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American Players Theatre
5950 Golf Course Road
P.O. Box 819
Spring Green, WI 53588
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Box Office: 608-588-2361
Administration: 608-588-7401
Fax: 608-588-7085
King Lear, 2016
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
Duke of Kent
Duke of Gloucester
Goneril, daughter to Lear
Regan, daughter to Lear
Cordelia, daughter to Lear
Duke of Albany, Goneril's husband
Duke of Cornwall, Regan's husband
Duke of Burgundy, suitor to Cordelia
King of France, suitor to Cordelia
Edmund, Gloucester's bastard son
Edgar, Gloucester's legitimate son
Fool, in service to Lear
Chief of Staff, in service to Lear
Doctor to Lear
Other in service to Lear
Other in service to Lear
Other in service to Lear
Curan, in service to Gloucester
Also in service to Gloucester
Oswald, in service to Goneril
Bodyguard to Cornwall
Bodyguard to Cornwall
Captain to Edmund
Herald
Staff
Director
Voice & Text Coach
Scenic Design
Costume Design
Lighting Design
Sound Design & Original Music
Fight Director
Stage Manager
Stage Manager
*
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.
