The Country's Best Classical Theater Is Hiding In Wisconsin — Finding It Is Half the Fun

Charles Usher, Midwest Living

Almost 50 years ago, Randall Duk Kim, Charles Bright, and Anne Occhiogrosso founded American Players Theatre in Washington, D.C. They spent the next year attempting to find a home for the outdoor stage they envisioned. On their 43rd try, they stumbled across a hill with uncannily clear acoustics on a farm beside the Wisconsin River.

I’m not sure how they found the spot. I’m certainly struggling. By the time I realize I’ve missed the turn, I’m circling back through the town of Spring Green—quiet streets, a UTV parked outside Ray’s Do It Best hardware store—and recrossing the river. Below, some paddlers and their dog have beached their canoe on a sandbar for a picnic. How can a venue that’s been called the best classical theater in the country be this hard to find? And what is it doing here, in a town of barely 1,500 people?

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