Ask an Apprentice: Jamey Feshold

Get to know more about our 2026 Acting Apprentice Jamey Feshold! Jamey has quite the performance backstory leading him all the way to our APT woods. You can see Jamey in this season's performances of As You Like It, The Matchmaker and Sueño! Keep reading to find out more.

APT: Hi Jamey! How has your summer at APT been this far?
Jamey: The summer so far has been an adventure! A new town, new stage, new rehearsal space, new faces and a whole new way of approaching the work! It was also way colder for way longer than I expected at the start! All in all though it has been a challenge but incredibly fun throughout!

APT: Wisconsin has a way of doing that, haha. Would you mind sharing a little about your journey to APT?
Jamey: I have had a bit of a wild ride if I’m honest! Ran away with the Renaissance festival when I was 19, performed as an actor and stage fighter for anime conventions, became a martial arts instructor and stunt show performer that eventually led me to working stunt shows in China, before returning to the states in 2020 (no particular reason for that of course). I got very lucky to be introduced to the Milwaukee Rep Emerging Professional Resident program through an artistic director I worked with in my hometown (Tampa, Florida; shout out!) and that brought me to the Midwest! I had heard about APT from some of the actors I worked with there (Mark Corkins, Carrie Hitchcock and Lee Ernst in particular) but it was seeing Nate Burger in Much Ado About Nothing at The Rep that made me know I needed to find a way out here! I started submitting as often as I could, even driving out from Chicago for an EPA they had (thank you Rasell Holt and Carey Cannon for an incredible audition experience that day), and after around 4 years of submitting, I got an opportunity to come out here with the Apprentice Program!

APT: Wow, that is so impressive. Now that you're here, what does a typical day of an acting apprentice at APT look like?
Jamey: A typical day for me as an acting apprentice specifically means being on site by 9:30 to have an incredible class with some of our insanely talented instructors (Sam Luis Massaro, Dee Dee Bateast, Sara Becker just to name a few of the inspirational figures I’ve learned from so far!) rehearsal starts at 12, lunch/dinner break from 4-6 where I’ll make food, work on music, work on lines, take a nap if I can, and then back to the theatre from 6-10 for more rehearsal, go home and get ready to do it all again the next day!

APT: Sounds fun and like you're learning a lot. Tell us, what is your earliest theatre memory?
Jamey: My first theatre memory was watching the 1985 VHS of Cats the musical with my family, and when I tell you it inspired me, it’s true. It did unfortunately inspire the belief that I hated theatre and musicals! But when I got to high school, I ended up being asked to audition for the school musical with a friend of mine and for some reason I decided to go, and it was one of the greatest joys of my childhood, and absolutely led me to continue moving forward in my life as an actor and artist! Not sure I’ll go back for more productions of Cats though!

APT: I don't think you'll have to worry about that here, haha! When you're not working, what have you been doing in your free time? Have you discovered any local treasures?
Jamey: I love to play music, be in nature and ride my bike! Governor Dodge State Park is beautiful, and just exploring the space around APT is amazing! Not to mention Spring Green has some incredible gems for me, between Hedge Meadow, Arcadia, The Slowpoke and The Frozen Local, I have no lacked for lovely spots to hang out and enjoy!

APT: Love it. Alright, let's end on a tough one: Would you rather have to spring up the Hill on a pogo stick to rehearsal every day OR never get to wear bug spray for the rest of the summer?
Jamey: That’s tough, but I do struggle to imagine a life up the hill without bug spray, so I’m going to have to get very good on a pogo stick very quickly!