{image1}SPRING GREEN -- American Players Theatre has come a long way since 1980 when a young Jonathan Smoots, playing Theseus in "A Midsummer Night's Dream, spoke the lines: "Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace."
That was on July 18 of that year, in the first performance by APT. Most audience members sat on the grass of the new outdoor theater. Amenities were lacking.
Since those now immortal words, the summer theater has grown into one of the finest outdoor performing groups and venues in the country. Actors come from around the country to perform with the group. Audience members include people from around the world.
Improvements have been consistently made to the theater venue itself. Of course, the comfort of the audience will always be tied somewhat to the weather, but rain or shine spectators are treated to comfortable padded seats, rare for an outdoor facility, and great site lines.
The theater is set in the woods, so you never forget where you are. The walkway from the parking lot to the theater winds through the trees, passes multiple picnic areas used by performance goers, crosses the Pixie Crossing (with some people swearing they see some of the fairy-like creatures) and arrives at the wooden theater, a gift shop and concession area.
Plans for APT actually started well before Smoots' first lines in 1980. Dusty Priebe, who led a small group of founders, met with Robert Gard in the latter's UW-Extension office to share some ideas about the Wisconsin Idea and APT's hopes for Spring Green.
Gard knew the O'Brien land well. The legendary Indian chief Blackhawk and his warriors reportedly fought the local militia near the land.
It rested not far from Taliesin, which was featured in Beyond Milwaukee earlier this year, and the land owned by Frank Lloyd Wright's family. Gard told Priebe he had "recited Hamlet to the possums and the trees" for years on the property. Priebe and his co-founders decided to have professional actors do the same.
Over the years, Shakespearean plays have remained the mainstay of APT's presentation, with 29 such plays for a total of 79 productions, but the group does venture from them at times.
"We still believe, as the founders did, that keeping these extraordinary plays alive through high-quality professional performance is a mission of deep value to our culture," wrote APT artistic director David Frank and managing director Sheldon Wilner in this year's program.
"To make these plays thrillingly accessible to those who always assumed Shakespeare was too foreign or antiquated to be of interest. To do this, we strip texts to their essence. We break down these complex Shakespearean speeches into bit-size pieces, making each little morsel a story unto itself, played with clarity and simplicity.
"Then the words gain meaning, the scenes gain resonance, and you, the audience, share our joy and passion for these magnificent works."
Many of those who have done performances returned on July 18 of this year for the official 25th anniversary celebration. A plaque was dedicated to those who made the "Take Your Seat" capital campaign a success. That campaign helped pay for the Bravo Center on the theater grounds and the amphitheatre reconstruction.
APT also has produced a book, called "Book of Lore," in celebration of the 25th anniversary. The 127-page hardcover volume includes never-before-seen photos and reminiscences of patrons and staff. The book sells for $47.50 and is available at the APT gift shop or at www.playinthewoods.org.
From June 5 to Oct. 3, APT is performing "Twelfth Night," "Othello," "Cymbeline," all written by Shakespeare, and Dion Boucicault's "London Assurance" and J.M. Synge's "The Playboy of the Western World."
APT will take "Twelfth Night" on tour this fall, with stops at the Pabst Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 16 and 10 a.m. on Oct. 18. You can get more information about tickets to the Milwaukee stop by calling (608) 588-2361 until Sept. 1 and (414) 286-3663 beginning Sept. 14.
The tour also will stop at Whitewater, Appleton, Manitowoc, Pulaski, Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau and Madison. You can find out more about the tour and the remaining performances for the summer season at (608) 588-7401 or at playinthewoods.org.
