http://americanplayers.org/index.php/site/index/experience-apt en Copyright 2012 2012-01-13T16:03:02+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/brenda-devita-will-become-apt-artistic-director-at-the-end-of-2014/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/brenda-devita-will-become-apt-artistic-director-at-the-end-of-2014/#When:15:03:02Z American Players Theatre puts plan in place for David Frank's eventual retirement SPRING GREEN, WIS: American Players Theatre’s (APT’s) Board of Directors announces that Brenda DeVita will succeed David Frank as Artistic Director upon Mr. Frank’s retirement, currently planned for the end of 2014. Ms. DeVita joined the APT staff in 1995 and has served as Associate Artistic Director since 2004. In her position as APT’s Associate Artistic Director, Ms. DeVita has been responsible for season planning, casting, assembling design teams, hiring directors and overseeing the day-to-day artistic needs of the theater. She developed APT’s acting apprentice program, and oversees the education department. She also lectures extensively on auditioning and Shakespeare performance at universities around the United States. Ms. DeVita said, “I am honored and humbled by the board's decision. I will make it my personal goal to stay true to our mission and our incredible audience while continuing our long tradition of doing so within our resources. I am excited to lead APT by continuing to focus on developing talented regional artists…artists who will not only be a part of APT's community but will enrich the greater regional theater community as well. I believe this nurturing of individual artists is essential to APT's culture and what is truly special about our organization. I love my job. I love artists. What could be better?” APT Board of Directors President Barbara Swan said, “The Board has been working on succession planning for some time, since David told us of his intention to retire. At the same time, David has been giving Brenda increasingly more responsibility for the artistic workings of the theater, and she has responded splendidly. We are very comfortable with our choice, and wanted to make clear our commitment to Brenda and give her time to transition into her new role.” Mr. Frank said of the appointment: “Congratulations are in order for our remarkable board on its perceptive and forward-thinking decision. Determining the artistic leadership of an ambitious and increasingly important theater company is, perhaps, the single most important decision a board of directors must make. In this case, it must also have been one of the easiest. Brenda DeVita has been fulfilling ninety percent of a typical artistic director’s job for several years and the results, including the recent lavish praise for APT’s work from the regional and national press, speak for themselves. I am in no great hurry to retire and expect to be with APT for a few more years, but I take great satisfaction and pride in the fact that the transition, when it happens, will be extraordinarily seamless and meticulously planned. Although only recently formalized by the board, it has in fact been in the works for several years already. The process, I like to think, has been typical of APT’s thoughtful and consensus-driven management style.” David Frank came to American Players Theatre in 1990 as Artistic Director and was named Producing Artistic Director in 2005. Under Frank’s leadership, APT developed a critically-acclaimed core acting company, built the 200-seat indoor Touchstone Theatre and just completed its 20th year without an operating deficit. The Board of Directors anticipates hiring a Managing Director to co-lead the company following Mr. Frank’s retirement. 2012-01-13T15:03:02+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/the-wall-street-journal-names-apt-company-of-the-year/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/the-wall-street-journal-names-apt-company-of-the-year/#When:19:35:33Z Wall Street Journal theater critic Terry Teachout calls APT Best Company and The Cure at Troy Best Play of 2011. Excerpt: Company of the year: Wisconsin's American Players Theatre, located in Spring Green, Frank Lloyd Wright's home town, has been putting on first-class productions in its 1,148-seat amphitheatre since 1979. When it opened a second indoor stage, the handsome 200-seat Touchstone Theatre, in 2009, APT decisively established itself as one of America's most ambitious and consistently impressive classical summer festivals. This year's offerings included an overwhelmingly moving small-stage version of "The Cure at Troy," Seamus Heaney's English-language adaptation of Sophocles' "Philoctetes," directed by David Frank, APT's artistic director. A perfect embodiment of the company's serious yet unpretentious style, "The Cure at Troy" was the best show of any kind that I saw in 2011. To read the entire article, click here. 2012-01-05T19:35:33+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/apt-makes-the-milwaukee-journal-sentinels-nice-list1/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/apt-makes-the-milwaukee-journal-sentinels-nice-list1/#When:15:59:28Z Theater reviewer Mike Fischer shares his thoughts on the 2011 Wisconsin theater scene. From Local theater had many stars in 2011 By Mike Fisher, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 17, 2011. American Players' spell Nothing on Wisconsin stages consistently made me feel more alive this year than the magic produced in Spring Green, where American Players Theatre has spent more than 30 years honing a well-deserved reputation as one of the country's best classical theaters. Continue News, Plays, Reviews 2011-12-19T15:59:28+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/where-do-they-go-when-it-snows/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/where-do-they-go-when-it-snows/#When:19:09:52Z APT's Core Company members have a busy off-season planned. Here are the places you will find many of them before the return of Spring. Tracy Michelle Arnold November 20 - December 18, 2011 - The Gift of the Magi at APT. February 7 - April 8, 2012 - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago, IL.   Sarah Day November 25 - December 24, 2011 - The Game's Afoot, Cleveland Playhouse, Cleveland, OH. January 19  - February 5, 2012 - A Thousand Words, Forward Theatre Company at the Overture Center, Madison, WI. February 16 - March 11, 2012 - A Thousand Words, The Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Milwaukee, WI.   Jim DeVita January 31 - March 4, 2012 - To Kill a Mockingbird, The Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee, WI. Jim will also be touring his original work In Acting Shakespeare in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and around Wisconsin (including a trip back to APT for the 2012 season!).   Colleen Madden April 12 - April 29, 2012 - Love Stories, Forward Theatre Company at the Overture Center, Madison, WI.   Brian Mani November 20 - December 18, 2011 - The Gift of the Magi at APT. March 23 - April 15, 2012 - Honour, Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee, WI   James Ridge December 9 - December 23, 2011 -  A Christmas Carol, Children's Theater of Madison, Madison, WI. (Adapted by Colleen Madden) April 12 - April 29, 2012 - Love Stories, Forward Theatre Company at the Overture Center, Madison, WI.   Matt Schwader November 11 - December 18, 2011 - Season's Greetings, Northlight Theatre, Chicago, IL. January 21 & 22, 2012 - Directing Witches, Wizards, Spells & Elves: The Magic of Shakespeare, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago, IL. February 7 - April 8, 2012 - A Midsummer Night's Dream, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago, IL.   Jonathan Smoots December 3 - December/26, 2011 - A Christmas Carol, The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee WI. January/24 - February/18, 2012 - In the Next Room (Or the Vibrator Play), Actors Theatre, Louisville, KY. March/7 - April/22, 2012 - In the Next Room (Or the Vibrator Play), Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee, WI. 2011-12-05T19:09:52+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/new-gvideo-something-for-everyone/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/new-gvideo-something-for-everyone/#When:16:11:14Z Get the scoop on what's special about APT from the people who know us best: the audience. Video by Tilt Media, Inc., Madison, WI Plays, People, Behind the Scenes 2011-09-12T16:11:14+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/learn-more-about-your-play-homework-optional/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/learn-more-about-your-play-homework-optional/#When:14:55:48Z Every season, APT supplies study guides to accompany student matinee performances. But they're available on the website to anyone who might want to learn a little more about the play they're going to see.  This season: The Taming of the Shrew, Of Mice and Men and The Tempest. Whether you're a teacher with a class attending a performance, or you're simply interested in some back stage knowledge of the production, feel free to check out the study guides through the link below. Summaries, photos and interviews with members of the artistic staff will add some insight to your classroom discussions and your enjoyment of the play (written exercises are optional unless your teacher says so). 2011 Study Guides 2011-09-02T14:55:48+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/take-a-guided-walk-on-the-wild-side/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/take-a-guided-walk-on-the-wild-side/#When:18:14:39Z Hi, I'm Peggy Timmerman, your host for the guided Nature Walk, and this post is designed to tell you a little bit about myself and how I came to be doing this.   My husband Mark and I have been attending plays at APT since 1990, when we moved back to Madison after nine years living elsewhere. We have seen every show, every summer, for 21 years, and are huge fans of the theater. While the plays will always be the main focus, the setting here is an important part of the magic of APT. We have become active supporters of the theater's efforts to manage and restore the landscape which they steward. This has been the ideal way to meld our interest in ecological restoration with our interest in APT! I grew up in Madison and as a child spent many happy hours at a neighbor's property in the Wyoming Valley, just down the road from APT. In 1995 my husband and I bought property outside of Lone Rock, and since 2007 we have been fortunate to make this area our home. Our property is a mix of prairie, woods, savanna and wetlands, much like what is here at APT. As an amateur naturalist, I have been working on prairie and savanna restoration and forest improvement for the past 15 years. I hope I can pass on to you some of what I have learned about the plants, birds and other critters that call this area home, so you can really appreciate what APT is doing out here in the woods. The cost is $5.00, (free with your APT insiders card), and reservations are strongly recommended as space is limited to 20 people per tour. Call the APT Box Office at 608-588-2361 to save your spot. The walk is moderately challenging, and will last about an hour. The tour begins at the Gateway Building (the box office and gift shop near the parking lot). Click here for more information. Dates Saturday, August 20 - 5:00 p.m. Sunday, August 21 - 3:00 p.m. 2011-07-13T18:14:39+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/behind-the-curtain-with-matt-schwader1/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/behind-the-curtain-with-matt-schwader1/#When:14:19:02Z Want more APT? Check out our brand-new podcast "Behind the Curtain" narrated by Matt Schwader. Subscribe on ITunes by searching American Players Theatre, or download episodes here: Behind the Curtain. Episode 1, an interview with director Tim Ocel on The Taming of the Shrew, delves deeper into his thoughts on this sometimes controversial play. Why does Kate behave the way she does? Why does Kate show up for her wedding to Petruchio when she claims to hate him? What happens after the wedding, a scene that is typically Shakespeare's "happily ever after"? Matt and Tim explore these themes and more in this premiere episode...perfect listening for a drive out the woods of Spring Green. And it's totally free! July 26 Update: There are several new episodes of the podcast available, and more great stories to come. Be sure to check back often, or subscribe on ITunes. News, Plays, People, Behind the Scenes 2011-06-24T14:19:02+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/showstopper-apts-tracy-michelle-arnold-is-sexy-edgy-or-funny-as-the-role-re/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/showstopper-apts-tracy-michelle-arnold-is-sexy-edgy-or-funny-as-the-role-re/#When:14:56:53Z A great story about Tracy Michelle Arnold in The Isthmus, written by Jennifer A. Smith. "Acting is all I've ever really wanted to do," says Tracy Michelle Arnold of American Players Theatre. Thank goodness, then, that Arnold is so exceptionally talented. Now heading into her 12th season with the Spring Green-based professional company, Arnold is a magnetic stage presence who can master a wide range of roles. For me, the 2009 season in particular really highlighted Arnold's skills. As Judith Bliss, the matriarch of a batty, self-absorbed family in Noël Coward's Hay Fever, Arnold showed her comedic side. With her big gestures and histrionics, retired stage actress Judith needs to be the center of attention at all times. Arnold's performance was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on stage. During the same season, Arnold played Kate in Harold Pinter's Old Times, a spiky, enigmatic play from 1971. Pinter's drama, with pointed silences and only three characters, required Arnold to convey meaning through the smallest of gestures and facial expressions. As APT artistic director David Frank puts it, "She's so innately economical in what she does; stillness is an enormous power that she has." For the complete article, please follow the link below. http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=33614 2011-05-27T14:56:53+00:00 http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/video-first-look-at-critic-costumes/ http://americanplayers.org/experience-apt/backstage-apt-blog-post/video-first-look-at-critic-costumes/#When:15:40:21Z See what goes into creating the costumes you finally see in The Critic. Produced by Tilt Media, Inc. 2011-05-19T15:40:21+00:00