If you asked me to think of someone on campus who seems like they’re afraid, Dr. Gavin Richardson would probably not come to mind.
Even if you’re not in the English department, it’s hard to be a student at Union and not know who Richardson is. He’s a favorite professor for World Lit, well-known for his charismatic classroom presence and constant stream of quips and barbs as he teaches. When friends ask me what to expect from a Richardson class, I usually tell them that he is totally in control of his classroom at all times (in the best way possible, of course). Don’t take Richardson if you like to talk out of turn or be on your phone during class because that gets shut down quickly — and usually in an embarrassing way.
All that to say, when I asked Richardson if I could interview him about his experiences in community theater, I wasn’t necessarily expecting him to talk about fear.
Acting is a relatively new interest for Richardson. He explained to me that, other than his senior play in high school, “doing theater,” so to speak, wasn’t on his radar while growing up — “I wasn’t a theater guy,” he said. Throughout college and into adulthood, he continued to engage in theater solely as a consumer. At Union, Richardson was intentional about supporting the theater program and promoting on-campus productions, but it wasn’t until the late 2010s that he started to entertain the idea of stepping onto the stage himself.
As someone with several friends who are involved in Jackson community theater, I’ve often been intrigued by adults with already established careers choosing to pursue theater. Many of us choose what interests we’re going to invest in in high school or undergrad and then largely stick with those interests for the rest of our lives. So I’m always curious to know what inspires someone to take the leap and give acting a try.
When I asked Richardson how he first became interested in acting, he told me that imposter syndrome was a catalyst for his involvement in theater.
“When I teach Shakespeare, I talk to students about performance choices, and directorial choices and [how] so much depends upon how the language is actualized upon the stage — the word made flesh, so to speak,” Richardson said. “I’ve always been nagged by imposter syndrome, that I’m talking about something that I really don’t have any experience with. So I spoke to John Klonowski, the former theater professor here, and said, ‘If you ever do a Shakespeare play, I would like to have a small part.’ You know, just to know what that’s like, to be on stage, to deliver those lines as an actor as opposed to an English professor.”
Richardson’s first role was Egeus in a Union theater production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2016. Since then, he has acted in a total of seven productions at both Union and Hub City Theatre Company: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (in two different productions), “Twelfth Night,” “Macbeth,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Barefoot In The Park” and “The Comedy of Errors” (set to begin its run in March).
“My plan was to only do Shakespeare shows … really, as an outgrowth of my identity as an English professor so I could know the plays better, so I didn’t feel like such an imposter when I spoke about performance choices,” Richardson said.
But Richardson no longer solely sees theater as a way to improve his craft as a professor. It’s provided him with more touch points in the Jackson community, given him an additional creative outlet, helped him to use his free time in a valuable way and, yes, introduced some healthy fear into his life. He explained that taking on his first more substantial role in Union’s production of “Twelfth Night” was intimidating, but he found inspiration to take on the role from an unlikely source.
“That sign near the art gallery when you walk out of the PAC: ‘Do something every day that scares you …’ It’s the idea that you’re supposed to get out of your comfort zone a little bit,” Richardson said. “To take on a more generous role was daunting to me, but I thought, ‘I’m not too old to be a little bit scared.’”
Although I’m not an actor myself (the furthest my acting career ever got was a failed audition for the role of Winnie-the-Pooh at the age of 10), I have several friends on campus who are passionate about theater and have acted alongside Richardson in past productions. One of these friends is Olivia Wyatt, a senior public relations major (and Union’s last remaining theater minor after the shuttering of the program).
Wyatt has been in class with Richardson and in multiple plays with him. I wanted to know this: does it feel weird (for either party) for a professor and his students to suddenly be peers in this setting? Far from it, Wyatt said; for her, working with Richardson and seeing his commitment to excellence has helped her, a lifelong theater enthusiast, appreciate the art form even more.
“Dr. Richardson has shown each of us that theater is more than an activity; it’s an art form that takes dedication, love and appreciation,” Wyatt said. “His dedication is unmatched. Being able to teach all day and then show up and show out at rehearsal, no matter the day inspires me.”
I asked Richardson the same question. His answer?
“I suspect it’s weirder for [students] than it is for me. It’s not weird for me. There’s an all-hands-on-deck mentality that develops and I think those hierarchical barriers just kind of disappear or melt away because you’re all doing this thing together.”
It’s easy to see how Richardson has been able to inspire others through his roles; the thoughtfulness, energy and precision behind his answers to all of my questions had me making a mental note to Google “Comedy of Errors” tickets after leaving his office. Before leaving, I asked him one more question: what inspires you?
“Curiosity inspires me,” Richardson said. “When I encounter something like a new text or play for the first time, even as a teacher, there’s a part of me that’s still a student, enjoying the process of discovery.”
