By far the highlight of my 2018 was achieving a childhood dream. Some background: my first professional acting engagement came at the tender age of 14, when I was cast as Donalbain in the Scottish Play, and William Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, for the summer repertory season at the then fledgling Santa Cruz Shakespeare (then known as Shakespeare Santa Cruz – this was its second season). Members of the Royal Shakespeare Company were in the cast, thanks to founding Artistic Director Audrey Stanley’s connections. Acting with these titans was thrilling for this fledgling. Now, William Page is a pretty thankless role whose one main scene is usually cut, as it is literally a latin lesson with Elizabethan puns that are largely incomprehensible to a general modern audience. There are many children in MWOW, however (they are all recruited to execute the final gull of Falstaff in Act V), and as the oldest, I became the defacto leader of our merry band. There were many adventures, such as running into a skunk backstage (and backing away slowly, very slowly), and also lots of downtime. I used my downtime to watch the seasoned professionals do their work. I was particularly enthused my Master Ford, who commanded great laughter with his jealous histrionics, and I mused that one day I wanted to play that part and get those laughs.

Fast forward to 2018, and I was fortunate enough to be cast in this very role at the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival in Thousand Oaks. Paired with the inimitable, formidable, and hilarious Ted Barton as Ford’s Foil, Falstaff, this production was truly a dream come true. Here’s a brief slideshow highlighting some of the antics: