Ask an Apprentice: Jonathan Gardner

Get to know 2025 Acting Apprentice Jonathan Gardner! Jonathan plays Prince in The Barber and The Unnamed Prince in the Touchstone Theatre. You can also catch him up the Hill as part of the fairy chorus in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

APT: Hi, Jonathan! Tell us about your journey to APT this season! Where are you coming from and how did you first learn about APT?
Gardner: I first found out about APT when I was requested to audition for The Barber and the Unnamed Prince, written and directed by core company member Gavin Dillon Lawrence. Receiving the request initiated some research on my end and once looking further into the theatre and its history I was surprised that I had not heard of it before! I have heard people say since then that American Players Theatre is a hidden gem and it truly felt that way upon entering the audition room. It was quite telling of how the theatre functioned considering the first introduction I had was with an original play that a company member wrote and was directing, but then the warmth that followed upon entering the room, the space given to do my best work, and the gratitude for that work, along with the diligence to assure a fit with the culture after the fact.

I am coming from Chicago where “Midwestern hospitality” still lingers, but does not sit as comfortably as it does in a place like this. I am from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, and often APT reminds me of home. When I was offered the chance to come work in this community I was honored and jumped at the chance. Being able to further my education with the Apprentice Program only made that decision easier and that much sweeter.

APT: That's excellent. Now, let's take it back even further. When did you first become interested in performing?
Gardner: I grew up with very little idea of what I wanted to do. I was fortunate in going to a school and having parents that encouraged me to do what I loved, which always made me feel supportive, but also made decisions daunting. “Movies” I said, “I love movies.” And so I studied them, I watched a lot of them and I found my way into film school. Not long after, COVID also found its way into film school and every other school in the nation and I (like most of us at the time) found myself sitting at home, again with no sense of what I really wanted to do. This state of indeterminacy paired with the forced introspection of lockdown made me dig deeper and ask - “why movies?” It was always the performance, always the empathy I felt for the characters and understanding how they fit into the stories. Soon after this a friend of mine, whom I was helping to direct for a film of theirs, asked me to take on a role when an actor had dropped out that day. We shot for 8-10 hours that day as I bounced from assistant directing to acting. At the end of the day I remember sitting there and thinking, "I want to do this for the rest of my life." I had never felt so full and accomplished and I had not even touched a stage yet. It was not until I experienced the stage for the first time this summer that I knew this is something I will always want to do. I found that thing, which for the longest time, I wasn’t sure was out there for me.

APT: And we're so glad you decided to join us for your onstage debut! Want to talk a little more about your first season at APT? What discoveries have you made over the last several months?
Gardner: My first season here at APT has been so wonderful and inspiring. One discovery I made that truly sticks out is that our voices are so powerful (both literally and figuratively). Working outside on the Hill, I had to learn to not hold my voice back in order to fight through the wind, the humidity, and sometimes the rain. Where to aim my lines so they would bounce and knowing the elements so that I could ease up when necessary as well. Watching the veterans here use the space with such ease is mesmerizing. In addition to filling the space, I have seen how people take up space. They speak up for themselves and others, and hold space when necessary. How I use my voice has changed from being here and I hope to take that with me.

APT: Tell us about the Apprentice Program this season! What are some of your big takeaways from working with the other actors and apprentices?
Gardner: Sometimes it is difficult to look from the inside in, which is how it feels still going through the Apprentice Program and talking about it. However, I have had so many ah-ha moments I should be able to pick one! One of my favorite things about this place is the diversity of actors and by extension knowledge thereof. Being someone who is fairly new to acting I came into APT thinking I would find people who knew everything about acting and that’s why they were so confident in their work, but what I found was almost the opposite. So many actors I admire here continue to question their work and try new things and STILL say they don’t know what they’re doing. Which at first kind of comforted me, but then it freaked me out - “there’s not an answer to everything?! I’m always going to feel like I can do more?!!”.

I’ve learned that because this isn’t math or science, there is not one right answer and the answer changes because we change. Being a good actor means being human. We can work toward “perfection”, but knowing we’ll never get there is what makes us better.

APT: That makes sense. And what's been your favorite thing about your summer at APT or in Spring Green?
Gardner: My favorite thing about my summer at APT so far has been being surrounded by a community of creatives. Everyone here, along with being kind and supportive, deeply cares about making work that they can be proud of. Being around that is energizing, especially when we get to use that energy to play in the woods!

APT: Fantastic! Outside of performing, what else do you love doing?
Gardner: Because acting came late in life for me, a lot of my hobbies took a backseat as I dove headfirst into performing. However, I love to read, and I spend a lot of my free time in the gym or watching movies or binging a TV show.

APT: Okay, going back to this summer. How have you changed as an artist and an individual as a result of this summer?
Gardner: I have changed SO MUCH as an artist and an individual. The biggest way that I have changed that sticks out to me is that I am much more open minded. 10 months ago I did not know this place existed, now it holds some of the best memories of my life. I hope to take the love that is felt on the APT grounds and bring it to any artistic endeavor I have ahead of me, that and the dedication to make impactful art with integrity.

APT: That sounds amazing. Any final special shout-outs you'd like to give?
Gardner: I would like to shout out my Dad and my brother David who have always supported me and my work, my friends Avery, Evan, and Joe who have been right there with me through this journey, the Reids, and my late Mom who gives me strength everyday.

APT: Anything else you'd like to share?
Gardner: I’d like to thank APT for everything you all do. The art that is made here leaves an everlasting impact on those that are able to experience it. I am honored to be a part of that experience. Keep touching people’s hearts!