Local Wisconsin theater receives national recognition from Tony Awards

Aly Prouty, Spectrum News 1

SPRING GREEN, Wis. — American Players Theatre is getting a moment in the spotlight.

The theater, located in Spring Green, Wis., is the recipient of the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award, given to “a regional theatre company that has displayed a continuous level of artistic achievement contributing to the growth of theatre nationally.” The award comes with a $25,000 grant.

“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,” Heather Hitches, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Jason Laks, president of The Broadway League, said in a joint statement. “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.”

American Players Theatre is home to two theaters, including its flagship outdoor amphitheater and its indoor Touchstone Theatre. The outdoor amphitheater seats 1,075 people while the indoor theater can host 201 people. The Tony Awards said the theater welcomes 100,000 people to its spaces every year and puts on nine plays.

American Players Theatre put on its first production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” on July 18, 1980.

Founded by Randall Duk Kim, Anne Occhiogrosso and Charles Bright, American Players Theatre was built on a farmstead in the woods.

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