American Players Theatre

About Us:

APT is a classical theater in the woods of Wisconsin. But APT is hard, impossible even, to describe in simple terms.

The outdoor amphitheater Up the Hill resides beneath the stars in a setting of extraordinary natural beauty near the village of Spring Green, Wisconsin. It is situated in a naturally acoustical bowl ringed by towering trees with a thrust stage encompassed on three sides by 1,148 seats. At the bottom of the hill, the 201-seat indoor Touchstone Theatre is nestled between prairie and woods.

This combination of the natural beauty of the surroundings and the beautiful poetry on stage creates a synergy that creates memories. Prior to each show, hundreds of people arrive to picnic on the grounds, which include 110 acres of woods and meadows.

For 33 years now, people have made the pilgrimage. That's 33 summers spent under innumerable stars, in the company of voices, in the presence of spirits, in the arms of Mother Nature. How many standing ovations? How many lumps in how many throats? How many afterward walks down the hill in silence, spellbound, looking for the words to describe what just happened.

APT is, like all things wondrous, far away. It's a short enough drive, to be sure, but the closer you get, the more you understand that what happens Up the Hill is strictly of that place and that moment. Unlike so many things in life, it is not to be recreated or replicated, sold or simplified, brought to your doorstep or delivered to your desktop. It can only happen here.