American Players Theatreseason will range from "Merry Wives" to shattered lives

An interesting read from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Mike Fischer. Brenda DeVita, the charismatic artistic director of American Players Theatre, could probably sell sand in the Sahara. But when I spoke to DeVita on April 30 - just days before rehearsals were set to begin for APT's upcoming season - even she seemed taken aback by how good preseason sales have been for the nine plays that APT will open between June and October. "Ticket sales have been amazing," DeVita said, speaking by telephone from her office in Spring Green. "It's been our most successful preseason ever. It's very exciting." True to her vision of what APT can be, DeVita is particularly pleased that sales have been good for shows like Edward Albee's "Seascape" - many shows are already sold out, and performances have been added - and Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire." "Plays like 'Streetcar' speak to our histories as artists and as Americans," DeVita said. "For many of us, they were the gateway drug resulting in our addiction to theater. So I'm delighted our audience seems to be embracing the idea that American classics are part of our diet. That's something that's important to me and on which I've worked a lot over the past five years." "Once our patrons experience American plays we've done like 'All My Sons' (2013) and 'Of Mice and Men' (2011), they can see the beauty and depth within these stories. And they see how these stories resonate with their lives - with our lives - as Americans. They can see that it's worth spending time with us on such journeys." Continue reading