Ask an Apprentice: Jose Cervantes

Meet Jose Cervantes, one of the 2025 Acting Apprentices!

Say hello to Jose Cervantes! This season, Jose joins us up the Hill as Eliades in Anna in the Tropics and as part of the fairy chorus in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

APT: Hi, Jose! Thanks for chatting with us today. Can you tell us about your journey to APT? Where are you coming from and how did you first learn about American Players Theatre?
Cervantes: I call Chicago home, so not coming from super far. I first heard of APT a few years ago while I was coming to Spring Green to camp and visit The House on the Rock (my favorite place on Earth). I saw that Samantha Newcomb, who I got to act in a play with when I was fresh out of college, was working here. I thought it would be cool to catch a show and catch up with Samantha. Sadly, the season wasn’t up and running yet, so I wasn’t able to see a show at APT, but I knew it existed at least. Flash forward a couple years and my agent sent me the invite to audition. The audition process was so much fun. Everyone I met during the Chicago auditions was extremely kind. I knew leaving the Theater Wit that I really wanted to work at APT.

APT: Very nice! How did you first become interested in the performing arts?
Cervantes: I mean, when I was a kid, I spent a lot of time watching movies and cartoons. I was also a kid that LOVED playing pretend, or “making movies” as I used to say. There was no camera, but in my mind I was making movies. I would play superheroes and villains, cops and robbers, house, I’d even act out that I was in romantic comedies (because of course, six-year-olds know so much of love hahaha). I would be all the characters because when I was that young I didn’t really play with other kids. I’ve just always loved story telling.

APT: Sounds like you've always had a passion for telling stories, too. Could you share a little bit about your work with the Acting Apprentice program this summer? Any major take-aways or favorite memories?
Cervantes: I’ve had a wonderful time in the Apprentice Program. Straight up, like, I’ve been out of school for a while, so I’m so grateful for the instruction I’ve received here at APT. Classes have not only jogged my memory and helped me recall techniques from my training, but also taught me all new things. I love learning through observation, and so all my favorite “ah-ha” moments have been ones I got to watch my fellow apprentices experience. All of us approach the work and learn in such different ways, so seeing the moment that something clicks for a peer is very special for me.

APT: What has been your favorite thing about summer at APT or in Spring Green?
Cervantes: Oh gosh, my favorite thing… The people. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to express myself and discover new things, surrounded by such a giving community. Giving of time, energy, and life experience. People have been nice to me, and I don’t take that for granted. Of course, we should all be nice, but no one is obligated to. So kindness is always something I’m appreciative for. So anyone reading this that shared yourself with me, thank you.

APT: That's so lovely, Jose. Okay, besides performing or working on your next project, what do you love doing in your free time?
Cervantes: I enjoy reading, baseball games, live music, lounging on my couch with my dog. I still love watching movies, too. I collect Blu-rays and DVDs, and I gotta say, my collection is fire, straight gas. It’s pretty epic.

APT: You're quite the film aficionado! How have you changed as an artist and as an individual over this summer? What will you take with you from your experience in the woods?
Cervantes: Oh boy, yeah, this has for sure been a summer of growth and change for me. Both personally and artistically. As an artist, I’ve learned so much working with and watching the other incredible artists here at APT that I’m honored to have been able to call my colleagues and my friends. I’ve learned that I’m capable of so much more than I believed. I’ve learned to trust my instincts and value my ideas.

APT: Wonderful. Thanks, Jose. Any special shout-outs you'd like to give to special folks in your life?
Cervantes: My family, my agents, Malcolm, God. Also, shoutout to Nate Burger for chatting with me and making me feel comfortable at my audition, Carey Cannon for seeing potential in me, and Alys Dickerson for being the friend I didn’t know I needed when I arrived. Huge shout out to the other for apprentices too, thank you guys for being cool with me even though I’m a little off the wall sometimes.

APT: Thank you for chatting, Jose! Anything else you'd like to share before we finish up here?
Cervantes: I just wanted to take this space to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone at APT. This summer I’ve been a pig in the mud, living my dream. There’s nowhere else I’d rather have spent my time.