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American Players Theatre
5950 Golf Course Road
P.O. Box 819
Spring Green, WI 53588
(Map)

Box Office: 608-588-2361
Administration: 608-588-7401
Fax: 608-588-7085

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King Lear, 2016

King Lear, 2016

By William Shakespeare

Directed by
William Brown
Hill Theatre
  • Summary
  • Cast & Staff
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A Kingdom Without a King

In the parent/child relationship, button pushing is an inborn trait. A king and his daughters are no more immune to this flaw in human nature than, say, a salesman and his sons (See Death of a Salesman). But when a tantrum reaches royal proportions, no one escapes the fallout. And the irony? It's love that opened the gate to this tragedy - perhaps the greatest tragedy of all time. We watch, mesmerized, as the tie that binds this family draws taut and begins snapping, thread by thread, while the world dangles beneath. It's been some time since this particular king has howled at our moon. See it this summer with open eyes and open hearts.

Play Summary

Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece comes to APT for the first time in 17 years. A King is undone by his own vanity when he asks his daughters to sing his praises, and harshly punishes the only one of them who cares to tell the truth. Lear's act of folly sets his kingdom on a path toward betrayal, war and unspeakable loss from which few will emerge unscathed. 

Featuring: Kelsey Brennan, Tim Gittings, Cedric Mays, Greta Oglesby, Cristina Panfilio, Eric Parks, Melisa Pereyra, James Ridge, Laura Rook, Christopher Sheard, Jonathan Smoots & Marcus Truschinski

Runs August through September

Cast

Lear, King of Britain
Jonathan Smoots *
Duke of Kent
Greta Oglesby *
Duke of Gloucester
James Ridge *
Goneril, daughter to Lear
Laura Rook *
Regan, daughter to Lear
Kelsey Brennan *
Cordelia, daughter to Lear
Melisa Pereyra *
Duke of Albany, Goneril's husband
Cedric Mays *
Duke of Cornwall, Regan's husband
Bobby Bowman
Duke of Burgundy, suitor to Cordelia
William Bolz
King of France, suitor to Cordelia
Ninos Baba
Edmund, Gloucester's bastard son
Marcus Truschinski *
Edgar, Gloucester's legitimate son
Eric Parks *
Fool, in service to Lear
Cristina Panfilio *
Chief of Staff, in service to Lear
Tim Gittings
Doctor to Lear
William Bolz
Other in service to Lear
Sylvester Little, Jr.
Other in service to Lear
Eric Schabla
Other in service to Lear
Cage Sebastian Pierre
Curan, in service to Gloucester
Danny Martinez *
Also in service to Gloucester
Jade Payton
Oswald, in service to Goneril
Christopher Sheard *
Bodyguard to Cornwall
Ninos Baba
Bodyguard to Cornwall
Cage Sebastian Pierre
Captain to Edmund
Sylvester Little, Jr.
Herald
Eric Schabla

Staff

Director
William Brown **
Voice & Text Coach
D'Arcy Smith
Scenic Design
Kevin Depinet †
Costume Design
Rachel Anne Healy †
Lighting Design
Michael A. Peterson
Sound Design & Original Music
Andrew Hansen
Fight Director
Tyler Rich
Stage Manager
Sarah Deming-Henes *
Stage Manager
Rebecca Lindsey *
* Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
** Member of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, an Independent Labor Union
† Member of United Scenic Artists

Review: 'King Lear' By Anne Siegel, Total Theater, August 30, 2016.

BWW Review: APT's Gritty KING LEAR Grapples with 21st Century Reality By Peggy Sue Dunigan, Broadway World, August 17, 2016.

Take a trip to Wisconsin for 'King Lear' The Download, WGN Radio, August 16, 2016.

Theater Review: At APT, the 'dark and vicious' world of 'King Lear' drives men mad By Lindsay Christians, The Capital Times, August 15, 2016.

Theater Review: American Players Theatre delivers a visceral 'King Lear' By Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 15, 2016.

Takeaways: American Players Theatre's 'King Lear' By Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 15, 2016.

Jonathon Smoots, Brian Mani link APT's past to its vibrant present By Mike Fischer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 20, 2016.

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