American Players Theatre: A Tony-Winning Company with Tartan Ties

Shannon Musgrave, Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama

In the idyllic hills of Spring Green, Wisconsin, situated on 110 acres of former farmland, American Players Theatre (APT) has been making magic for its community and providing an artistic home to theater-makers–including many Carnegie Mellon University faculty and alumni– for 47 years. This year, APT was the recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award–a prestigious honor that recognizes “a regional theatre company that has displayed a continuous level of artistic achievement contributing to the growth of theatre nationally,” as described on the Tonys website. Unique in both its verdant setting and its core company model, American Players Theatre puts its artists, community, and natural surroundings at the center of its extraordinary work.

APT produces nine shows in rotating repertory each year between June and November. Their seasons are generally a mix of Shakespeare, classics, contemporary works and, occasionally, a world premiere of a new play. Their flagship venue is a 1,075-seat outdoor amphitheater (built on the spot where, in 1977, the company’s founders discovered the hillside’s natural acoustics) and in 2009 they opened a 200-seat indoor theater. APT draws an audience of around 100,000 people from across the country each year.

The Carnegie Mellon Connection

APT’s associate artistic director, Carey Cannon, is a graduate of CMU School of Drama’s acting program and first joined APT as an actor in 2001. She eventually became APT’s company manager, before taking on the role of associate artistic director. Her younger self would have never anticipated building a life and career in the woodlands of the Midwest.

“I always imagined that I’d be on one of the coasts because that’s where I grew up and what I understood about the theater. I didn’t really know much about regional theater,” she said. “I joke that I don’t know that I’d ever said the word ‘Wisconsin’ except to memorize the state capitals. I’ve never been outdoorsy, yet I’m about to spend 10 hours out in the woods in technical rehearsal for a Chekhov play. So, no, I did not anticipate this life. And it is such a gorgeous life.”

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