05/11/2026
Beth Josephsen first came to Schiller Park as a college student looking for more ways to immerse herself in theater.
“I was a theater major, and I was like, ‘Free theater? Brilliant.’” she said.
Eighteen seasons later, Beth is now the Artistic Director of Actors’ Theatre of Columbus, the first woman to hold the role since the company’s founder more than 40 years ago.
Beth moved to German Village in 2006 and lives just a block from the park. Her first show with Actors’ Theatre was The Three Musketeers, and for most of her time with the company, she was on stage as an actor. Over the years, she also worked in outreach, became education director, directed summer productions, and last October stepped into the artistic director role.
For Beth, the new role has been a chance to honor the company’s history while also asking new questions.
“Some things are just because that’s the way they’ve always been done,” she said. “It doesn’t need to continue that way.”
This season, that includes The Taming of the Shrew with an all-women and nonbinary cast, the first of its kind on the Schiller Park stage. It also includes Othello directed by a person of color, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, bringing a murder mystery to the park for the first time.
Beth is also thinking beyond the stage. She recently launched a year-round book club and reading series, often tied to the plays in the season, creating another way for people to engage with the stories, the themes, and each other.
That expanded vision builds on decades of history in Schiller Park. Actors’ Theatre has called the park home for 45 seasons. The stage itself was built for the company, complete with its columns, wisteria, lighting, and tech setup designed for outdoor performance.
But what Beth loves most is that the park makes theater accessible.
“It’s the only place in the city where it’s truly free theater, and anybody can come and see the show,” she said. “When I was a college student, I could come down to the park because I felt welcome. I wasn’t going to be turned away because I couldn’t afford it.”
That openness also changes the experience of making theater. Rehearsals happen in public. Neighbors wander over. Kids ask questions. Dogs cross the stage. Bugs, rain, wind, saxophones, playground noise, and summer heat all become part of the show.
“Outdoor theater is not for the faint of heart,” Beth said. “It’s not a controlled environment. But there’s something magical about that.”
Each summer, Actors’ Theatre brings together actors, designers, crew members, educators, volunteers, interns, and summer camp counselors. The acting camps run throughout the season, with children performing before Friday night shows.
Beth sees all of it as part of what makes the park special: art that belongs to the community, not hidden behind a ticket price or theater wall.
“People can just pop down and sit and watch,” she said. “It’s something you don’t get anywhere else in the city.”
The summer season begins May 21 at 8 p.m. at the Schiller Park Amphitheatre.
