American Players Theatre in Spring Green Receives Tony Award

American Players Theatre is located on 110 acres just outside of Spring Green, Wis. From June through November, APT produces nine world-class productions in a rotating repertory across two stages. Photo courtesy of American Players Theatre

American Players Theatre in Spring Green is receiving a Tony Award.

The theater company, now in its 47th season, was named the recipient of the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award Tuesday. Along with the recognition, the theater will receive a $25,000 grant.

In announcing the award, Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Jason Laks, president of The Broadway League, called American Players a “one-of-a-kind institution, delivering world-class theater presentations to the Midwest.”

The Tonys recognize achievements in Broadway theater but include an annual regional theater award. Tuesday’s award is the first for a Wisconsin theater company in the six decades the committee has been singling out regional theaters.

In a statement, APT’s Artistic Director Brenda DeVita and Managing Director Sara Young said they were “honored and overwhelmed” to receive the award.

“This award is for the whole APT community: the artists, artisans and staff who work so hard to bring stories to life on our Hill, who believe their work is special and that it matters — because it does matter,” they wrote. “This award is also for our extraordinary audience, who come back year after year, sharing this theater with friends and family, because it is their theater.”

Founded nearly 50 years ago, American Players produces “timeless, challenging, poetic texts, with Shakespeare at the center, to the broadest audience possible,” according to the company.

American Players’ location is unique. Based in Spring Green, a community of just over 1,500 residents about 40 miles west of Madison, the organization has two theaters — an outdoor amphitheater with 1,075 seats and a smaller, indoor space with 200 seats. In its nine-play season each year, the company attracts nearly 100,000 people.

The theater company began in the District of Columbia in 1977 with founders Charles Bright, Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso. They settled on Spring Green as a permanent home after looking at 43 sites, according to the theater website.

Their first performance in Wisconsin was a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1980.

“They have succeeded in their mission of illuminating the shared human experience through timeless classics, and in doing so, have broadened the theatre-going audience in their community and beyond,” Hitchens and Laks wrote in announcing the award.

The company’s 47th season will begin June 6, again with Shakespeare on the stage — this time, “As You Like It.”

They’ll receive their Tony the following day at the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 7.

American Players Theatre in Spring Green receives Tony Award was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.