Category: Theater

Posted on

PSA: American Players Theatre Announces Their 2026 Season!

I haven’t been keeping up with everything that I’d like to and I’ve had this announcement in my in-box for a few weeks and every few nights around 3 A.M., I chide myself for procrastinating and promise to publish it the next day. And I forget or get distracted but never fear, APT reminded to me today. SO, as we drift into mid-winter doldrums lets dream again to a summer of exquisite theater…outdoors and in! So let’s get started:

American Players Theatre (APT) has published the 2026 performance calendar for the company’s 47th season. The schedule highlights the theater’s signature rep style with multiple productions running concurrently in the Hill and the Touchstone Theatres. The first performance of the season is set for Saturday, June 6.  

This season’s production line up was announced in October 2025 ( see I told you I was late) and features two titles from Shakespeare’s cannon in addition to a mix of other classic and contemporary works. In August, eight plays will be in rotation prior to the outdoor season closing on Sunday, October 6. The ninth and final production of the season will play in the Touchstone Theatre from October 22 to November 15. Last season, the theater implemented a new, earlier start time for fall performances to accommodate seasonal daylight changes. This year, APT will once again shift performances earlier starting in September.

The 2026 Plays
In the Hill Theatre
As You Like It 
By William Shakespeare 
Directed by Laura Rook 
Rosalind and Celia are best friends and cousins. But when Celia’s father, the Duke, begins to see Rosalind as a threat to his daughter’s future prosperity, the two women prepare disguises (with Rosalind pretending to be a boy named Ganymede) and escape to the Forest of Arden. Meanwhile, Orlando, a young gentleman who had previously fallen for Rosalind, is also forced to flee to that very same forest. There, he meets “Ganymede,” who promises to teach him how to woo Rosalind. All that plus a band of merry forest-dwelling misfits make for a great Shakespearean comedy. 

The Matchmaker 
By Thornton Wilder 
Directed by Brian Cowing 
Prepare to be dazzled by Wilder’s sparkling farce about love and class. At the heart of the story, the resourceful Dolly Levi, a professional meddler with a knack for arranging other people’s lives (and she may just uncover a few surprises for herself while she’s at it). When Dolly is called upon to find a wife for infamous curmudgeon Horace Vandergelder – hilarity ensues. Fueled by chaos and mistaken identity, with twists and turns a plenty, The Matchmaker celebrates the delightful messiness of human connection and the notion that everyone deserves a little adventure. 

Uncle Vanya 
By Anton Chekhov
Adapted by Nate Burger 
Directed by Brenda DeVita
A crisp, entertaining new adaptation of Chekhov’s timeless story about longing, regret and missed opportunities. On a quiet country estate, Vanya and his niece Sonya have worked the land for years to support Sonya’s father Serebryakov, a self-important professor who now resides at the estate with his free-spirited new wife, Yelena. Tensions simmer and desires ignite among the denizens of this little plot of land, as they debate and needle; dream and love beneath the shadow of impending change. Contains adult themes and language. 

The Two “Gentlemen” of Verona 
By William Shakespeare
Adapted & Directed by Aaron Posner 
Renowned playwright Aaron Posner breathes new life into one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies. Proteus and Valentine are childhood friends, but the time has come for them to set out to explore their future prospects. Proteus follows his heart toward Julia, while Valentine follows his to Milan to seek his fortunes. But when Proteus is forced by his father to follow Valentine to Milan, they both fall in love with Silvia. Promises will be broken and relationships tested, but with a little help from the ladies, a couple clowns, a charming dog and a group of outlaws, most may yet be put to rights. A lively coming-of-age story last seen at APT over a decade ago. 

Sueño 
Translated & Adapted by José Rivera
From the play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Directed by Marcela Lorca 
A theatrical exploration of fate vs free will, Prince Segismundo is imprisoned from birth, based on a prophesy that claimed he grow into a tyrant. But as time passes, his father, King Basilio, has regrets. So he decides to release Segismundo to test if he’s really all that bad. And if it turns out he is? They’ll just return him to his prison and tell him his freedom was all a dream. Throw in a damsel in disguise, a salty servant and power-hungry couple with relationship issues, and you get a funny, absurd and strangely beautiful take on a 17th century classic. Contains adult themes and language. 

In the Touchstone Theatre 
Casey and Diana 
By Nick Green
Directed by Michael Herwitz 
In 1991, as the AIDS epidemic devastates the gay community and stokes global stigma, a Toronto hospice prepares for a remarkable visitor: Princess Diana. Her arrival offering a glimmer of hope for understanding and compassion. As patients and caregivers prepare for the big day, they share stories, fears, and moments of joy—reminding each other of their strength and humanity in the face of loss. A tender, unflinching drama about resilience, dignity and the small acts of grace that hold the power to change lives. Contains adult themes and language. 

The Chairs 
By Eugène Ionesco
Directed by Vanessa Stalling
It’s been a few years since APT has had an absurdist on stage (Exit the King, 2018), and Ionesco is among the best of the genre. An elderly couple waits in a remote house for an Orator to lead a grand, scientific lecture. As the guests begin to “arrive,” the couple scrambles to seat them all while holding increasingly surreal conversations. A “tragic farce” – clownish, quirky and existential – just the way we like our Theatre of the absurd. Featuring Colleen Madden and James Ridge, and directed by Vanessa Stalling (Constellations, 2024). Contains adult themes and language. 

Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea 
By Nathan Alan Davis 
Directed by Tyrone Phillips 
Dontrell is a teenager with a bright future and an ancestry haunted by water. As he prepares to leave for college, he’s pulled inevitably toward his family’s mysterious history, and an ancestor lost at sea long ago. Driven by dreams, Dontrell searches for connection to his past as his family attempts to anchor him in the present.  A lyrical, funny and theatrical exploration of love, legacy and self-discovery. Contains adult themes and language. 

Opening in October
Witch 
By Jen Silverman
Directed by Keira Fromm 
The Devil is making the rounds in Edmonton, trading favors for souls. And business is booming. Everybody wants something – love, power or just a little validation – and they’re willing to pay dearly. But Scratch may have met his match in Elizabeth, a woman living on the outskirts of town who people believe to be a witch. As they play a flirty cat and mouse game, events in the village take on a life of their own. Jen Silverman’s (The Moors, 2022) wickedly entertaining retelling of the story of The Witch of Edmonton, hitting the Touchstone just in time for spooky season.  Contains adult themes and language.

About the Theatre 
American Players Theatre (APT) is a professional repertory theater devoted to great and future classics. Founded in 1979, APT continues to be one of the most popular and critically acclaimed outdoor classical theaters in the nation (2025 recipient of Newsweek’s Best Outdoor Theater Performance.) 

APT is located in Spring Green, Wis., on 110 acres of hilly woods and meadows above the Wisconsin River. The outdoor amphitheater sits within a natural hallow atop an oak-wooded hill surrounded by prairie. Under the dome of sky, world class artists perform for a house of up to 1,075. In 2009, APT opened an indoor space, the Touchstone Theatre, offering a different, more intimate play-going experience for 201 audience members. 

So there you have it…start dreaming…then start planning…and see you in Spring Green!

Posted on

A VERY DEADLY CONSTRUCTIVISTS HOLIDAY

From the Contructivists website describing A Very Deadly Constructivists Holiday: “…we’re back for the third year of this new kind of Holiday standard.” Well this certainly is a new kind of holiday play. In no way is it a holiday play that you would expect, even in your wildest fever dreams around the holidays. It is at times loud, silly, totally in your face, and often profane! No holiday sacred cow or reindeer for that matter goes ungored.

Deadly? Yes indeed. This concept was created by Jaimelyn Gray and Gray also directs. There are seven skit/sketches loosely bound to the seven deadly sins. And the cast shift roles and persona as they work their way through each one. And one beloved character actually dies during one memorable skit. The cast includes Autumn N. Green, Becky Cofta, Ekene Ikegwuani, Kellie Wambold, Libby LaDue, Logan Milway, Nate Press, Nicole McCarty, and William Molitor.

But there is plenty of music here and dance as well. Some of it very animated and engaging and some of it is just over the top silly. The plentiful humor is dark indeed and every shade of gray. The performers all bring out the best and worst of the situations. You will recognize many of the songs done here but maybe not the lyrics as the writers took great liberties with the meaning of a number of Christmas carols. St Nick narrates until… And yes there are adult themes…you can only guess…given that the opening skit is Lust and is situated in a bar…so give it your best shot.

At a brief 55 minutes with just a quick blackout between scenes for a set change, you barely have a chance to catch your breath…between chuckles or just as often groans. Unfortunately it only ran for four performances over three days so I was lucky to catch it.

So, if there is a fourth. remember: this is a short skit based play with adult language and adult situations and no subtlety whatsoever. It isn’t the holiday play that you’d expect but it might be the holiday play you deserve when the holiday stresses start to get on your last nerve.

Posted on

The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza AND We Get One Too! A WORLD PREMIERE

Over the past several years I have probably reviewed more than a dozen big stage musicals presented by First Stage, but I have never experienced an audience who were so fully engaged in the action…answering questions asked by the characters of one another…shouting or groaning when there was a controversy…or swaying and waving along with the cast in the big production numbers. It was incredibly heartwarming to feel the intensity and excitement from these young theatergoers. And once again, I was at a loss, since I didn’t have the backstory on the Pigeon, but I obviously am not in on the ‘joke’.

Are you ready for a song?

YES! This is after all a big stage musical and the music flows joyfully and easily tells the story rather than just illustrating it, in remarkable solos, duets, and ensemble pieces that just resonate through the Todd Weir Theater. AND I forgot to mention this is a WORLD PREMIERE. Oh I guess it’s in the title.

This is a holiday extravaganza but isn’t just about holidays. There are I think, three stories here. Pigeon feels lost and a bit outside the community and searches for meaning in life and his place in the world. Elephant and Piggie extol the virtues of BFF (best friends forever), and then things start to get squirrelly, with a whole cast of squirrels representing community engagement and social involvement. All incredibly brought together with the thought of a holiday extravaganza.

Kailey Azure Green in The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza! First Stage, 2025. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

Let’s start with the star of our show, The Pigeon! The Pigeon is played by Kailey Azure Green, not in costume, but as the vehicle for a pigeon puppet. Our pigeon rests on Green’s forearm while one hand activates the bill and the other the wings of the pigeon. Although deftly handling the puppeteering chores, the most fun is watching Green themself as they voice the pigeon and sing the parts and emphatically displays the pigeons emotions in their body language, voice, and the expressions of their face. A lot of fun and joy in their actions.

Now, none of the other actors are dressed in costumes or represent their characters in puppet form despite portraying any number of animals…because their feelings and actions are just so peoplely.

James Carrington and Rachael Zientek in The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza! First Stage, 2025. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

And our best friends? They are James Carrington as Elephant Gerald and Rachel Zientek as Piggie. Carrington and Zientek are obviously fan favorites since they got a spontaneous round of applause on their first appearance on stage. I have seen Carrington in a number of First Stage productions now and he embodies the spirit of what First Stage is all about. And he and Zientek have a very very engaging chemistry on stage…this is the third time they’ve worked together reprising their roles of Gerald and Piggie. And they have their own little drama as they are sure they have picked out precisely the perfect gift for their friend until they are overcome with a dread that their friend might not like it. Songs and drama ensue…and a little humor as well. They are simply delightful to watch!

So that covers the three adult actors in our big holiday extravaganza, and here’s where things start to get squirrelly! All of the other roles are filled by young people!

Adyson Ries (front) and cast in The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza! First Stage, 2025. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

And it seems we have a squirrel for every occasion. Our main team is planning the extravaganza…a lot of excitement and a lot of energy…and great plans get planned and great plans go awry…until In-Between Squirrel sparks an idea and the day is saved. Some highlights include the trio of Catchy Holiday Squirrels who sing a festive holiday song and appear to reprise it a number of times during the play. It becomes an ear worm for the Pigeon but is a delight for those of us in the audience who hear snippets of traditional holiday songs stolen or satirized in the song…until smack in the face…there it is: a pigeon in a pear tree! And watch for Defining Squirrel, a real fan favorite with the young audience, who enters the stage with a placard for ‘bigger’ words and their definition. The trope itself is funny on its face but there is bigger humor later in the play that I won’t spoil by revealing it here.

But everyone comes together in the end and a holiday extravaganza is enjoyed by all and I guarantee that you will enjoy it too. And Santa’s sleigh and an unnamed reindeer make cameo appearances.

Cast in The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza! First Stage, 2025. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

This is a challenging musical to stage because of the number of actors involved and the number of songs involved but director Michelle LoRicco has done an incredible job of bringing it all together. And as always the sets and lighting is first rate First Stage quality which stands on a par with any theater group in town.

I didn’t mention the young actors because First Stage always uses two casts of young actors. I saw the Hotdog cast and they stole my hearts…but from my experience, the Cookie cast will do the same. But keep in mind that there are two casts. So if you are hoping to see a particular young performer check the listings for which day their cast will perform when buying tickets!

But I do have one question that perplexes my aging brain. So if one of our young readers could fill me in. Why did the pigeon walk to the North Pole? I mean, one cool thing about being a pigeon is being able to fly.

The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza runs about 65 minutes plus a short intermission and is being presented at the Todd Wehr Theater in the Marcus Performing Arts Center through December 28, 2025.

Recommended for families with young people ages 4-14 and festive celebrators of all ages

Ticket information and further details can be found here:

And extra credit readings: the Playbill and the Enrichment Guide