American Players Theatre's season takes advantage of renovations

When Brenda DeVita, artistic director of the American Players Theatre, needs to reaffirm the Spring Green troupe s artistic direction, she looks to a hand-scribbled Post-it Note over her desk: Classic = Always-ness + Now-ness.

I think Brenda made that up, says Carey Cannon, APT s associate artistic director. It s really how we define what classic theater is and that the best theater has the same relevance today as it did when it was written.

Shakespeare had it in spades, Cannon adds. We re doing Measure for Measure this year and we can t help but identify aspects of the #MeToo movement with it.

DeVita s description of a classic is a good vision statement for the troupe and with an $8 million upgrade to the stage and facilities, the company is ready to take on just about any production.

The upgrade included a rebuilt stage, reconfigured seating, improvements in lighting and acoustic design and redesign of the theater lobby. It also featured a new rehearsal hall, scenery storage facility and expanded and remodeled dressing rooms.

The new stage has allowed us to build and move set pieces with greater ease, giving us the chance to do things we couldn t before do, Cannon says.

In that way, it also has improved our dramaturgy, because we can do more and different shows, she adds. The next time we do Hamlet, we ll have the opportunity to bury Ophelia in a variety of places, and not just the same place we always did.

Upcoming season

Cannon declined to name what she thought would be this year s runaway favorite It s like trying to name your favorite kid.

That said, she did share some observations about several of the first five shows, which already are in rehearsal.

I m a sucker for As You Like It because it s so heartfelt and funny, Cannon admits. But I am increasingly impressed with Eugene Ionesco s Exit the King and how on-a-dime that play can shift from hilarity to moving truths about how we live and die.

Everybody is leaning forward on this play in a really muscular way and we are all learning it together, Cannon explains. It s an absurdist masterpiece and we will really have the chance to see this play shine.

Here s a thumbnail look at what could be one of APT s most diverse and satisfying seasons.

At the Hill Theatre, APT s open-air natural amphitheater:

• As You Like It by William Shakespeare. Two of the Bard s favorite theatrical devices cross-dressing and running away to the woods play major roles in this comedic romance between Rosalind and Orlando, the later of whom takes wooing lessons from Ganymede (Rosalind herself in boy-drag) while the usual gaggle of colorful woods-dwelling misfits fills out the cast. Runs June 9 Oct. 7.
• Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin. Ex-showgirl Billie Dawn may not be quite ready for Washington, D.C., social life or so thinks boyfriend and shady businessman Harry Brock. He hires a journalist to educate Billie, but in short order she becomes everyone s teacher in this period political comedy. Runs June 15 Sept. 22.
• The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar. Officers Worthy and Plume travel from port to port recruiting men to the sea and women to their beds. When they put the moves on Melinda and Sylvia, one declines and the other disguises herself as a man. Let the comedic chaos ensue. Runs June 22 Sept. 29.
• Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw. Members of the Shotover family part of the charming, albeit self-absorbed gentry are more damaged than they care to admit. A party at Captain Shotover s home results in some rich insights into the lives and loves of various family members in this ripe and ribald romp. Runs Aug. 3 Oct. 5.
• Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall as the Bard returns with a morality play of his own making. Neither fully comedy nor tragedy, this Shakespearian puzzler takes on mortality and mercy, justice and forgiveness in a sinful Vienna that has seen better days. Runs Aug. 10 Oct. 6.

At the Touchstone Theatre, APT s intimate, indoor black-box space:

• Blood Knot by Athol Fugard. Brothers Morris and Zachariah share cramped quarters in apartheid South Africa. Morris is light-skinned enough to pass for white, while the darker Zachariah guards a whites-only park. Enter Zachariah s pen pal, a white woman, and the brothers complex relationship changes in this searing drama. Runs June 9 Sept. 28.
• Exit the King by Eugene Ionesco. Absurdism becomes the gateway to existential introspection in this comedy about a fading ruler, flanked by an eccentric court, governing a world in decline. Everyone dies, but not before conducting thorough examinations of why they had lived. Runs June 26 Sept. 27.
• Our Country s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker. Life in an Australian penal colony can be difficult if not deadly, with shortages of food, friendship and faith. Lt. Ralph Clark attempts to raise morale by staging an inmate production of George Farquhar s The Recruiting Officer, but winds up with more than he bargained for. Strong language and adult themes characterize this production. Runs Aug. 11 Oct. 7.
• Engaging Shaw by John Morogiello. This late-season production examines George Bernard Shaw as both a captivating writer and an unrepentant philanderer. However, Charlotte Payne-Townsend proves more than his match, trading barbs and forming a close friendship that may or may not come with benefits. Runs Oct. 25 31.