Stories
Theatre where NDSU faculty member works wins prestigious Tony award
At NDSU Performing Arts, our faculty don’t just teach music or theatre. They’re also out there doing the work. Whether it’s directing a theatre production, teaching at International Music Camp, or performing music gigs, our faculty are involved in all sorts of creative endeavors, especially during the summer.
When a faculty member is part of an organization that wins a big award, NDSU Performing Arts joins them in celebrating.
Earlier this week, the Tony Awards Administration Committee announced the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award will go to American Players Theatre (APT) – a professional theatre in the rural town of Spring Green, Wisconsin, where Theatre NDSU’s Associate Professor of Set Design Tiffany Fier is currently working her 21st season as the Associate Paint Charge.
“Receiving the Regional Theatre Tony Award is the biggest honor a theatre can receive. APT is now in the company of theatres such as the Guthrie, Steppenwolf, and the Goodman in Chicago,” says Fier, who helps paint eight sets for APT every summer and teaches courses in Design and Tech at NDSU during the school year.
“Working with such a high caliber of performers, designers, and artisans allows me to bring that level of expectation to my Design and Tech students and to their creative work,” Fier adds.
Over the years at APT, Fier has worked with many Tony-award winning and nominated actors, like Carrie Coon, who have gone on to have impressive careers in film and television.
But she also gets to share paint brushes with NDSU theatre alumni like Katie Andreachi, the Scenic Charge Artist at APT and Fier’s boss.
“Theatre NDSU has proven again and again that we may be small, but we are mighty,” Fier says. “My goal is to teach students from real-world experience in Design and Tech, like my time at APT. As someone who has always known APT is a special place, it’s incredible for us to be recognized nationally.”
To learn more about the American Players Theatre’s Tony Award, visit the Tony Award website. More information about Theatre NDSU’s Design and Tech program is available on the NDSU Department of Theatre Arts website.