by Brooke Jackson, PortalWisconsin.org

"This should not be a reverent time capsule. It is a living place," declares Sean Malone, president of Ten Chimneys Foundation. He's speaking of the estate of American theater legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Located in Genesee Depot, Wis., Ten Chimneys is open to the public not only as a house museum, but also as a center for arts education.

Although Lunt died in 1977 and Fontanne in 1983, their memory and influence live on. To step into their home is to return to a golden age of theater, music and lively conversation. When you enter, it is as if the artistic and philosophical debates have just ended, the visiting company just departed. You've missed it, and you long to have been a part of it.

On a recent tour of Ten Chimneys, my charming docent told me a story about this common yearning for inclusion that the house evokes. When we entered the drawing room (informally referred to as the "wow room" by docents), she pointed my attention to the beautiful piano, one of many splendid antiques in the house. It had been custom-painted to appease legendary playwright and actor Noël Coward, a close friend of the Lunts. Coward had some finicky demands about the piano ("It's out of tune" and "I won't play on a plain black piano," he is said to have groused) that needed to be met before he would play music during the Lunts' parties. But when Coward ran out of excuses regarding the piano, he finally admitted that he didn't want to play because he was afraid he would miss something in the conversation while he was playing.

Along with Noël Coward, other famous guests at Ten Chimneys included Lawrence Olivier and Carol Channing. Some stayed so often they had their own designated rooms. The home is as theatrical as its residents were; each room was carefully designed as if it were a new scene, a new stage. In this seemingly quaint and rural setting thirty miles from Milwaukee, the estate strikes a perfect balance between excitement and relaxation.

Today, the Ten Chimneys staff feels as comfortable as family in the home; docents sometimes jokingly refer to it as "Auntie Lynn and Uncle Alfie's place." For visitors taking a tour, it's hard not to feel this way, too. From start to finish, my docent spilled story after story about the Lunts in such a natural manner that it felt like we were gossiping about our close friends. If you're lucky, your docent will fill you in on a few of the legends' dirty secrets and let you see the not-so-subtly suggestive painting series in the small bathroom.

Yet while the house is extraordinary, the tour is only one part of Ten Chimneys' programming. Keeping in the spirit of the Lunts' wish to promote theater, Ten Chimneys presents public theater programs that have become increasingly popular. These include an annual play reading series and an interactive lecture series called "Conversations at Ten Chimneys." Says Malone, "Interest in these programs has far exceeded my expectations." Malone has been with Ten Chimneys for eleven years, five of which the estate has been open to the public. Together with his colleagues, he brings theater programming to both the general public and theater professionals.

Educational programming ranges from an elite high school conservatory program, to a Milwaukee Repertory Theater internship program, to a core program providing resources to major national theater companies. Companies such as Goodman Theatre in Chicago and The Skylight in Milwaukee are provided with free space and resources to hold retreats for board members or artistic staff, or to workshop a new play. Whatever the organizations' needs may be, Ten Chimneys serves as an incubator for their development. As Malone puts it, "We give them a space to work, then get out of their way."

Other successful initiatives have included the Wisconsin Actors' Gathering, which served as a communication vehicle for over fifty professional actors. There is also the newly-created Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship, which will give ten regional-theater actors selected from around the country a chance to work with a master teacher. In 2009, the inaugural group of Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will study with Lynn Redgrave, a Golden Globe winner and Tony, Emmy and Oscar nominee. In an interesting twist, Lynn Redgrave was actually named in honor of Lynn Fontanne; Redgrave's parents, Michael and Rachel, were friends of Fontanne and Lunt.

Keeping the estate dynamic has been vital to the success of Ten Chimneys. "Just saying, 'This is the couch on which Lynn sat' isn't enough," remarks Malone. As he sums it up, "It's not about a history lesson, though there is great history. It's not a lesson in antiques, although there are so many beautiful, priceless antiques here. Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne created something for their friends that was inspirational. Something about the way they created it made life outside a little less stressful—it puts it in perspective, somehow."

If you go: Ten Chimneys' 2008 season runs May 6 through Nov. 15. It is open to the public Tues.-Sat. For information on planning your excursion to Ten Chimneys, visit www.tenchimneys.org.