American Players Theatre — Attraction in Town of Wyoming

When it comes to American Players Theatre it was love at first play! I visited APT’s outdoor Hill Theatre for the first time this September and how I wish I had discovered it sooner. What a delightful venue. It’s about a two hour drive for me but the location is beautiful and feels secluded in a great way. Much easier than driving to a theater in, say, the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

They’ve created such a cozy environment. There’s ample picnic table seating, some covered, if you decide to bring a lunch or dinner (grills are provided). I saw some pretty impressive spreads the day I went! A concession stand in the picnic area - with another outside the theater itself - can provide you with various snacks and drinks too. I don’t do alcohol myself and went with a hot chocolate, but the selection seemed impressive to me. After you’re full you can take a peaceful walk or shuttle ride up to the theater itself. Free water is kindly offered at a station just outside the theater, which is even more intimate than it appeared in online photos. There are no bad seats. The play I saw, Sense and Sensibility, was phenomenal. A lovely set design for the space, clever scene transitions, beautiful costumes, and GREAT acting. They played up Jane Austen’s humor and the audience was loving it. It was, all in all, a really high-quality production.

My recommendations for first-timers are to come early for a meal and to stroll through the grounds and gift shops without having to rush. I purchased some cute Austen items to remember my first visit. Bring rain gear (obviously umbrellas aren’t allowed) - they do sell cheap raincoats in the shops. The forecast said no rain on the day I visited but there was a fine, cold mist for about ten minutes right before the show began. I laughed when about 60% of the audience immediately pulled out their raincoats. They knew to come prepared no matter what the weatherman said, more fool me! Free bug spray is provided so no worries if you don’t have any at home. Don’t forget to bring a hat/visor and some sunglasses if you’ve got an earlier show or else you might spend some time squinting. Also, as my performance was on a cold day I saw quite a few people with blankets. Otherwise simply dress appropriately for the forecast and have an amazing time!

If you’re looking for a quick bite afterward we enjoyed the food at...

Usually fantastic productions. Fun theater and a pretty drive coming from east. Great choices of snacks and beverages, however they do run out so dont count on something special. We haven't picniced yet, but that's not our thing eating outside on backless benches so I can't comment on that aspect, but many people do it and i think they bring their own stuff. Comfortable padded seats with plenty of leg room. Every seat is good for viewing and we've sat everywhere from first row, middle, back to far left/right side, about 10 different sections so far and not one was horrible. I'm hard of hearing and yet I can hear fairly well. Weather does change and we always bring a jacket or blanket especially in spring/fall. We prefer going in fall as the trees are heavenly to look at but anytime is good. This past June 2024 it was fun seeing the birds swoop into their nests to feed their excited babies. Nests were in some open ended parts of the rafters and they did make a lot of noise which was a bit distracting yet funny. Not enough of an intermission for using the clean ladies restroom when the theater is 100% packed. Last time I was there, the horns blew to return to your seats but women's line was still incredibly long. It picked up and I suspect it was they had a female emploee in there directing women to which stalls were open-that was very helpful! Be prepared that it is HORRIBLE trying to drive out of theater, takes forever - big BIG problem imo. They need to have someone directing traffic at a couple of the stop signs (like restroom situation) to keep traffic moving and not stopping. Very frustrating and we always try to hustle out of there fast since we have 1.5 hour drive home but that seldom happens. Only once was our play night canceled due to weather. They sent an email really late in the day and we had already left to stop for dinner beforehand. They said we could come see another production but nothing was available although we tryief for the next month or so and getting refund wasn't an option (if I recall correctly). That was very disappointing as we had bought expensive seats that one time. I do wish they had more daytime productions but I understand why they don't. I could tell you some of our must do hints but don't want to give all our secrets away. Just go...

June 23rd, 2012 APT has gone the way of the Chicago sell out. Forget about Shakespeare in the Woods; for as one of their core cast members stated last night after the show “It’s American Players Theater, not American Players Shakespeare Theater!" - Colleen Madden. I was at APT back in 1979 and fell in love with it. Since then though I've travelled, I always tried to make it back and support what I considered one of Wisconsin’s treasures (Shakespeare unblemished in the woods). Over the past several years I've seen less and less of true Shakespeare on the billing, and like last night when a play is presented, huge liberties are taken by the director and cast. I understand that each director and troupe would like to put their own small spin on the play, but Director James DeVita CUT OUT an hour and a half of the play! (Again from Colleen Madden who was beaming about this) What was presented last night was not Richard III, but a Reader's Digest version. Why take the time to do anything correctly? Don't let the audience decide if they want to view an entire play, chop it down to what is considered optimal viewing time like at the movies. So much for theater being the last refuge from rampant commercialism; let’s turn it into the movies. And don't look for the better known plays. They only rotate them through about once a decade or slightly sooner due to their marketing department deciding that is the optimal timing for selling tickets. I'm not sure how they figured this out, but if they had talked to theater lovers like me, then they would have heard that we would be willing to see these great classics every two to three years instead of the eight to ten year rotation that they have set.

APT is now DEAD TO ME. I feel that I have lost an old and dear friend that has been so for 33 years....