Ask an Apprentice: Donio

Get to know more about our 2026 Acting Apprentice Donio! With a rich background in acting, singing and content creation, Donio is thriving in the woods of Spring Green! You can see Donio on the APT stage this season in As You Like It, The Matchmaker and Sueño. Read on to learn more!

APT: Hello Donio! How has your summer at APT been?
Donio: We’re halfway through summer and it’s been such a journey! So much exciting stuff I’m getting to learn from these brilliant artists and I’m so grateful to be a part of the company. Plus, there are tons of cool people here I have been able to have fun experiences with and hold faith in feeling my community strengthen.

Getting to immerse myself in powerful storytelling on native land, I’ve been feeling such a strong sense of pain around my indigenous history. I take this pain as a reminder that my ancestors are closer than ever to me.

Being the first known Native actor hired for a full season at American Players Theatre has meant sitting with a lot of discomfort and sometimes running through it in tears as I navigate spaces where I often feel alone. I feel something pushing me to take up space, honor our history and refuse to be silent. I hope that by continuing to show up, I can help make room for those who come after me. I may be the first, but I will not be the last.

A recent motto that’s sat with me is “YOU WILL HEAR ME: ENCHI HIAKANE”

APT: Would you mind sharing a little about your journey to the APT woods?
Donio: The past two years, I’ve been studying at The Theatre School at DePaul to get my MFA in Acting. A lovely professor of mine, Damon Kiely, told me about “The Language Project,” and described APT to be full of some of the best actors he has seen. That immediately drew me in and once I attended the project, I fell in love with APTs values and approach to classical text. Leaving that 2 week project, I recall saying to my friend, Warren Weber, “I’m going to work here one day.” I just didn’t think that day would be a few months later.

APT: Sounds like it was fate! Now that you're here, what has a typical day in the life of an acting apprentice looked like?
Donio: 9a apprentice classes that explore various aspects of performance, rehearsals for shows until 5p, dinner break 5-7 (which is usually dedicated to more work and auditions when we can fit it in) and finishing the night off with performances until 10p.

APT: Sounds busy and thrilling! Have you had any "aha" moments throughout the process so far that you'll be taking with you?
Donio: I had an unfortunate e-scooter accident that caused me to miss out on my first opening and a few other events. This injury caused so much mental and physical pain, but also forced me to be present and slow down. I tend to zoom through life, which causes tons of anxiety, but this period of time allowed for a lot of meaningful reflection (whether I liked it then or not).

APT: Ouch! Funny how life will sometimes force us to slow down a bit. On a lighter note, what is your earliest theater memory?
Donio: I auditioned for “She Kills Monsters” on my birthday a week after my first Intro to Acting class. Being that I’ve already tackled a week of this class, I felt too confident about auditioning, regardless of never having acted before. Unfortunately, the audition went horribly because I forgot the words to my monologue and decided to improvise a scene on a phone (mimed rotary phone with my hand), where I proceeded to say phrases like “yes….uh huh…right….exactly” instead of saying anything of value. Since then, I’ve worked on that very monologue as a sort of measure of how far I’ve come and it’s one of my favorites.

APT: I love that you've chosen to stick with that monologue! When you're not working on acting projects, what do you do in your free time?
Donio: I really enjoy singing in TikTok talent shows. It’s so freeing to sing in a space that is usually judgment free - and when they DO judge, you can simply click away. I also enjoy water coloring, nature walks and listening to self-help podcasts (also very interested in conspiracy theories).

APT: Sounds fun! As always, I'd like to end with a silly one. If you could switch bodies for one day with a member of the core company, who would it be and why?
Donio: I think I would choose to switch bodies with Nate Burger for a day so I could be as brave as possible and learn from that experience. He’s such a fun, free spirit and I think switching bodies with him would help encourage me to live longer in those feelings for myself.

Thanks Donio!