William Brown, is a name well known on the North Shore, especially for plays he has directed at Glencoe’s  Writers’ Theatre, including “Old Glory,” “As You Like It,” and “The Glass Menagerie,” as well as plays at Skokie’s  Northlight Theatre such as “Lady Windermere’s Fan” “The Chalk Garden” and “She Stoops to Conquer.”  

But there is a special place in Wisconsin just a tad over three hours away from Glencoe where Brown fans can catch Brown’s most recent work. That place is American Players Theatre (APT) in Spring Green, Wis. APT (is located approximately 3.5 hours northwest of Chicago at 5950 Golf Course Road, Spring Green, on 110 acres of hilly woods and meadows 40 miles west of Madison. (Frank Lloyd Wright chose Spring Green as his Midwestern base. Taliesin, located one mile outside city limits, was his home and studio).  

Brown has directed 10 productions in past APT seasons including last season’s hits “Comedy of Errors” and “Hay Fever,” This year he directs Lillian Hellman’s bristling “Another Part of the Forest,” in APT’s beloved “Up the Hill” outdoor amphitheatre, a play APT cites Brown as describing as a funny, horrifying and moving family drama. The amphitheatre is built within a natural hollow atop an oak-wooded hill. 1148 cushioned seats encircle three sides of the stage. Now through Oct. 3 five plays will be performed in rotating repertory in the outdoor ampitheatre and an additional three productions rotate through Oct. 17 in APT’s new 200-seat, indoor Touchstone Theatre.

North Shore folks have the opportunity to experience APT themselves at a discount with the upcoming Chicago Open House Weekends, Aug. 20-22 and Sept. 10-12. These weekends feature exclusive ticket discounts, a Passport card good for discounts to area establishments and more. For more information call 608-588-2361 or visit americanplayers.org.