Welcome to American Players Theatre. Whether destination, tradition or full-blown ritual, APT has become a summer staple for over 100,000 patrons each year. Those who flock here tell us the #1 draw is the superior quality of the work on stage. But there’s something about APT, something they can’t find elsewhere. The Hill, the trees, the stars, the connection to nature, the magic of the surrounding towns and the celebratory nature of it all combine to make APT the quintessential classical theater adventure. APT is located on 110 wooded acres near the village of Spring Green, Wisconsin. From June through October, we produce nine plays in rotating repertory – five “Up the Hill” at our flagship 1140-seat outdoor theater and four in the intimate 200-seat indoor Touchstone Theatre. The Spring Green area that the theater calls home is also a beautiful surprise. Geologically anomalous (thanks to a glacial near-miss) and culturally diverse, the area is at once tranquil and progressive, charming and vital. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin is just down the road, as are a host of beguiling small towns and natural beauty in countless forms. We hope the following information will acquaint you with this wonderful theater in the woods. Please contact us for additional information, electronic images or to set up artist interviews. Sincerely, Sara Young Jessica Amend Director of Communications Marketing Associate syoung@americanplayers.org jamend@americanplayers.org 608-588-9238 608-588-9240 Contents: Introduction Page 1 2015 Season Press Release Page 2-5 A Brief History of APT Page 6 About Spring Green Page 7-8

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AMERICAN PLAYERS THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2016 SEASON

Shakespeare, Miller, Wilde and Stoppard Take the Hill

SPRING GREEN, WIS: American Players Theatre (APT) is excited to announce its 37th season, which will run June 3 to November 20, 2016. In APT’s flagship outdoor amphitheater, William Shakespeare will bookend the Hill season with The Comedy of Errors and King Lear. Also playing on the Hill: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde and Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. The 200-seat indoor Touchstone Theatre will host: The African Company Presents Richard III by Carlyle Brown, Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl and Endgame by Samuel Beckett. Stephen Massicotte’s Mary’s Wedding will comprise the 2016 shoulder season in the Touchstone in late October and November. For tickets and information, visit us online at americanplayers.org or call the APT Box Office at 608-588-2361. The 2016 Season, June 6 – October 18, 2016 UP THE HILL The Comedy of Errors By William Shakespeare Director David Frank Voice & Text Coach D’Arcy Smith Scenic Design Nayna Ramey Costume Design Fabio Toblini Lighting Design Michael A. Peterson Sound Design Josh Schmidt & Original Music Separated from their family and each other in a shipwreck, two long-lost brothers search for answers with the help of their hilarious servants. This one hits all the big themes: love, loss, family, friendship – all balled up with a serious case of mistaken identity. One of Shakespeare's most enduring comedies about two men, their fools and the people who love them.

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APT’s 2016 SEASON, Continued

Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller Director Kenneth Albers Voice & Text Coach Eva Breneman Scenic Design Michael Ganio Costume Design Devon Painter Lighting Design Michael A. Peterson Sound Design John Tanner & Original Music Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize-winning American classic comes to APT for the first time. A poignant look at the life of everyman Willy Loman, complete with grand hopes and heartbreaking missteps. Willy is on a quest for the American Dream, and wants more than anything for his family to achieve it alongside him. But their visions of that dream – and their perceptions of who Willy really is – don't necessarily match up with his reality. An Ideal Husband By Oscar Wilde Director Laura Gordon Voice & Text Coach Julie Foh Scenic Design Takeshi Kata Costume Design Mathew J. LeFebvre Lighting Design Michael A. Peterson Sound Design Joe Cerqua & Original Music Deception and blackmail are just the beginning of this witty Wildean classic. Over the course of 24 hours, Mrs. Chiltern goes to great (read: ridiculous) lengths to save her husband's political career in the face of an impending scandal. A funny and thoughtful comedy about the obstacles she's willing to hurdle to save a loved one's reputation – both at large and in her own mind. Arcadia By Tom Stoppard Director James Bohnen Voice & Text Coach Sara Becker Scenic Design Andrew Boyce Costume Design Robert Morgan Lighting Design Michael A. Peterson Sound Design Victoria Deiorio & Original Music A riveting, time-shifting love story about a brilliant young woman and her well-meaning tutor, told the way only Stoppard can tell it. Thomasina is mesmerized physics from a very young age, making brilliant deductions that her tutor Septimus can hardly believe. While concurrently, a group of present-day academics attempts to discern their story from the clues they’ve left behind. A genius tragicomedy, muddling the relationships between past and present; romanticism and classicism; order and chaos.

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APT’s 2016 SEASON, Continued

King Lear By William Shakespeare 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 Andrew Hansen & Original Music Fight Director Tyler Rich Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece comes to APT for the first time in 16 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 enough about him 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. The African Company Presents Richard III By Carlyle Brown Director Derrick Sanders Voice & Text Coach Eva Breneman Scenic Design Nathan Stuber Costume Design Christine Pascual Lighting Design Jesse Klug Sound Design Joe Cerqua & Original Music Forty years before the Civil War, the African Grove Theatre Troupe in New York sets about staging a production of Richard III. But when a major (and white) New York company scores a big name star to be featured in their own production of Richard, they are determined to shut down the African Company’s show at any cost. Eurydice By Sarah Ruhl Director Tyne Rafaeli Voice & Text Coach Eva Breneman Scenic Design Nathan Stuber Costume Design Christine Pascual Lighting Design Jesse Klug Sound Design Joe Cerqua & Original Music After an accident claims her life, Eurydice joins her father in the underworld. But her husband Orpheus isn’t quite ready to let her go, and vows to rescue her from Hades. A poignant and funny retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus from the perspective of his wife, Eurydice, who’s forced to choose between her husband and her father, and between life and death.

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APT’s 2016 SEASON, Continued

Endgame By Samuel Beckett Director Aaron Posner Voice & Text Coach Sara Becker Scenic Design Nathan Stuber Costume Design Rachel Laritz Lighting Design Jesse Klug Sound Design Andre Pluess & Original Music Samuel Beckett returns to the Touchstone with another installment in the “Theatre of the Absurd.” In life, as in chess, relationships between the pieces matter. Hamm, who is blind, and his servant Clov rely on each other for many things, including their own survival. But such relationships can be brittle – especially when Beckett is involved – and in life, no matter how you play the game, the end is the same for all of us. Mary’s Wedding By Stephen Massicotte Director Brenda DeVita Scenic Design Takeshi Kata Costume Design Daniel Tyler Mathews Lighting Design Jason Fassl Sound Design Sarah Pickett & Original Music Mary and Charlie embody a love that rings sweetly true from its very beginning. Unfortunately, world events have little consideration for such things and the lovers part as Charlie joins the war effort, leaving Mary alone with her dreams. An exquisitely personal examination of the cost of war. About the Theatre APT is a professional repertory theater devoted to the great and future classics. It was founded in 1979 and continues to be one of the most popular outdoor classical theaters in the nation. The Theatre is located in Spring Green, Wis., on 110 acres of hilly woods and meadows above the Wisconsin River. The APT amphitheater is built within a natural hollow atop an oak-wooded hill. Under the dome of sky, 1140 comfortably cushioned seats encircle three sides of the stage. In 2009, APT opened the indoor Touchstone Theatre, offering a different type of play and experience For more information, visit www.americanplayers.org For photos or interviews, please contact: Jess Amend, 608-588-9240, jamend@americanplayers.org

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http://www.americanplayers.org/mailto:jamend@americanplayers.org

A Brief History of American Players Theatre

In 1978, a small group gathered on the Lockwood farm near Spring Green, Wisconsin. One person walked to the base of a steep hill and began to read; his voice reached those above with uncanny clarity. After looking at 43 sites, this was the one. The founders, Randall Duk Kim, Anne Occhiogrosso and Charles Bright, had found the spot that was to become American Players Theatre. The mission was to perform the classics, especially the works of Shakespeare, outside, under the sun, moon and stars. On July 18, 1980, American Players Theatre staged its first production: William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. If building a theater in a remote community is a challenge, building and sustaining an audience is even more daunting. But word spread quickly about this very special venue and the quality of American Players Theatre’s work. By its second season, the stage was home to a mix of five Shakespearian comedies, histories and tragedies. In 1985, as the young theater broadened its scope to include other writers, it was singled out as one of the companies that should be considered for a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. Since then, the company has performed a steady mix of the greatest works ever written for the stage, especially Shakespeare, plus works by such luminaries as Ibsen, Shaw, Wilde, O’Neill, Williams, Sophocles and Wilder. From 1990 – 2006, the company also toured the state of Wisconsin following its summer season in Spring Green. Through the years, the theater’s facilities have undergone a continuous series of upgrades, with comfortable new accommodations for audience, staff and artists. The amphitheater was fully renovated in 2000, including the installation of more than 1,100 new seats. In 2001, the 22,000 square foot Bravo Center was built for the creation and storage of costumes, scenery and properties. In 2009, APT added the indoor Touchstone Theatre. The Touchstone provides the opportunity to extend the season, allow the APT company to explore new works and to expand play offerings to serve a wider audience. APT just announced a new capital campaign to completely renovate the stage, backstage and lobby in the Hill Theatre by 2017 (more information at americanplayers.org/nextgreatstage). In January of 2014, APT’s Board of Directors appointed Brenda DeVita as Artistic Director. Ms. DeVita has been with the company for more than 20 years, and has played many roles at the theater, including Events Planner, Company Manager and Associate Artistic Director. In January of 2015, Carrie Van Hallgren was named Managing Director, managing the business side of the company, and returning APT to a dual-leadership structure. Producing Artistic Director Emeritus David Frank retired after the 2014 seasonafter 23 years with APT. Today, American Players Theatre draws an annual audience of more than 110,000 people from around the country and has earned a national reputation for presenting theater of the highest quality.

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Wisconsin’s premier art and nature destination

Spring Green, WI’s unique travel destination boasts nationally acclaimed American Players Theatre, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin and nearby Cave of the Mounds

SUMMER THEATER FESTIVAL AND TOURISM SEASON KICKS OFF

JUNE 3, 2016 Spring Green, WI: American Players Theatre (APT), a popular outdoor venue named “the best classical theater company in America” by The Wall Street Journal, is not the only tourist destination that calls scenic Spring Green, WI, home. While this tiny village of just over 1400 people welcomes more than 100,000 visitors annually for shows at APT, the surrounding Wisconsin River Valley area provides a plethora of additional art and nature offerings, including: Frank Lloyd Wright’s heralded former home and workshop, Taliesin; the eclectic House on the Rock; Cave of the Mounds, the upper Midwest’s premier show cave; and multiple Wisconsin state parks such as Governor Dodge State Park, Tower Hill State Park and Avoca Prairie. Spring Green’s official summer theater festival and tourism season kicked off June 3, 2016, with the first performances at American Players Theatre, and runs through mid-October. Spring Green is located in Southwest Wisconsin, just 40 miles from Madison, a 2.5-hour drive from Milwaukee, 3.5-hour drive from Chicago, 4-hour drive from Des Moines, and 5 hours from the Twin Cities. For more information, visit www.springgreen.com. A sampling of the tourist offerings in Spring Green, WI: American Players Theatre Located on 110 acres of hilly woods and meadows above the Wisconsin River, American Players Theatre (5950 Golf Course Rd, Spring Green, WI. Box Office: 608-588-2361) was founded in 1979 and continues to be one of the most popular outdoor classical theaters in the nation. This season, APT presents a diverse lineup of eight contemporary and classical plays that feature William Shakespeare’s King Lear and The Comedy of Errors; Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman; Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband; and Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia in APT’s flagship 1140-seat outdoor amphitheater on the Hill. Playing in APT’s intimate 200-seat Touchstone Theatre are Carlyle Brown’s The African Company

Presents Richard III, Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, Samuel Beckett’s Endgame and Stephen Massicotte’s Mary’s Wedding. Tickets are on sale now, and single tickets for APT’s 2016 Season start at $47, with special 4-Pack ticket packages starting at just $108 for four tickets to select shows on the Hill. Ticket and lodging packages are also available at discounted rates. For more information on ticket prices, schedules, plays and casting, call the APT Box Office at 608-588-2361, or visit www.americanplayers.org. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Taliesin (5607 County Rd. C, Spring Green, WI) was Frank Lloyd Wright’s home, workshop and architectural laboratory for 48 years (1911-1959). Nestled on the brow of a hill near Spring Green, it commands a sweeping view of the valley settled by Wright’s Welsh ancestors in the mid-1800s. Architects, historians and architecture critics alike have praised Taliesin as a masterwork and a triumph of design. Robert Campbell, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic, called it the “greatest single building in America.” In 1976 Taliesin was designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest honor bestowed on historic properties by the federal government. A variety of tours of the Taliesin Estate are available from

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May 1 through October 31. Reservations are recommended; call 877-588-7900 or email tours@taliesinpreservation.org. The House on the Rock One of the area’s most unique architectural marvels is The House on the Rock (5754 Hwy. 23, Spring Green, WI, 608-935-3639). Begun in the 1940s, the House on the Rock features an extraordinary complex of rooms, streets, buildings and gardens covering more than 200 acres. Originally built as a weekend retreat, The House on the Rock is a trip through the wild and fantastic imagination of designer Alex Jordan. Tours of the full property are available from March through November, with limited tours available year-round. More information is available at www.thehouseontherock.com. Outdoor adventures and state parks Located just 30 minutes outside Spring Green, Cave of the Mounds (2975 Cave of the Mounds Rd. Blue Mounds, WI 53517) a major national landmark, is the upper Midwest’s premier show cave featuring one-hour guided tours through a collection of colorful stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and other formations. Other area nature preserves include: Governor Dodge State Park (4175 Hwy 23 North, Dodgeville, WI, 608-935-2315), one of Wisconsin’s largest state parks, with 5,270 scenic acres of steep hills, bluffs, and deep valleys, plus two lakes and a waterfall; Tower Hill State Park (5808 County Hwy. C, Spring Green, WI, 608-588-2116), featuring campsites, hiking trails, a canoe landing and picnic areas; Avoca Prairie, the largest tallgrass prairie east of the Mississippi (located in the Avoca Unit of the Riverway, seven miles west of the Lone Rock Bridge on Hwy. 133); and Ferry Bluff, which provides a spectacular and historical view of the river and surrounding topography (located off of Highway 60, four miles southwest of Sauk City)—on a clear day you can spot the highest point in southern Wisconsin, Blue Mound, thirteen miles to the south. For those who like outdoor activity at a leisurely pace, the Lower Wisconsin River has no rapids or falls and a current ranging from just 3-5 miles per hour, making it ideal for recreational canoeists. A number of Spring Green-area businesses rent canoes, including Wisconsin Riverside Resort (S13220 Shifflet Road, Spring Green, 608-588-2826). The Riverway is home to more than 45 species of mammals and nearly 300 bird species, including 23 different waterfowl. River otters, beaver, mink, muskrat, raccoon and many other mammals thrive here, sharing the lush bottomlands with bald eagles, herons, sandhill cranes, pileated woodpeckers, woodcock and osprey. Eclectic shopping and dining -43/90 North Earth Gifts & Serenity Book Room (608-588-3313, www.northearth.com) -Arcadia Books & Kitchen (608-588-7638, www.readinutopia.com) -Freddy Valentines Public House (608-588-0220, www.freddyvalentines.com) -No Rules Gallery and Bird of Paradise Tea and Chocolate (608-588-7509. www.gallerytea.com) -The Country Sampler (608-588-2510, www.sgcountrysampler.com) -The Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center (608-588-7900, www.taliesinpreservation.com) -The Spring Green General Store (608-588-7070. www.springgreengeneralstore.com) -Driftless Depot Market & Café (608-628-1001, www.driftlessdepot.com) -The Shed (608-588-9049, www.shedspringgreen.com) -Riverview Spring Green Restaurant (877-588-7900, www.taliesinpreservation.com) For additional information about Spring Green attractions, shopping and dining, visit www.springgreen.com.

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