APT is first company in Wisconsin to be awarded theatre’s highest honor.
This is an incredible honor for one of the elite theater’s from Wisconsin. American Players Theatre is remarkable…in their play selection, their cast selection, their director selection, and of course the full presentations we all are able to experience in their stunning theater setting. Congratulations to their actors, directors, stage support staff, and office support staff. Now on with the PR statement with the full details (and again I am late, this was released May 19th, 2026).
SPRING GREEN, WIS. — Today, the Tony Awards® Administration Committee announced that the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award will be awarded to American Players Theatre (APT) in Spring Green, WI, in the following statement:
The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced today that, based on the recommendation of the American Theatre Critics Association, American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, will be the recipient of the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The honor, recognizing a regional theatre company that has displayed a continuous level of artistic achievement contributing to the growth of theatre nationally, is accompanied by a grant of $25,000, made possible by City National Bank’s generous support.
“American Players Theatre is a one-of-a-kind institution, delivering world-class theatre presentations to the Midwest for decades, and we are thrilled to recognize the team there with this award,” said Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League. “By illuminating the shared human experience through timeless classics, they have broadened the theatre-going audience in their community and beyond.”
“As the official bank of the Tony Awards, City National Bank is honored to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of American Players Theatre, a standard of excellence in live performance,” said JaHan Wang, executive vice president and head of Entertainment & Sports Banking, City National Bank. “We are proud to support the dramatic arts, both on Broadway and across the nation, and to help ensure that the transformative power of theater continues to inspire audiences for generations to come.”
In a statement, APT’s Artistic Director Brenda DeVita and Managing Director Sara Young wrote “On behalf of APT, we are honored and overwhelmed to receive the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony 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. 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. We are grateful to The Broadway League, The American Theater Wing, City National Bank and The American Theatre Critics Association for their faith in APT and in the promise of regional theater.”
Founded in 1979, APT’s mission is to perform timeless, challenging, poetic texts, with Shakespeare at the center, to the broadest audience possible. From June through November, APT produces nine plays and welcomes nearly 100,000 guests seeking a world-class performance in their outdoor Hill Theatre (1,075 seats) and indoor Touchstone Theatre (201 seats).
This year’s Tony Awards will return to the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7. Hosted by music superstar and global icon P!NK, The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards will broadcast LIVE to both coasts on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+* (8:00 – 11:00 PM ET/5:00 – 8:00 PM PT).
A full list of this year’s Tony nominees and additional honorees is available here. The full announcement from the Tony Awards is available here.
And I pulled this out of the regular PR, but you will want to have this info handy:
APT will kick off its 47th season on Saturday, June 6, with William Shakespeare’s As You Like It . Also playing this season in the Hill Theatre: The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder; Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov and adapted by Nate Burger; The Two “Gentlemen” of Verona by William Shakespeare and adapted by Aaron Posner with music by Greg Kotis; and Sueño, translated and adapted by José Rivera from the play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Playing in the Touchstone Theatre: The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco and translated by Martin Crimp; Casey and Diana by Nick Green; Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis; and Witch by Jen Silverman.
Tickets for American Players Theatre’s 2026 season are on sale now at americanplayers.org, or by calling the APT Box Office at (608) 588-2361.
Once again, Congratulations to APT!
