August Wilson joins 'Macbeth' at American Players Theatre in 2019

By Lindsay Christians, The Cap Times | October 15, 2018

2019 will be a year of several firsts for American Players Theatre, including its first August Wilson drama, “Fences,” and a new Shakespearean-themed comedy by Lauren Gunderson.

The season, announced Monday by the Spring Green classical repertory company, includes two Shakespearean favorites: “Twelfth Night,” which will open first in the outdoor Hill Theatre in June 2019 and star Kelsey Brennan as Viola; and “Macbeth,” starring Melisa Pereyra and Marcus Truschinski as the ambitious central strivers.

Also in the season’s first half, Laura Gordon will direct “She Stoops to Conquer,” Oliver Goldsmith’s 1773 farce about a high society woman who pretends to be a barmaid to find out what kind of man her betrothed really is. Jim Ridge and Sarah Day will play the Hardcastles, a wealthy country family, and Josh Krause returns to play one of the suitors.

“This is a great play,” said Brenda DeVita, APT’s artistic director, of the Goldsmith piece. “I really believe this about the classics — they are only great if they speak to us now. ... ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ affords us to utilize the chops we have in the company to tell the story well. We know it’s a great piece of literature and a great time for the audience and the actors.”

DeVita said the company has been floating the idea of staging its first Wilson play for about five years. “Fences,” with its setting in Troy and Rose Maxson's front yard, felt like a perfect place to start given APT’s outdoor setting.

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