My Middle-School Son, the “40-Year-Old” Budding Actor (Allison White)

Allison and her boys . . .

My son was born a 40-year-old. Richard has always been mature, serious, composed, and reserved. Not all actors are extroverts. Inside of him is a love for theatre and acting. Enter Nancy Eyerman, the middle school theatre teacher who encouraged and nurtured that spark for acting. The middle school years are filled with the awkward interactions, emotional growth, and massive changes from child to young adult. Richard found like-minded friends in his theatre class, and to Nancy I am forever grateful for suggesting Young Shakespeare that Summer to continue his education in theatre.

The productions that Richard participated in prior to Young Shakespeare were typical youth theatre with silly and kid-friendly subject matter. He enjoyed being on stage, but the productions did not feed his old soul. He auditioned with Young Shakespeare for “The Scottish Play” when he was 12. He was one of the youngest in the group, and the cast immediately took him under their wing. He found his kindred spirits and a boost to his confidence brought by the camaraderie of an older teenage cast. Richard has participated in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Much Ado About Nothing in the following two years.

“Wow! Is that my kid?” – Allison White (Mom)

Over the last three years, I have seen a confidence build in Richard’s acting. With the guidance of his directors, Ann Ciccolella and Nancy Eyerman, his comprehension of the material has improved tremendously, his passion for Shakespeare and other classics has grown, and Richard has learned to take notes and constructive criticism in a mature way. Sitting in the audience during performances, I marvel at the talent of the actors in this program. And when Richard is on stage, I have a “Wow! Is that my kid?” moment every time. Richard looks forward to the productions each year to be reunited with his cast mates and meet new ones.