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(Last Update: 19:03 PST 17 January 2025 )
Other than a little Commedia dell'Arte with the Society for Creative Anachronism in the 1980s, I only started acting in February 2023, after I retired from 39+ years of being a professor. From years of classroom teaching, I knew that I could fill a room with my voice and that I was comfortable in front of an audience without a script, but I had no idea whether I could act. I was looking for a social activity, and I had seen how much my son had enjoyed acting (his main hobby for over 20 years), so I thought I'd give it a try.
| date(s) | title | producer | director | role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in rehearsal 2025 | Miss You (David Austin) | NextStage Productions | Sally Bookman | Man 1 |
| 9, 10, 11, 12 May 2024 | Harmony in Hollywood | Cabrillo Performing Arts Collective | David Hamilton | The Producer Ralph Bennett |
| 1 May 2024 | Water Conversations (staged reading) | ENVS course | Riley Hartmann | Sahara parent, San Francisco engineer |
| 20, 23 Mar, 6, 14, 15 Apr 2024 | Such a Good Listener (staged reading) | NextStage Productions | Sally Bookman | Pauly |
| 20, 23, 25 Mar, 6, 10, 13, 14, 15, 24 Apr 2024 | Check Please (staged reading) | NextStage Productions | Sally Bookman | Guy, Matt |
| 20, 21, 26, 27 Jan; 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 15, 17, 18 Feb 2024 | The Artist (in 8 tens @8, Part 2) | Actors' Theatre | Evan Hunt | Harper |
| 21, 23, 28 Apr; 12, 26 May; 2, 16 Jun; 21 Jul 2023 | Emotional Baggage (staged reading) | NextStage Productions | Sally Bookman | Rollo |
| 21, 23 Apr; 6, 12 May; 2, 6 Jun; 21 Jul 2023 | The Ferris Wheel (staged reading) | NextStage Productions | Sally Bookman | John |
| date(s) | title | producer | director | role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Dec 2025 | Coriolanus—"My Name is Caius Martius" (voice only) | Such Stuff as Scenes are Made On (podcast) | Alex Benarzi | myself, Coriolanus |
| 25 Feb 2024 | Romeo and Juliet (voice only) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Jamie Kelly, Alex Benarzi | Abram, Paris |
| 7 Dec 2023–30 Jan 2024 | Robotastic books (voice only) | narrator and all characters | ||
| 11 Jan 2024 | The Sandwich | UCSC Film 196B | Sebastian J. Salazar | Wizard |
Table reads are unrehearsed readings of the script, often interspersed with directors' or dramaturges' notes and repeating parts of scenes after the notes. The Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre reads are straight through with minimal notes with fixed casting, generally with first-come-first-served assignment of parts, sometimes aided by PlayerPart to cluster roles. The other table reads are broken up over several days, often with different casting on different days. The Santa Cruz Shakespeare table reads are fundraisers, with those reading giving more than those just listening. The Saturday Shakespeare group has an hour of scholarly lecture/discussion, followed by an hour of reading for 4 weeks, followed by a viewing of a video of a performance on the fifth week. The Shakespeare 2024 Discord channel read one play a week, in 3 2-hour sessions, but only lasted for two plays before falling apart due to schedule conflicts.
| date(s) | title | producer | director | role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan–Mar 8 2025 | Timon of Athens (11 hours) | Saturday Shakespeare (Aptos) | Timon 1.1, 1.2 | |
| 9 Nov 2024 | Macbeth (2.5 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Malcolm, 1st Witch, Angus 2nd Murderer, 2nd Apparition, Lady MacDuff, Gentlewoman, Lennox (Act V only), Young Siward | |
| 12 Oct–2 Nov 2024 | Much Ado About Nothing (11 hours) | Saturday Shakespeare (Aptos) | Don Pedro 2.3, 3.2, 4.1 Beatrice 3.4, Borachio 4.2 | |
| 9–23 Oct 2024 | Midsumer Night's Dream (10 hours) | Santa Cruz Shakespeare | Alicia Gibson | Peter Quince 1.2, Demetrius 3.2 (45–180), Puck 3.2 (418–492), Flute 4.2&5.1 |
| 5 Oct 2024 | Julius Caesar (2.5 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Cassius | |
| 21 Sep 2024 | Midsummer Night's Dream (2.75 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Bottom | |
| 7 Sep 2024 | Titus Andronicus (2.5 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Aaron, Lavinia, Martius, First Goth | |
| 22 Jul 2024 | Most Seeming Virtuous Queen (Langman) (2 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Hamlet | |
| 29 Jun 2024 | Apartment 3R (Zirolli) 1 hour | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Lion | |
| 29 Jun 2024 | The Bear (Chekhov) (45 min) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Smirnov | |
| 1 Jun 2024 | Richard II (3.5 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Gaunt, Mowbray, Aumerle, 2nd Herald, Green, Ross, Man, Exton, Keeper | |
| 26 Apr–18 May 2024 | Hamlet (11 hours) | Saturday Shakespeare (Aptos) | 1.2 Hamlet, 2.1 Polonius, 3.2 Hamlet (through the Mousetrap) 5.1 Claudius, 5.2 Osric | |
| 20 Apr 2024 | Hamlet (4.5 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Claudius, Gravedigger | |
| 6–20 Mar 2024 | As You Like It (10 hours) | Santa Cruz Shakespeare | Rebecca Clark | 1.1 Oliver, 2.1 First Lord, 2.7(—line 80) Jaques, 4.2 First Lord, 4.3 Silvius, 5.4 Duke Senior |
| 9 Mar 2024 | The Frogs (2 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Dionysus | |
| 2 Mar 2024 | Measure for Measure (3 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Angelo, Abhorson | |
| 20 Feb 2024 | The Bear | Cabrillo Theater Arts 31 | Grigori Stepanovich Smirnov | |
| 20 Jan–17 Feb 2024 | Pericles (10.5 hours) | Saturday Shakespeare (Aptos) | Pericles, 1st sailor, 2nd sailor, 2nd gentleman, Cerimon, Boult, Helicanus, Gower | |
| 13 Jan 2024 | The Lion in Winter (4 hours) | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Richard, stage directions | |
| 7–10 Jan 2024 | Henry VI Part 2 (5 hours) | Shakespeare 2024 | Gloucester, 2nd petitioner, Horner, 1st Gentleman, Iden, Clerk, Saye, Clifford, York, Bevis, Brother, Messenger, 1st Citizen | |
| 6 Jan 2024 | Becket: or the Honour of God | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Becket | |
| 1–3 Jan 2024 | Henry VI Part 1 (6 hours) | Shakespeare 2024 | Gloucester, Exeter, Porter, Charles, Warwick, Scout, 3rd Servingman, Porter | |
| 9 Dec 2023 | Twelfth Night | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Malvolio, Sebastian, Servant | |
| 2 Dec 2023 | Three Sisters | Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre | Chebutykin, Ferapont | |
| 11 Oct 2023–25 Oct 2023 | Hamlet (10 hours) | Santa Cruz Shakespeare | Charles Pasternak | 1.2, 1.3 Polonius; 3.3 Claudius; 5.3 Gravedigger |
| 7 Oct 2023–4 Nov 2023 | As You Like It (11 hours) | Saturday Shakespeare (Aptos) | Jaques, Touchstone | |
| 22 Apr–20 May 2023 | King Lear (11 hours) | Saturday Shakespeare (Aptos) | Burgundy, Edgar, Fool |
I have started practicing monologues for auditions, and I have recorded some of the practice sessions at https://tinyurl.com/Kevin-Karplus-monologues. Constructive feedback in the YouTube comments (or via email) is welcome!
