American Players Theatre

Spring Green, Wisconsin

American Players Theatre (APT) is a professional, outdoor theater devoted to classical work with an emphasis on Shakespeare. Historically, during each season, APT has produced 117 performances of five plays, running in rotating repertory from June through early October. Over the years, the theater's attendance figures have steadily increased and, currently, more than 100,000 patrons from across the nation attend performances each year. The company has earned a national reputation for presenting theater of the highest quality. Accolades have come from regional and national press, many of whom consider the theater a shining example of what an outdoor theater can be. American Players Theatre marks its 30th anniversary in 2009; this landmark season includes the opening of a new, small indoor theater, Touchstone Theatre, offering an additional 53 performances of three plays in repertory concurrent with the mainstage productions. Education is central to APT's mission, and the company's outreach programs enhance appreciation, understanding, and respect for language and classical theater in learners of all ages. Workshops for teachers, students, and families help make Shakespeare and his works more accessible. Hands-on activities, open discussions, and close interactions with professional actors generate a greater enthusiasm and excitement for these works and help to create audiences of tomorrow. APT believes that sharing techniques that bring dramatic poetry to life for students in the classroom can lead them not only to an appreciation of Shakespeare's work, but to a greater regard for all poetry and an insight into some of the more mysteriously potent ways in which language can work.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, American Players Theatre will offer student matinee performances of The Comedy of Errors, Henry V, and The Winter's Tale. All schools that attend a performance are offered one of APT's long-standing and highly respected workshops, which are provided by the company's director of education and teaching artists. These workshops occur during the season and enable students to intensify their experience through extended, in-classroom interactions with professional actors and artisans. This year, APT will also launch a vital and fundamentally important new residency program, Potency of Poetry. The goal of Potency of Poetry residencies (conducted off-season) is to use the unique performance skills of the company's teaching artists to infuse students with an enthusiasm and enhanced appreciation of words, language, and storytelling, ultimately laying the groundwork for a student population better equipped to understand and appreciate complex text such as Shakespeare's.

Visit them at: www.playinthewoods.org