Actors' Theatre of Columbus

Actors' Theatre of Columbus is a performing arts theater troupe located in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1982 by Gary and Patricia Ellson, and was initially called Actors' Summer Theatre. Actors' Theatre presents plays by William Shakespeare and other time-honored playwrights, with relevance, to a contemporary audience. Actors' performs outdoors from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend at Schiller Park in German Village.HistoryIn 1982 Actors' Theatre kicked off its first season with a single production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1590 and 1596). The success of that season proved that Schiller Park was an excellent venue for open air Shakespearean theater, and the troupe returned the following summer with two productions; Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" (1601–02), and the troupe's first Broadway musical, "Oklahoma!".In 2011, the troupe celebrated its 30th annual season. Over the last 30 years, the troupe has increased its schedule from one production to two in their second season, and three productions each summer from their third season on. They briefly increased to four productions during the 2005-2007 seasons, but have returned to three productions since the 2008 season. As part of their "Cool Classics" series, they have also occasionally performed at indoor venues. Two recent Cool Classics are Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" (1944) in 2010 and James Thurber's "The Male Animal" (1942) in 2011, both at the Columbus Performing Arts Center. By far the most frequently produced play is Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", which has had five productions to date.