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Meet Aaron Graham

Aaron Graham

Hometown: Deerfield, Illinois

Roles in RTSF '08:
Dromio of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors
Florizel in The Winter's Tale

How did you get involved in acting?
I got seriously hooked after playing Harold Hill in The Music Man during my sophomore year of high school. Although I didn't decide to pursue a professional acting career until I graduated college (I majored in American history). I always loved performing, but I was busy in college trying to be "responsible" and head towards a "reputable career". That didn't take, apparently.

What was your first acting experience?
My very first? I'm thinking it was during a Fourth of July variety show in my hometown, called "American Pie". I was probably no more than 8 years old. And as I recall, all us men did the big macho dance number from Fiddler on the Roof. Wait, can Fiddler be macho? Probably not. But we tried. I'm it was very cute and all the wives and mothers kvelled.

What has been your favorite role?
Harold Hill in The Music Man will probably always be one of my favorite roles, just because of how much that experience meant to me, playing it in high school. In 2007, I played Tateh in Ragtime with Porchlight Music Theatre in Chicago and that was an amazing experience for many reasons. A close second favorite would be Dr. Mendel in Falsettos.

What is your favorite play?
Hmmm...there are many. I like Hamlet a lot. And MacBeth. Romeo and Juliet is lovely of course. August: Osage County is an excellent piece of work, if you don't mind me skipping ahead 400 years or so. And if you want to include musicals, well, I'm a big fan of Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, The Last Five Years, Bat Boy, Urinetown, Parade, Light in the Piazza...modern shows like that.

Who is your favorite Shakespeare character?
Probably Richard III, or Iago. Although I would love to play MacDuff someday and have a good cry when he learns his family has been slaughtered. That'd be sweet.

Why does performing Shakespeare interest you?
Music has always been an important part of my life, and learning the language of Shakespeare is absolutely akin to learning a unique type of music for me. I love the challenge of deciphering the code inherent in his poetry. He was brilliant at communicating to his actors through his punctuation, meter, and word choices, but it often takes a bit of effort to suss out the "true" meaning (for me it does, anyway). So for me, it's a very exciting challenge to perform Shakespeare's musical language, so that what's finally communicated to an audience is clear and honest.

Who are your heroes?
My mom.



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