Feature: American Players Theater looks to embrace diversity, expand “the canon”

By Luis Acosta Jr, Madison 365

For American Players Theater, strong storytelling, no matter who is telling it, deserves to be heard. The space between language and those who choose to listen is a sacred place, where truth and reflection allows for a clear path towards understanding a perspective other than your own. That space is becoming more confined and personal for this small, esteemed classical theater company, located in the wooded hills of Spring Green, Wisconsin. This summer season, APT will continue its goal in redefining the term “classical” through two refreshing plays, The River Bride and The Brothers Size. Those who wish to hear their echoes repeated back to them from Wisconsin’s deep forest will be able to; for others, these plays may help redefine what it means to be a friend in the woods.

The act of including plays which offer a diverse lens, written by revered but often underrepresented playwrights in the world of “classical” theater, is a challenge which APT Artistic Director Brenda DeVita wants to simplify. She relies on a diverse cast of core theater company members, who come to her with wisdom on certain social issues that she may have never considered before. And for this, she’s grateful.

“I think that theater, if it’s doing its job, is going to reflect society,” DeVita says. “It’s like what Hamlet said, ‘to hold a mirror up to nature.’” The trust that DeVita holds for APT’s intentions within diversity comes with ease, knowing the types of theater lovers who enjoy the company’s bucolic setting come for the right reasons.

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