The book"The Five People you Meet in Heaven" presents a concept that upon a person's death, he or she will meet five people who were impacted by their existence. Then, the person will ultimately live in their own personal "heaven" defined by what they love. Well, this weekend I went to a place that I could imagine as my personal heaven!
That place is American Player's Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin. It is an outdoor amphitheater-like setting where plays are performed daily. 
At APT, you are able to arrive early and picnic at this awesome little picnic area in the woods. (I did this last year with my friend Corina and our husbands- We had a great time!) Then, you take a picturesque walk through the woods to arrive at the theater you see above.
So, the other night a group of fellow Waunakee English teachers and myself went to see Shakespeare's play Henry IV at APT. We started the evening with a great picnic at Melissa's house with delectable tacos and a superb dessert by Elycia. Then, we took off for the play.
As were were watching Henry IV, I noticed many times how amazing it is to watch a show in that venue as nature plays a strong role in the play as well. You could listen to an absolute cacophony of noises from players not associated with the play. The birds were twittering while Prince Hal was being a crook, then the crickets were chirping as Falstaff was delivering another memorable soliloquy. After the intermission a war scene was beginning, and right on cue Mother Nature issued strong winds that were perfectly timed with the mood of the play. Finally, at the end of the play Falstaff issues a warning/ comment to the newly crowned King Henry that is eerie, and a fine mist of rain began just for that moment. Spooky!
Yet, I also got the chills at one point as I realized that about 400 years ago this play was written and performed, and that people had watched the play in similar venues for that length of time. How cool!
Finally, as we left the theater at 11:30 Pm -- it was a 3 and a half hour long play! -- we chatted outside and expressed that as English teachers we were doing exactly what our students thought we did in the summer: talking about books, going to Shakespeare plays, and discussing the merits of the play. Yes, stereotypes do exist for a reason.
Spring Green is a sort of magical venue. I love going there and do view it as a little piece of heaven on earth. If my own heaven is anything like that one day, I will love to go there! (in about 60 years or so!)
2 comments:
Lucky lady! Sounds like a fun night out with the girls. I'm jealous!
Jen--I'm soooo jealous! While I wish Todd and I could have been there, I'm glad you all had a fab time. Once again, you've piqued an interest (which I have much mnore freedom over the summer to actually pursue). Once I'm finished with my current read (Rule of the Bone--which has been pretty good)I'll pick up Henry IV. I'm also curious about Henry V based on that podcast I mentioned at the end of school. Yep, another contribution to the English teacher sterotype!
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