American Players Theatre has always been an anomaly: a repertory theater in a time of traveling shows, a home for the classics in a time of one-and-done plays, a beacon of artistic excellence sited not in New York or London, but in the middle of the rural, rolling hills of Wisconsin. Founded by Charles Bright, Anne Occhiogrosso, and renowned Shakespearean actor Randall Duk Kim, APT was the dream of a midsummer night that survived.

In 2029, American Players Theatre will celebrate its fiftieth season. Much has changed in those five decades. Visitors - and artists - no longer have to brave the porta-potties. The stage and rehearsal facilities are modern and up-to-date. There's no longer any doubt as to whether the funds will be there to make payroll.

Yet much has remained the same. Shakespeare still forms the backbone of the company, with other classic playwrights as Chekhov or Moliere forming the ribcage. The commitment to excellence that spurred the founders still shines in the hills outside Spring Green, both in the Up the Hill outdoor theater and in the newer indoor Touchstone. (And, yes, the mosquitoes still can occasionally harass the unwary Up-the-Hill patron.)

I am writing a history of American Players Theatre. My initial focus is on the first decade: the years of Annie and Randy and Chuck, doing Shakespeare unaltered from the First Folio text prepared by Shakespeare’s friends. The founders’ dream was far more than a business venture, or even an artistic endeavor. It was a vision of a world that could be transformed into a better place through lessons taught by the great playwrights. For some, it was Camelot. For others, a sort of artistic monastery. Still others saw a money pit, unsustainable in a financial recession.

I would love to speak with anyone with close knowledge of the APT of the 1980s, especially those who worked for or with APT, actors, artists, board members, volunteers, regular patrons from those times. If you were there in those days, send me your stories!