Celebrating 35 Years, Part 1: 1980-1984

This is part 1 in a 7-part series leading up to our 35th anniversary celebration. Each post reflects upon 5 years of APT history, as well as what was going on in the world around us. What was happening at APT 1980: With the help of 6300 hours of volunteer labor, the theatre is built July 18, 1980: APT opens its first production (A Midsummer Night's Dream) 1983: APT produces its first non-Shakespeare play: Tamburlaine the Great by Shakespeare's contemporary Christopher Marlowe 1984: Within its first five years, APT has tripled its annual audience Plays produced A Midsummer Night's Dream (5 times), The Taming of the Shrew (3 times), Titus Andronicus (3 times), The Comedy of Errors (2 times), Love's Labour's Lost (2 times), Romeo & Juliet (2 times), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2 times), King John, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Tamburlaine the Great What was happening in the world John Lennon is assassinated Ronald Reagan is elected U.S. President Wedding of Lady Di and Prince Charles United States sends out its first space shuttles The Compact Disc takes off Apple introduces the user-friendly Macintosh Pop culture Movies: Ghostbusters, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark TV: Hill Street Blues, Cheers, Dallas Broadway: Children of a Lesser God, Amadeus, Cats Music: "Jessie's Girl," "Eye of the Tiger," "Beat It" Average price of gasoline $1.31 per gallon Part2: 1985-1989 Part 3: 1990-1994 Part 4: 1995-1999 Part 5: 2000-2004 Part 6: 2005-2009 Part 7: 2010-2014