Josh Carroll is in his fourth season at the Shawnee Theatre. Over the years he has acted, directed and done many of the other jobs a summer theater company asks of its members. This summer he's focusing on acting.
Summer Specialization
"Last year I began an MFA program in acting," Carroll says. "This summer I've been working to put into practice, build on and develop what I'm learning."
Shawnee's Artistic Director Matt Graber agrees. "We're happy to have Josh with us. We've actually been looking for a role that would feature his special qualities. We think we've found it in the main character of The Man Who Came to Dinner."
That part, Sheridan Whitesides, is a theater critic, columnist and radio personality. The play's writers, George S. Kaufmann and Moss Hart, modeled the character on their friend Alexander Woolcott. Woolcott himself was a theater critic for the New Yorker and host of a CBS radio show, The Town Crier.
Acerbic, Curmudgeonly, Magnetic
Josh Carroll describes his role. "He's just a wonderfully pompous, self assured and bombastic fellow. He's such a force that the world of this innocent Ohio family that invites him for a meal has to rearrange itself around him. It's kind of an amazing part."
Carroll goes on to talk about the production.
"The script actually has thirty-six characters. For both practical and dramatic reasons our director Jake Miller has decided to use just ten actors. Part of the fun of the show will be watching the transformations. I believe it will very much encourage the audience to be even more involved. "