Director's Notes
Program notes contributed by David Daniel, Director of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Full Circle
Twenty-six years ago, I said my first word on the APT stage: "Relent." And neither I nor APT has relented since then. I was Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream, with Jim Ridge as Puck, Tracy Michelle Arnold as Titania and the grand leading man himself, Jonathan Smoots, as Oberon.
Jonathan spoke the first word ever uttered at APT: "Now." Today, we get to say them again, in the year of his passing. This very bittersweet symmetry reminds me that theater, like life, moves in cycles of remembrance and renewal.
APT, like Midsummer, like any great story, allows us to step out of our routines—our jobs, our habits, our normal lives—and taste some midsummer magic and madness under the stars. Shakespeare's characters come to the woods and are transformed by what they find there. We too are transformed when we come out to our little theater in the woods—and when we return to our jobs, our habits, our lives, a little bit of that magic stays with us. I know that the magic (and madness) that was Jonathan Smoots will stay with me forever—his wisdom, his generosity, his passion for this sacred space of storytelling.
As you watch our production tonight, nestled in this beautiful rural Wisconsin landscape, I hope you feel what I felt when I first performed here—wonder, possibility, and connection to something timeless. These woods have witnessed countless transformations by artists and audiences alike. I hope that a little bit of our magic, our madness, stays with you after you leave tonight. I hope you get to see the world anew, to love more deeply and to carry a spark of enchantment back into your everyday life.
Now. Welcome to the woods. Welcome to the dream.
Portable Prologues Podcast
Host Orange Schroeder talks to the directors and actors to bring you background information that will make you appreciate each APT performance even more! Listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify! Produced by Buzz Kemper, Audio for the Arts.
Director David Daniel and actors Joshua Castille, Casey Hoekstra, and Samantha Newcomb discuss the 2025 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Enhance your experience and appreciation by listening to this lively interview before or after your theater visit.
A Midsummer Night's Dream Playlist
Music is a central part of our production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Listen to a collection of songs that inspired the production's Sound Designer and Composer Sartje Pickett when working on the show.
Reviews
Manic 'Midsummer Night's Dream' makes merry at APT, The Cap Times
American Players Theatre comes full circle with 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' Isthmus
The Machinery of Mischief: A Review of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at American Players Theatre, NewCity Stage
American Players Theatre: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Allie and the After Party
APT Theater Review: "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Alarice McPark, Simpson Street Free Press
Season Select: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Fast Facts
Playing: Hill Theatre | June 7 - October 5
Featuring: Nate Burger, Joshua M Castille, Maggie Cramer, Jim DeVita, Tim Gittings, Casey Hoekstra, Josh Krause, Elizabeth Ledo, Sam Luis Massaro, Samantha Newcomb, James Ridge, Marcus Truschinski
Genre: Shakespeare Comedy
Last Seen at APT: 2017
Go If You Liked: Much Ado About Nothing (2024), Romeo & Juliet (2023), The Liar (2023)
Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream at American Players Theatre
A Midsummer Night's Dream Name Signs
Meet the characters of A Midsummer Night's Dream!
A Midsummer Night's Dream in 60 Seconds
Our very own Bottom (Sam Luis Massaro) gives a very theatrical summary of the play.
Get to Know A Midsummer Night's Dream
Sam Luis Massaro discusses the themes of APT's A Midsummer Night's Dream and why it's the perfect first Shakespeare for students.