UW-Platteville Pioneer Players

05/19/2026

Amazing news!! Congratulations American Players Theatre!!

We’re thrilled to announce that American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin is our recipient for the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award! 🎭

Over its 47-year history, APT has steadily built a national reputation not only for its unique location in the woods but also for producing theater of the highest quality.

📸: Liz Lauren (Courtesy of APT)

05/16/2026

What a wonderful day! Ten amazing theatre students. Two ceremonies. One very proud theatre program! We cannot wait to see what the world holds for our graduates! We love you! We celebrate you! We thank you for all you have done for us! GO BE GREAT!! 🧡💙

05/16/2026

Commencement #2! So proud of our engineers!!

05/16/2026

Here we go!! Eight theatre students. Commencement #1!

05/15/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to the Pioneer Players CLASS OF 2026!! AJ, Kyra, Nicole, Aubrey, Jamie, Max, Ella, Grace, Hannah, and Ethan…we are so incredibly proud of all of you and cannot wait to cheer you on at the LAE and EMS commencement ceremonies tomorrow!! ❤️❤️❤️

05/15/2026

DRAMA PROM-A!! Congratulations on a great season!! On to the next…

05/14/2026

GRADUATING SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
AJ MCCORD

As Commencement approaches, we are highlighting our majors, minors, and non-majors who have had a significant impact on the theatre program throughout their time at UW-Platteville. We asked them to reflect on their years as a Pioneer Player and asked them what the future holds.

What is your most memorable experience in the theatre during your time here?
There really have been so many that I don't think I can pick just one. Acting in "Midsummer", working in the scene shop and being crew for "The Clockmaker's Daughter", having the opportunity to be a stage manager and to direct a short play have all been memorable parts of my time here.

What is the most significant lesson you learned during your time with the theatre program?
I have very much grown as a person in my time with the theatre department. I have learned many things about myself and how to push myself past my comfort zone to grow and become better as an actor, stage manager, stagehand, director, or whatever else the theatre might see me doing.

What are your plans for the future?
I am hoping to find a job as a medicolegal death investigator or working in a coroner/medical examiner's office for the foreseeable future, preferably one outside of the US. Ultimately, I want to get a Master's in theatre so I can teach and move back to East Africa to work with young people, helping them build skills through the theatre that can help them in other aspects of their life and to use theatre and performance as a way to work through and examine their own history and experiences, as well as creating a connection to the larger world outside of just western theatre.

Congratulations, AJ! We are so very proud of you!

05/13/2026

GRADUATING SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
JAMIE WODACK

As Commencement approaches, we are highlighting our majors, minors, and non-majors who have had a significant impact on the theatre program throughout their time at UW-Platteville. We asked them to reflect on their years as a Pioneer Player and asked them what the future holds.

What is your most memorable experience in the theatre during your time here?
Getting cast in my first show freshman year and meeting people who I have created life long friendships with.

What is the most significant lesson you learned during your time with the theatre program?
Make strong choices and keep trying new things.

What are your plans for the future?
For the summer I am staying in Platteville and Lighting Designing the Platteville Summer Arts Festival. Then going on to the next adventure, hopefully a job in lighting tech on a cruise ship.

Congratulations, Jamie! We are so very proud of you!

05/13/2026

GRADUATING SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
KYRA LISKE

As Commencement approaches, we are highlighting our majors, minors, and non-majors who have had a significant impact on the theatre program throughout their time at UW-Platteville. We asked them to reflect on their years as a Pioneer Player and asked them what the future holds.

What is your most memorable experience in the theatre during your time here?
My favorite memory was either when the actors took the stage for the first time in Too Much Light and getting to watch my costume designs come to life or all of the debrief sessions that happened post shows down in the triangle with everyone who stayed to keep wardrobe crew company.

What is the most significant lesson you learned during your time with the theatre program?
The biggest lesson I learned was don't underestimate yourself. You are capable of doing the big things even when they seem scary and unreachable.

What are your plans for the future?
My plans post-graduation include teaching Elementary Music while actively searching for a job in the high school theatre realm as well.

Congratulations, Kyra! We are so very proud of you!

05/13/2026

GRADUATING SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
MAX KONOP

As Commencement approaches, we are highlighting our majors, minors, and non-majors who have had a significant impact on the theatre program throughout their time at UW-Platteville. We asked them to reflect on their years as a Pioneer Player and asked them what the future holds.

What is your most memorable experience in the theatre during your time here?
My most memorable experience has to be either getting covered in blood for the ending scenes of Macbeth or getting the opportunity to be one of two actors on stage while performing "The Dumb Waiter."

What is the most significant lesson you learned during your time with the theatre program?
Your experience is reflected in the number of mistakes you're willing to make. You're never going to get a performance right on the first rehearsal, but the bigger, the bolder the mistakes you're willing to make the better the experience will be for audience and actor alike. You can only take your regrets with you after a show. So put it all out there, put yourself on the line, take a leap of faith. Risk, Fail, Risk Again.

What are your plans for the future?
Engineering work in Milwaukee and Madison and performing as much as I can somewhere in between it all.

Congratulations, Max! We are so very proud of you!