APT Remembers Jonathan Smoots

Posted March 25, 2025

Randall Duk Kim Jonathan Smoots Memorial 1

The APT community celebrates the legacy of our dear friend, Jonathan Smoots

Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour
Draws on apace. Four happy days bring in
Another moon. But, O, methinks how slow
This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires
Like to a stepdame or a dowager
Long withering out a young man’s revenue.

Theseus’ first lines in A Midsummer Night’s Dream were the first words ever uttered for an APT audience, and they were spoken by Jonathan Smoots. Jonathan died last week after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. As we mourn his loss, we celebrate his rich legacy here, at APT, and the vast impact he had on this theater, and the theaters and people he worked with throughout his incredible career.

Jonathan was chosen by the founders to be part of the first APT acting company when he was a 20-something Chicago-based actor. Besides Theseus, he played Lucius in Titus Andronicus that first season. Jonathan ultimately performed 1,803 times on the APT stage (only Sarah Day and Paul Bentzen have logged more performances). Over 28 seasons, he played 98 roles in 85 productions at APT, 52 of them by Shakespeare.

Among them: Oberon (twice), Mercutio, Antonio, Antipholus of Syracuse, Claudius, Falstaff, Malvolio, Angelo, Macbeth, Cymbeline, Friar Laurence, Apermantus, Bottom, Old Shepherd and King Lear. His final Shakespeare role at APT was a reprise of his first – as Theseus in Midsummer to open the renovated Hill Theatre in 2017. But it was his performance as King Lear in 2016 that was widely considered his swan song.

As prolific and powerful as his Shakespeare roles were, we fondly remember his brilliance in others, including: Orgon in Tartuffe, Lord Summerhays in Misalliance, Deeley in Old Times, Andrew Undershaft in Major Barbara, Marcus Hubbard in Another Part of the Forest, Odysseus in The Cure at Troy, Gustave in Heroes, Joe Keller in All My Sons, Mr. Rice in Molly Sweeney, Charlie in Seascape, Herr Stompf in A Flea in Her Ear, and his final role before he retired from APT, Shotover in Heartbreak House.

It’s hard to measure the profound impact Jonathan had on APT and its development. He was an integral player in the acting company from 1980-1985 when APT was an unlikely, audacious upstart company. After a time away, then-Artistic Director David Frank lured him back to APT in 1994.

The Wisconsin State Journal wrote about his return, calling it a “heady homecoming,” with Jonathan commenting “I invested so much emotionally here, and I really, truly began my professional career here. I was a professional actor before that, but it all really came together here.”

Jonathan was a charter member of the Core Acting Company and was named Core Company Emeritus when he retired from APT in 2018.

Artistic Director Brenda DeVita said, “Jonathan Smoots is gone from this earth but will not ever be forgotten. His voice will never leave my memory – the sound of it could be heard from the parking lot on a clear night. Our woods are drenched in his sound.

He was one of the most skillful actors I have ever seen – able to make sense and make accessible the densest and most difficult text – Shakespeare and Shaw and Seamus Heaney to name a few. Unbelievably opaque passages were instantly brought to life with what seemed little effort.”

Jonathan will always be foundational to this theater and a treasured member of the APT family. Our hearts are with his wife, Laura Gordon, his friends and family, and the entire Wisconsin theater community who will keenly feel his loss.

To honor Jonathan’s memory, APT will dedicate the 2025 season to him.

Below are selected tributes to Jonathan Smoots from the APT community and beyond.

Tracy Michelle Arnold
Core Company

"While many will rightfully remember Jonathan for his extraordinary gift of conveying dense language with utmost clarity (in his unmistakable, resonant voice), I will remember his deep, deep love and respect for his dear wife, Laura. I will remember his giving Marcus and me a gently used love seat and refrigerator when we bought our house. I’ll remember him encouraging us to save for retirement. I’ll remember his tremendous work ethic and his commitment to staying strong and active. I’ll remember how truly soft hearted he was, and the way he became downright silly when he talked to dogs. I’m grateful that all of these memories of Smoots are mine to keep, and I will treasure them always."

Nate Burger
Core Company

"There are lines in the canon that I will only ever hear Smoots saying. He was a massive part of my early education as a young classical actor. In 2012, he and I played Troilus and Ulysses together and, as an artist unseasoned in advocating for my choices, Jonathan continually advocated for me. I learned a lot from him about technique and craft and what we owe to the story we're telling, but that specific bit of generosity he showed to a young artist - emblematic of the spirit of APT - is what I'll remember most."

Sarah Day
Core Company

"Working on the APT stage with Jonathan Smoots is one of the great joys of my career. We were frequently cast opposite one another. It was so much fun! I always felt safe and supported when I worked with him. He was a brilliant actor, and I know that he made me a better one. I think the world of him, and I feel fortunate that he will always be a meaningful part of my life. I truly love him and Laura...now and forever."

Brenda DeVita
Artistic Director

"Jonathan Smoots is gone from this earth but will not ever be forgotten. His voice will never leave my memory - the sound of it could be heard from the parking lot on a clear night. Our woods are drenched in his sound.

He was one of the most skillful actors i have ever seen- able to make sense and make accessible the densest most difficult text - Shakespeare and Shaw and Seamus Heaney to name a few. Unbelievably opaque passages were instantly brought to life with what seemed little effort. It was truly a wonder to hear. He once read the entirety of Titus Andronicus on our stage through the night. He told me it was thrilling. He was not daunted in the least. Only Jonathan.

Joe Keller, Apemantus and Toby Belch are 3 of my very favorite performances by Smooty. But I cannot imagine ever seeing ANYONE be as brilliant as Jonathan was as the myriad of Fops and larger than life ridiculous clowns that graced our stage. Truly, an enormous loss to the world… I am sorry for those of you who never saw a Sparkish or Sir George Thunder…. All as vivid as their names in the hands of Jonathan. A master. One of a kind and relentless in his pursuit of excellence. Thank you for all of it, Jonathan, you are missed. Forever."

Tim Gittings
Core Company


"Smoots will always be synonymous with APT for me. His expressive face (he did, indeed, 'smile his face into more lines that then the new map with the augmentation of the Indies'), his booming, clear voice, and his generosity with audiences are memories that I will forever hold in my APT heart. He was one of the first people that I ever got to know when I was an audience member (and super-fan). My best friend, Andrew, and I spoke to him walking down the hill after a performance one time and we all ended up at The Shed, talking for hours. It turned out that he and I grew up on opposite sides of North Avenue, not far apart, and he even did some substitute teaching at my high school (which he always remembered fondly because 'you walk in the front door and there are theaters on either side!'). He made me feel like a part of the APT community, and that's something I try to emulate to this day when an audience member approaches me. I learned so much from working with him, and watching him work. It was a wonderful experience to get to know the kind, geeky, sensitive soul behind the imposing Theseus strength. Happy Trails, my friend."

Laura Rook
Core Company

"My first season at APT I have a vivid memory of sitting at the table of the first read of Troilus and Cressida and being in awe of Jonathan's ability to speak the extraordinarily difficult text of Ulysses . As a young actor I had spent months trying to make sense of that script. I had no idea actors existed who could lift the words off the page like that. It felt like magic. I wanted to do what he did when I grew up. Years later I felt so honored to be his partner as Hippolyta on his bookend performance of Theseus in our 2017 production. He treated me with such kindness and grace. A gentleman in every sense of the word. I will always remember waltzing in the moonlight with him."

Marcus Truschinski
Core Company

"Jonathan was a part of my life for 30 years. I first saw him as a young teen as Falstaff in Merry Wives in ‘96 for a school trip. Shortly thereafter, we traveled out to see him again, this time as the Scottish King. I can still remember everyone on my high school football team being in awe of him. There’s a photo of me in my high school yearbook sitting in the back row at that show in ‘98, eyes wide, mesmerized by the experience. Little did I know that I would have the chance to share the stage with him in just a few years. You can imagine how nervous I was to actually meet him when I started working at APT. He was like a Shakespearean superhero. Probably the best verse speaker I’ve ever known. I would watch him in rehearsal and try to soak up as much as I could. I was fortunate enough to work with him many times, often as his son. We always found something special for each father/son pairing. Little, yet specific things that made our relationship pop and feel true, even in the wildest of circumstances. He was such a dedicated man to this wonderful art form. I will miss him greatly."

Terry Teachout
The Wall Street Journal Arts Critic

Selected from his 2011 review of The Cure at Troy: "Three of the cast members are part of APT’s resident ensemble, and they give performances so compelling that you’ll want to hold your breath every time they speak. Mr. Smoots’s Odysseus is a rich-voiced cynic who is quick to heed the reassuring call of expediency."

Sara Young
Managing Director

"Jonathan was a great mentor to me when I was a young stage manager starting out in Milwaukee. I was the Production Stage Manager at Next Act Theatre when he was the Artistic Director, so we worked together often. He taught me so much – about pride in my work, attention to detail, and to always strive for excellence, even when it’s not comfortable. But what I remember most is he looked out for me like an older brother. He helped when my crappy car didn’t run and then made sure I got regular oil changes. He let me be a third wheel to him and Laura more times than I can count. And after I got mugged in my driveway, he and Laura followed me home every night for a week to make sure I safely got into my apartment. I was so delighted to be able to work with him again when I made my way to APT. I’ll miss him so much, but he’s forever in my heart."

Photo Credits: Randall Duk Kim & Jonathan Smoots. File Photo. James Ridge & Jonathan Smoots, A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2000. Photo by Zane Williams. Jonathan Smoots, King Lear, 2016. Photo by Liz Lauren. Paul Bentzen, Jonathan Smoots & Lee Child, Backstage during The Merry Wives of Windsor. File Photo. Jonathan Smoots & Marcus Truschinski, All My Sons, 2013. Photo by Zane Williams. Jonathan Smoots & Sarah Day, Cymbeline, 2004. Photo by Zane Williams. Carrie Coon & Jonathan Smoots, Misalliance, 2007. Photo by Zane Williams. Jonathan Smoots as Nick Bottom (center), A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2008. Photo by Zane Williams. Jonathan Smoots, Paul Bentzen & John Lister, Heroes, 2012. Photo by Carissa Dixon. Jonathan Smoots, Heartbreak House, 2018. Photo by Liz Lauren.