been busy saving it for so many years that we haven’t had the opportunity to just be a super amazing company, and now we do.”

Marie Hunt, board president, said Wood does a great job communicating the vivid dream she has for the Playhouse.

"Now that these little things will be taken care of by this team she’s assembled, she’s really free to realize that vision," Hunt said. "I’m excited.”

She said the more time she spends with Wood, the more she loves her vision and her huge heart for the community, the audiences, the cast, the crew and every single person who comes through the nearly-century-old theater.

"This building holds a special place in her heart, and that’s infectious," Hunt said. “We have taken on that passion. It’s a really special place."

    Brooke Wood is officially the artistic director of Lake City Playhouse. She is seen on the steps of the beloved community theater Friday evening.