Johnny Williams III
Director, Lighting Designer, and Theatre Instructor
Teaching Philosophy
Directing Philosophy
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Passionate and motivated stage director, technical designer, actor, and theatre collaborator with hands on experience in nearly every area of design and stage elements. Offering an array of skills in many areas of theatre arts, helping to build effective communication and realistic expectations from the different fields of production. Proven focus on telling stories of “Voiceless/Silenced” bodies and working to provide a safe, healthy, and productive environment for everyone involved. Track record of leadership and community building through the arts.
Acting Philosophy
Being an actor is not only an interesting way to view the world through someone else's perspective for me, but it can help communicate how I exist in this world. I take every experience to examine the people around me, noting their behaviors, mannerisms, posture, and patterns. I am always working to develop a new character and I look forward to sharing what I find with my production team and eventually with the audience. Acting for me is the way I can tell a story with a group of people for a group of people.
I gravitate towards productions that challenge my physical abilities. I enjoy working my body to the limits and I test my limits with every character. Whether my physicalities are being tested by developing dramatic pain and physical distortion (ex. Mary Shelly’s Creature in Frankenstein) or whether I am finding a way to naturally embody the comedic and specific mannerisms of restoration comedy (ex. Aphra Behn’s Ned Blunt in The Rover), I always go beyond the call of duty to embody a character. As an actor our best tools are our bodies. The body can say so much more if we allow it to stretch itself to speak more. Another tool that is just as important to me while acting is the voice. Vocal training, rhetoric, scansion, and singing are areas that personally have been met with success and that I am always seeking to further improve.
I see myself acting for the rest of my life but I also see myself helping and mentoring others to find the benefits of live performance.