SPRING GREEN, WIS: American Players Theatre is excited to announce its 33rd season, which will run June 9 to October 21, 2012. This season will be especially exciting to the Shakespeare lovers, with a return to three Shakespeare productions Up the Hill, as well as Vern Thiessen’s Shakespeare’s Will about William Shakespeare’s enigmatic wife, Anne Hathaway. And the first show ever to tread the boards in the Touchstone Theatre – In Acting Shakespeare, written by and featuring James DeVita – will return for a short run beginning in September.
The 2012 Season June 9 – October 21 Up the Hill
Twelfth Night Written by William Shakespeare Directed by David Frank Shakespeare revisits his favorite themes – twins, mistaken identity and just a little cross-dressing – in the comedy Twelfth Night. Mourning the loss of her brother, the lovely Olivia has vowed not to accept any suitors, much to the dismay of the Duke of Illyria, Orsino, who is intent on wooing her. So intent in fact that he enlists a castaway named Cesario to help him out. Of course Cesario is actually a young woman named Viola who has recently lost her twin brother in an accident at sea. Disguised as a boy, she agrees to help Orsino win Olivia despite the fact that she herself has fallen for him. And despite her vow to remain alone, Olivia quickly develops some strong feelings of her own…for Cesario. Combine that with a darkly comic subplot that finds the prim Malvolio locked in a basement by a group of ne’er-do-wells, and you’ve got the makings of a great Shakespearean comedy.
The Royal Family Written by Edna Ferber & George S. Kaufman Directed by Laura Gordon Being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be in this clever comedy about artists and family. Acting runs through the veins of the Cavendish family – with varying degrees of success. Julie, a beloved stage star, her larger-than-life, movie star brother Tony and world-renowned but less-than-healthy mother Fanny being among the more successful. But fame doesn’t forego second thoughts on life choices. As Julie and her daughter Gwen struggle with whether or not to leave the limelight, Tony dodges his numerous scorned lovers and Fanny tries to corral everyone back to the stage, they and (and the rest of their family and friends) attempt to look after their own self-interest without really knowing it is.
Richard III Written by William Shakespeare Directed by James DeVita One of history’s (and Shakespeare’s) greatest villains takes to the stage Up the Hill. The deformed Duke of Gloucester is as brutal as he is ambitious. In his blind will to become King Richard III, he unleashes a bloodbath, at the same time attempting to seduce those he’s most wronged. And under guise of a devout and repentant man (coupled with an utter lack of conscience) he succeeds. For a time.
The Admirable Crichton Written by J.M. Barrie Directed by Kenneth Albers The drawing room meets Gilligan’s Island in this comedy by Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie. Lord Loam believes that class division is artificial, and does his best to ignore the lines between master and servant. The family’s butler Crichton, on the other hand, is of the mindset that a person’s station in life is “the natural outcome of a civilized society.” All these notions get put to a real-life test when the family and servants are shipwrecked on a deserted island – and only Crichton has the wits to keep them alive.
Troilus and Cressida By William Shakespeare Directed by William Brown Making its APT debut, Troilus and Cressida follows the plot of The Iliad during the war waged over Helen’s flight from Troy. Troilus and Cressida are war torn Trojans who declare their undying love for one another. But no sooner is their love consummated, that Cressida catches the eye of Diomedes, a Greek. As Troilus struggles with the validity of Cressida’s faithfulness, the war itself comes to a screeching halt when Achilles refuses to fight. As the rest of the Greek camp attempts to coax their hero back to battle, love, lust and honor wage war in the background.
In the Touchstone Theatre
Heroes Written by Tom Stoppard Translated from Gérald Sibleyras’s Le Vent des peupliers Directed by James Bohnen Philippe, Gustave and Henri – three World War I veterans (with differing degrees of mental and physical ailments) refuse to waste away their golden years playing bingo in the nursing home. There’s adventure to be had, whether it’s escaping to Indochina or visiting a nearby poplar patch. It will take some clever strategy, more than a little bickering and maybe a porcelain dog to get the momentum started, but in the words of Gustave: “one must strive a little for the epic, old boy.”
Skylight Written by David Hare Directed by J.R. Sullivan Kyra, now a teacher living alone, finds her apartment haunted by ghosts of her former life as nanny (and lover) to a successful restaurateur Tom Sargeant. After a long absence Edward, Tom’s son, shows up at her apartment asking difficult questions about her life and ties to his family. The situation complicates further when, after Edward leaves, Tom shows up himself. Together they try to work through their individual versions of the past, and find out if second chances are possible.
Shakespeare’s Will Written by Vern Thiessen Directed by Brenda DeVita Little is known about Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway, apart from three simple facts: she was older than he; she was pregnant when they married; and she rarely saw her husband after he left for London to make his fortune as an artist. In Shakespeare’s Will, these few facts spin into a beautifully written tale about the many possible interpretations of marriage and love, and their unexpected consequences.
In Acting Shakespeare Written by James DeVita Freely adapted from Sir Ian McKellen’s Acting Shakespeare Returning to the Touchstone Theatre by popular demand, James DeVita’s autobiographical show about finding your path returns home from abroad. An adaptation of Sir Ian McKellen’s 1987 one-man show, actor Jim DeVita pulls back the curtain on his journey from fishing boats to the theater, revealing along the way that his biggest hurdle was convincing himself he was smart enough to understand Shakespeare.
More information on schedules, plays and casting will become available throughout winter and spring. Visit www.americanplayers.org.
American Players Theatre (APT) is a professional outdoor repertory theater devoted to the great and future classics. It was founded in 1979 and continues to be one of the most popular outdoor classical theaters in the nation. APT is located in Spring Green, Wis., on 110 acres of hilly woods and meadows above the Wisconsin River. The APT amphitheater is built within a natural hollow atop an oak-wooded hill. Under the dome of sky, 1148 comfortably cushioned seats encircle three sides of the stage. In 2009, APT opened the indoor Touchstone Theatre, offering a different type of play and experience.
The Wall Street Journal’s Terry Teachout recently called APT “one of America’s top classical companies.” Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune raved, “…the current level of classical work here is without self-evident Midwestern peer” and Damien Jacques, writing for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel called APT “…arguably the best classical stage company in the U.S.”
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