We look to the past to shape our future. Who are you? Where are you going from here?

I’m Will Harrell. Originally from Montgomery AL. Just recently finished a BFA in Acting to the University of Montevallo (after 20 years away from school.) Headed to NYC in the fall in order to pound the pavement in the audition circuit and fill my calendar with acting jobs for the next year.

What excites you most about being a part of TAM’s Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight Season?

The ensemble nature of TAM’s rep season. Talented artists working fast and hard to produce something uniquely Monmouth. I also love Repertory acting very much. I call it actor Olympics. I never thought I would get to play Benedick. That is a real gift. As the years go by I start to see that the Shakespearean roles start to fly by as well. Glad I grabbed this ring. Sganerelle is the kind of disgusting bad guy that I love playing. Just so much fun. And he never stops talking! So it’s a real memorization challenge that is so rewarding when I get it right.

We’re all about making old things new and new things classic. Why are you drawn to classic theater? How do you shake it up?

I love digging into classic texts and working out how to live in the language so that a modern audience can come along on the ride. Great art is great art no matter when it was made. What makes something classic isn’t the time period it was created in, it’s the universality of the themes. Shakespeare, Moliere are thick with puzzles that the actor has to have completely solved before they can perform them before an audience. In this way we are like tour guides that help the audience along. We lead them around poetic corners and over antique verbal hills. If we do our job, they come with us all the way and are rewarded for their effort. We can lift these great authors up and also have fun knocking them off their pedestal by bringing them all the way down to earth and into the 21st century with new productions that are free of constraints. But I like to take a balanced approach. It’s always best for me to learn, understand, and respect all the rules before I smash them to bits.

From what sources do you draw your inspiration?

I love to run. Get a lot done there. I love meditation. That keeps me open to inspiration. Listening to showtunes. Learning new subjects. Singing while playing the piano. Sunshine and greenery.

You can have dinner with any three influential people. Who are your dream guests, why them, and what is the topic of conversation?

Ram Dass, A spiritual teacher and Thinker from the 60’s. He had the gift of gab and the ability to easily verbalize complex concepts that I wish I had. Stephen Fry. For exactly the same reason. And I could listen to him read the phone book. I would love to hear him talk about Wilde and Shakespeare and the Greeks and Gay culture and Compassion. I would also love to talk with Natalie Weiss who is one of my favorite present day philosophers and video essayists. I love that she freely gives away her education and her ability to fearless tackle tough topics without making anyone into “the Enemy.” She can disagree with peoples actions and words without turning people into their worst actions and words.

How have the past few years changed your view of making theater and what action are you most proud of?

I’m definitely most proud of graduating from the University of Montevallo. That’s something I never thought I would do. The big pause of the pandemic gave me the time and momentum to do. Making theater with 18, 19 and 20 year olds for 3 years was eye opening. I didn’t realize how closed off I was when it came to considering gender, age, race, or ability. I hope that I have become more aware of the experiences of others and more open to interpreting classic works with a more inclusive eye. Hopefully I’m not performative about it. Hopefully I can be open because it make better art, not because I’m “supposed” to be. Also, When it come to classic texts I’ve become a little more flexible. There doesn’t have to be a “right” way to produce a classic text. There are just different ways that may or may not be successful.
I’ve also become very passionate about reenergizing the regional theaters of the world and doing whatever I can to help bring really great professional productions to as many people as possible in as many places as possible. Not only because I want the the work, dammit, but because every generation of theater artists has to reinvigorate theater in order to keep it alive.

What’s your super power?

I’ve never given up on the belief that I can fly. I just have to keep trying even when I think people are watching.