About this item
Much Ado, written by award-winning journalist Michael Lenehan, gives readers an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the lauded American Players Theatre's 2014 production of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.Wall Street Journal drama critic Terry Teachout has called the APT - based in the unassuming town of Spring Green, Wisconsin - "the best classical theater company in America." It's also one of the most successful, with an annual budget of $6 million and ticket sales of more than 100,000 each season.Performing almost entirely outdoors, rain or shine, on the "Up the Hill" stage, the company has established a reputation for authentic, accessible, entertaining shows - and Much Ado was no exception, selling nearly 23,000 tickets during its five-month run.
About the Author
Michael Lenehan is a Chicago-based writer and editor who for many years was the chief editorial executive at the Chicago Reader. He has written for the Atlantic Monthly, where he was a contributing editor in the 1980s and 90s, and for Chicago Magazine and the New York Times, among others. His Atlantic article "Four Ways to Walk a Dog" was a finalist for the National Magazine Award. His Reader article "The Essence of Beeing," which won the Westinghouse Science Writing Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was made into a fine hand-printed book by Sherwin Beach Press. He grew up in Fair Lawn, NJ, and graduated from Notre Dame. He lives in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago with his wife Mary Williams. (photo/Rose Lenehan)
