- This week on Wisconsin Life... Meet an acting apprentice honing her craft. A man who built an addition on his land that you have to see to believe. A devoted teacher creating a longtime legacy. And a family with deep roots in Sugar Camp. It's all ahead on Wisconsin Life. 

- Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television. 

- Hello, and welcome to Wisconsin Life! I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald. I'm thinking we're going to encounter a lot of drama this episode, which is just what you'd hope for when exploring the American Players Theatre. Located just outside of Spring Green, this space is home to the second largest outdoor theatre in the nation. With two theatre spaces rotating nine plays throughout a season, there's a lot that goes into each production. We'll get a chance to see some of the behind the scenes work that goes on here later in our show. Meanwhile, sadly, I don't think I made the casting cut for tonight's upcoming play. But while I change, we'll introduce you to someone who has walked this stage. 
[whimsical symphony music]

- In the hills of Spring Green, fans file into the outdoor performance space at American Players Theatre. It's an ideal night to see Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband." 

- Nowadays, people marry as often as they can, don't they? 
[audience laughs]

 It is most fashionable. Dear Duchess, and how is the Duke? 

- For actors, it's fun being the star of the show. 

- Being able to find yourself in someone so different from you is just a feeling that's unmatched. And I think that's what acting is about. 

- Not every actor can play a starring role. 

- It is the lark that sings so out of tune. 

- Jade Payton is an acting apprentice. At APT, that's a full-time job. 

- Yon light is not daylight. I know it, I. 

- A normal day as an apprentice is classes from 9:15 to 11:15. We get a small break. 

- Who dare? Speak man. 

- Your lady, sir. 

- And then a rehearsal block from noon to five, a dinner break, then you have a show. 

- Hundreds of actors apply to APT's apprentice program each summer. Only five or six are selected. 

- I actually was working last summer at Utah Shakespeare Festival. Brenda DeVita, the artistic director, came and auditioned a bunch of the members of the company. 

- She came in and she acted for me and I was blown away. 

- If thou are fickle fortune, what has thou with him that is renowned for faith? 

- Jade was one of the chosen few. She spent years earning a Master's Degree, honing her craft for this moment: to be part of a professional theatre troupe. The reward? Essentially, being an extra. Apprentices start in small roles, with little or no speaking parts. 
[whimsical symphony music]

- It's really hard. Especially an actor that's spent four or three or two years in a graduate program or undergraduate program, where all they've been doing is dying to get out and act and then you say, "Wait, stand here and hold this stick." 

- It takes a real emotional toll to be actively involved in these stories and not be able to speak your mind. 

- It provides aspiring actors like Jade the opportunity to watch and learn. 

- I think the focus that this acting company has and this artistic group has is unmatched. It's like the Olympics of theatre. 

- They come and watch these older actors and they really, really understand that what they're doing is special. We ask them to figure out if that's what they want to do. 

- Jade learned that reading her lines was less important than reading between them. 

- Listening, I think, is ten times more important than speaking, on stage. Really actively listening to the story that's being told. And finding your way in it without trying to force your way into it. Trying to find a way to stay engaged because at any moment, if someone looks at you, you should look like you're part of this play, even though you're not talking. 

- Oh, I love modern society. 

- So when that big break finally comes... 

- It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. 
[audience laughs]

 Just what society should be. 

- ...the apprentice is ready to step into the spotlight. 

- She stepped into that first reading of "An Ideal Husband" where she's playing a really large part for an apprentice. We don't usually have parts that great for apprentices. She was just perfect for it. Her energy and her spark was really right for the role. 

- Well, Tommy has proposed to me again. Tommy really does nothing but propose to me. 

- Jade's talent and hard work was rewarded with a large speaking role. And for any actor, that's something to talk about. 

- Actresses like Jade that are as talented as she is and as curious as she is, you really want to keep them interested in live theatre because we need them. 

- I don't know what I would be if I wasn't in the theatre. I really don't. And I hope I don't have to answer the question, honestly. I hope I really get to do this forever in any sort of capacity. 

- Thank you so much, Lady Markby, for England and myself. § § 

- The American Players Theatre has roughly 200 employees creating one of a kind performances based on classic plays. All of scenery, costumes, and even the wigs are made in house. 
[sawing]

- If it's hair-related, it goes through us. 
[grinding]

- You know how to make pianos. 

- I can fake it. 
[laughter]

[grinding]

- This is beautiful. I can see somebody wearing this. What a fun place to work! Just as fun as our next story. We caught up with a man in Springbrook who's known far and wide for his sky-high invention. 
[truck engine revving]

- Every family has that one person. 

- This is how you get deep in the brush in northern Wisconsin. 
[truck engine revving]

[banjo music]

- The one most likely to end conversation with "Watch this!" 
[engine stalling]

- Oh! 
[gears grinding backwards]

- For the Kauffman family, it's pretty easy to figure out who fits that description. 
[truck engine revving]

 Jesse Kauffman is a man with a plan. 

- Third time's the charm! 
[truck engine revving]

- Deer hunting season is a big deal on the Kauffman family farm near Springbrook. With acres of open space, Jesse and his father wanted a way to see over the brush while hunting. A simple tree stand wouldn't suffice. 
[footsteps on metal]

 Jesse built his own deer stand 
[footsteps]

 which also happens to be Wisconsin's tallest bus stop. 
[fiddle music]

- School bus deer stand, I guess. 
[fiddle music]

- It all started when Jesse's father found a 28,000 gallon fuel tank. He planted a pop-up camper on top, seen here with Jesse's grandfather. Jesse, who owns an excavation company, decided to one-up dad with his own plan. 

- I was thinking there a school bus would be just perfect. You have all them windows to shoot out of. 

- Dad put up the stop sign. 

- He said, "You ain't never gonna get a bus up on top of there." I said, "Well, I'm going to some way or another." 

- In other words, watch this. 
[banjo music]

- We shoved on the bus with the loader there trying to get it up there. We destroyed one there. And the fight was on between me and my dad. The arguing and screaming and throwing stuff you know, typical father-son love working together. 

- It was the last stop for bus number one. But as the old saying goes, "If at first you don't succeed, find another bus." 

- The neighbor had a school bus over here. I got it for, I think, $400 and that's what it was worth in scrap iron at the time. I shoved dirt and shoved dirt until we had a dirt ramp all the way to the top of it. Then we pushed the bus up there. Then I took the dirt away. Weld her down and she's up there now. 
[banjo music]

- Jesse recycled an old hay elevator into stairs. Wisconsin's first, and only, school bus deer stand was complete. 

- We got a card table and some chairs and a heater. We bring some food over. You don't need much other than that. 

- Except maybe a TV and satellite dish. The Kauffman family was now hunting in style. 

- This is the emergency exit. And if you got somebody you don't like hunting with you, you can give them a tour out here. 
[door squeals open loudly]

 There. Yeah. 

- Jesse admits he's that one person in his family. The one full of far-fetched ideas. 

- I guess I'm unique about everything so... just a little different. Hey! Quit your laughing over there! That's good your dad's different. It's original! 

- Jesse's pretty proud of his $400 investment. 

- Of course! Why wouldn't you be? 

- Because why hunt from a tree stand... 

- It's just part of the-

- It's a landmark! 
[metal door slams]

- ...when you can take the bus instead? 

- Yeah, it's a one of a kind, that's for sure. 

- To give us the inside scoop on what it takes to run a theatre company, I'm joined by Artistic Director Brenda Devita. How are you doing today, Brenda? 

- Good, thank you, Angela. Thanks for coming. 

- Thank you for having us. So what makes this place so magical? 

- I think what's magical about APT is the unexpectedness of it. Kind of the improbability of it. And you walk up through these woods and then you're at the top of a hill and you see an incredible play. And then you look up to the sky and you're like, "Wow. Stars. The same stars they did these plays under thousands of years ago." So, I mean, that's pretty magical. 

- Can you walk us through maybe a typical day at APT and maybe there is no typical day? 

- Oh, gosh. I mean, it's like weather. I mean actually is like weather. I think a typical day at APT is a lot of people who are really, really interested in what they do and love what they do. I think actors head up the hill for rehearsals in the heat no matter what the weather is. And they're out there on that stage for, you know, you work from five to eight hours rehearsing. At the same time we have all our shops going. We have 40 people in the costume shop. And 12 people in the scene shop. We do, we build these plays over the course of four to six weeks. And then we head out in front of the audience and hope it's what they want to see. 

- This might be a difficult question, but what is your absolute favorite part about working here? 

- So if I'm forced to pick one, I think it's closing my eyes while the people applaud. That thousand people outside. Closing my eyes and then opening them when the lights go out and seeing-- I get choked up-- and seeing the stars. I just-- there's nothing like that community. There's nothing like that feeling for me. 

- Thank you so much for that Brenda. 

- Yeah. Thank you. 

- Up next, the Wisconsin Life team is off to Milwaukee to meet a teacher whose tenure just keeps ticking. § § 

- Good morning. I want to ask God to bless you. Help you to know how remarkable you are. 

- If you choose a job you love, some people believe you'll never work a day in your life. 

- I live in a retirement community. 

- I'm probably the only one out of 300+ people who has a job. 

- If you could choose, what traits would you want your children to have? 

- Ed Drexler teaches genetics at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee. More than 75 years ago, during his 8th grade graduation, Pius chose him. 

- The 8th grade sister said one of you is getting a scholarship tonight at graduation from Pius XI High School. Well, the night of graduation, they call my name off for the scholarship, which paid a full tuition, which was $50 dollars. 

- Ed graduated from Pius in 1944. He spent two years in the Navy and four at UW-Madison, where he decided to become an educator. In 1950, he visited Pius to attend a school play. During a conversation with the head sister, Pius chose Ed again. 

- I said, "Well, I'm looking for a teaching job." She said, "Why don't you teach here?" And that was the start of 66 years at Pius. 

- This gene... 

- Ed's now 90 years old. He's taught science classes at Pius for almost seven decades and mentored thousands of students. 

- Well the best part is seeing how kids develop. How they mature. How they learn. 
[music]

- Including 1976 graduates, Tracy Mazzeo and Jerry Barnes. 

- I think if someone would've asked me back then, "What's the probability he would be teaching at 90?" I would say, "It's pretty high." 

- He was fondly known as "Steady Eddie," because he was so calm and patient and no matter what went on at Pius, he kept calm, level head, knew how to take care of things. 

- Generations of families have passed through Ed's classroom. The fashion and hairstyles have changed, but Ed's passion for teaching has not. 

- I have to say I have a great amount of respect for him because, with my generation, it is extremely hard to teach us because we have tons of distractions. We have cell phones. You have computers. 

- I don't like emails. I want to talk to her. 

- I think if you showed the initiative and drive, he invested in you as a person. He invested to make sure you were okay. 

- I think a meteor could hit Pius High School and Ed would walk in and say, "Okay, let's take care of the kids "and then, let's get together and clean up here." He'd be as cool as a cucumber. 
[laughing]

 He's just a very good guy. § § 

- Spend a few hours at Pius and Ed's impact is obvious. The school's main office bears his name. 

- Remember the relationship between structure and function. 

- Even at 90, he still teaches three times a week, serves as a student advisor, and organizes the graduation ceremony every year. There's only one thing Ed hasn't done. 

- These days, teachers are trying to retire as soon as they can. Ed's still here at 90. 

- Well, because I liked it. I enjoyed being here. Retiring? There was no reason for me to retire. 

- Allowing them to find and correct mutations. 

- Ed acknowledges that one day, he'll have to leave the lectern behind. 

- That could potentially change the future of humanity. 

- His teaching days may end, but retirement still isn't in his lesson plan. 

- I still want to be here. I may not be in the classroom, but I'll be doing something. 

- Sometimes you never work a day in your life because your life's work chooses you. 

- I go back to when my oldest daughter went to kindergarten right across the street. She came home after three days and said, "How come you never go to work?" I said, "What do you mean by that?" And she said, "Well, my classmates are all talking about their daddies going to work and you never go to work." And I realized, I never do. I go to school. I've never referred to what I do as going to work. I'm going to school. 

- Seven decades ago, Pius made the right choice. 

- What I would say is, "Thank you." Thank you for being a role model. 

- He has been such a good role model for so many people over the years. Just a really, really important part of Pius. 

- Here again, we have a controversial thing. 

- Ed's given thousands of lessons. He hopes his students always remember one. 

- Love is the willingness to extend oneself for the benefit of another. If they accept that idea, that they're in this world to do things for others and not expecting to be rewarded for it necessarily, we've accomplished something. 
§ § 

- It's an hour till show time and already an audience has begun to gather here at the American Players Theatre. Before every show, people are encouraged to come early and picnic under the shade of the trees. Right now picnics have been unpacked, wine bottles cracked open, and soon, everyone will be heading uphill to take their seats in the theatre. As the sun sets each night, the curtain opens on performances held indoors at the Touchstone Theatre or outdoors under the stars. Tonight's outdoor performance is the classic Shakespearean play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It's a one of a kind theatrical experience right here in Wisconsin. Before the show begins, let's take a look at another one-of-a-kind story from our Wisconsin Life team. They travel to Sugar Camp in Oneida County to meet a family growing a legacy. 

- It's hard to believe we planted that tree. 

- In the spring of 1970, John and Kate Grosman planted a few rows of red pine in honor of their newborn son, Christopher. 

- I borrowed my dad's farm tractor and we furrowed it and did the planting that way. 

- Two years later, they planted more red pine for their second son, Andrew. 

- We thought it was neat to just start this new life parallel to these new lives otherwise starting. 

- John was a forester and the trees contained a metaphor for life. 

- The trees that will succeed on this piece of property will adapt to the place that they're plugged in to grow. There are parallels to kids and young adults growing and finding their way in the world. 

- The trees that were barely visible in the first few pictures eventually grew taller than the boys. 

- You probably measure your kids' height on a wall... 

- On a stud wall in the basement. 

- ...somewhere. 

- Same concept. Only it's the trees and their growth. 

- Over time, the boys grew up and started families of their own. 

- Then the grandchildren started coming so we began planting for them. 

- Each new grandchild has their own species. 

- Classically, we plant about 50 so it is a community. 

- John says the factors that determine whether a tree or a child thrives in their environment are the same. 

- You create an environment for them, hopefully, to come to be independent and move off into the world. 

- Anna is 14 and her white spruce are well established. 

- They're off and on their own. Here's Sophia's trees. 

- Sophia's larch are much younger and still need a lot of nurturing. 

- See the ones that are under shade aren't as tall. Okay? And some of the lesson in that is you will grow differently than the people you grow with. 

- Parker's red oaks need cages to protect them from wild animals. 

- When we planted this tree, you were about this high and it was about this high. 

- Zoey's sugar maples are next to her big sister Anna's trees, and when Lily arrived this spring, they had literally come full circle. 

- It was in the shade of Dad's trees and his trees were in need of thinning. 

- So now there are a few stumps among Christopher's trees, allowing light to shine on his daughter Lily's white oaks. 

- This one was harder for me because you planted it. So now, to have to cut it, which I know that's the healthy evolution of the forest, you go, "Really?" 

- That is part of the deal and lesson too. I mean we are all here for a moment in time. 

- Finite period of time. 

- The reminders of life and death are present in the trees. Not far from the other grandkids' trees are some red oaks that are growing tall all by themselves. 

- We had a little granddaughter that was born preemie and passed shortly after birth. Emma would have been about 12 by now. It's a reminder that she's thought of. There's a little bit of wild rose and a few forget-me-nots spudded in here too. 

- Emma isn't the only family member whose presence lingers over these acres. 

- That's old Mike. 

- John's grandfather, Mike Grosman, was Polish and emigrated around the turn of the century. He made his way to northern Wisconsin and bought land outside Sugar Camp. 

- It was very much a cutover scene that they cleared then and made, over time, made a dairy farm in the early 1900s. 

- In a century it went from forest to farm and now back to forest. 

- These trees are here for a moment in time. They live longer than we do and you have the sense that they live eternally but, in fact, they're transitory just like we are. 

- The one constant has been the Grosman family, best represented by this Polish phrase on the outside of the cabin. 

- Grosman od roku 1904 jeszcze jesc naszc, which says, "Grosman since 1904 and still ours." 

- John and Kate hope their grandkids will eventually feel the same connection to this land as they do. 

- There's a sense of pride and belonging and that's important. It's a retreat... ...as much as anything. We work hard there, but it's a relaxing experience because we're investing in something bigger than us. 

- The land is not something that belongs to you. You belong to it, okay. And to the extent that that thought can be captured in what we hand off to these kids and their trees, I think that's a neat thing. 

- This is video, you know? 

- Oh, okay. 
[laughter]

 We're moving. 

- I'm backstage at the American Players Theatre where the sets are being brought out. Which means the audience will soon take their seats. It also means the end of this week's episode of Wisconsin Life. If you'd like to learn more about the people and places you've seen today, including APT, visit WisconsinLife.org. And remember, we'd love to hear about your Wisconsin Life so send us your ideas at WisconsinLife@WPT.org. I'm off to take my seat for the performance, but I'll see you next time. I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald, and this is our Wisconsin Life. That's a wrap. § § 
[actors speaking lines]

- Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.