SPRING GREEN, WIS.: American Players Theatre (APT) has announced its 2016 summer festival season, with eight productions performed in repertory at an outdoor amphitheater, Up-the-Hill, and an intimate performance space at the Touchstone Theatre.
The Up-the-Hill outdoor season will begin with Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors (June 4—Oct. 2), a comedy about two long-lost brothers who are separated by a shipwreck and wreak havoc when they are mistaken for each other. The cast will feature Kelsey Brennan and Cristina Panfilio, and David Frank will direct.
Next will be Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (June 10—Sept. 16), about a man’s quest for the American Dream and the lengths he will go to provide for his family. Brian Mani will star, and Kennth Albers will direct.
Following will be Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband (June 17—Sept. 24), a comedy about the obstacles a woman faces to save her husband’s political career. The cast will feature David Daniel and Colleen Madde, and Laura Gordon will direct.
Next will be Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia (July 29—Oct. 1), about a group of present-day scholars who attempt to interpret the lives of people who are long-dead, blurring the lines between past and present. The cast will feature Tracy Michelle Arnold, Nate Burger, Jim DeVita, Steve Haggard, and Colleen Madden. James Bohnen will direct.
The final show at Up-the-Hill will be Shakespeare’s King Lear (Aug. 5—Sept. 30), about a king who puts his daughters through a test to determine how he will divide his kingdom among them. Jonathan Smoots will star, and William Brown will direct.
The Touchstone Theatre season will begin with Carlyle Brown’s The African Company Presents Richard III (June 3—Sept. 14), about an African theatre company staging a production of Richard III forty years before the Civil War. The cast will feature Johnny Lee Davenport, Jennifer Latimore, Gavin Lawrence, Cedric May, and Greta Oglesby. Derrick Sanders will direct.
Next will be Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice (June 21—Oct. 8), a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus told through the perspective of his wife, Eurydice. The cast will feature Kelsey Brennan, Nate Burger, Melisa Pereyra, Cedric Mays, James Ridge, and Christopher Sheard.
Following will be Beckett’s Endgame (Aug. 6—Oct. 16), an absurdist one-act about communication, perseverance, and what it means to be alive. The cast will feature Brian Mani, David Daniel, John Pribyl, and Sarah Day. Aaron Posner will direct.
The season will conclude with Stephen Massicotte’s Mary’s Wedding (Oct. 28—Nov. 20), about a couple that is separated when one of them joins the war effort. The cast will feature Nate Burger and Laura Roo, and artistic director Brenda DeVita will direct.
Founded in 1979, American Players Theatre presents classics and future classics on 110 acres of hilly woods and meadows above the Wisconsin River.
