One week until the season

The pre-season at APT is a pretty amazing time. In May, the theater goes from about 20 year-round staff members to 200, practically overnight. That's when the fun starts. First comes the stage management staff. They make sure everything runs smoothly, creating rehearsal, voice and costume fitting schedules (and incalculable other sessions), managing rehearsals and generally making sure the shows are in tip-top shape - all with unfailing patience and grace. Next come the costume, prop and scene shops crews. These are artisans at the top of their game. They come from all over the country to work their magic for APT, working long, arduous hours in the shops. We can't wait for you to see what they've been cooking up - what they can do is beyond incredible. And then the actors. We're blessed and grateful to have this group of artists with us. They also come from near and far. Some have been with APT for decades, others just weeks (so far, anyway). Acting in a large outdoor amphitheater like APT's comes with a unique set of challenges. Besides needing to master classical language, our actors have to battle wind, whippoorwills and cicadas, and still manage to fill our space with their voice and work. It's no small task, and it takes skills above and beyond the usual. Rehearsals for five shows - The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Molly Sweeney, Too Many Husbands, Hamlet and Dickens in America - are already rotating across the stages and through the rehearsal halls in preparation for the season to come. Less than a week until the first performance! This is just a fraction of the work that's happening here right now. Voice and text sessions to make sure the language is clear and authentic. Production assistants who set up and tear down sets, often in under an hour. Ticket sales and fundraising to keep the theater fiscally healthy. House, concessions and gift shop staff to make sure patrons have everything they could possibly want outside the performance. Everyone working to the best of their ability to make this season a reality. All we need now is you. We can't wait for you to see what APT has in store this year. We'll see you very soon.