I recently spent five days in Spring Green, Wisconsin (about an hour west of Madison), watching shows produced by American Players Theatre, which has been mounting productions it for 45 seasons. They offer eight shows in rotating repertory from April through October. They have two stages both tucked into beautiful wooded settings: The Hill Theatre can seat about 1,100 in a flexible outdoor amphitheatre; The Touchstone Theatre is an intimate, freestanding, blackbox venue with seating for 200. The employ a company of 40 excellent professional actors, many of whom perform in multiple productions. www.AmericanPlayers.org
Since beginning in 1980, APT’s bread and butter has been Shakespeare. I saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Winter’s Tale during my visit, as well as Nilo Cruz’s 2003 Pulitzer Prize winner, Anna in the Tropics, Noel Coward’s hilarious Fallen Angels and a world premiere by Gavin Dillon Lawrence, The Barber and the Unnamed Prince. Here are links to coverage that I provided for CityBeat readers and a separate rundown for Talkin’ Broadway’s website regional coverage. Photos are included, too.
https://www.citybeat.com/arts/why-wisconsins-american-players-theatre-is-worth-the-trip-from-cincinnati-20178514
https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/wisconsin/wi20.html
APT’s productions, all excellent, are on a par with those presented at the Stratford Festival and the Shaw Festival in Canada. I wonder if others from Greater Cincinnati have found their way to Spring Green. It’s a 500-mile drive, but well worth the trek. Let me know your thoughts if you’ve been there: pender.rick@gmail.com