Westlake High alumnus returns to star in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ vignettes
Fresh out of Boston University, actor John Austin has already earned prestigious acting accolades. Austin audiences will get to see why when the 2013 Westlake High School alumnus comes home to star in a unique performance of “Romeo and Juliet” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the University of Texas Bates Recital Hall.
Produced by the Austin Shakespeare and Austin Chamber Music Center, the production’s second collaboration will showcase the romantic balcony scene, choreographed fights, a message from Juliet’s nurse, and the star-crossed lovers’ final tomb meeting.
“We’ll step into the scenes,” Austin said, noting he will be accompanied by chamber musicians performing Beethoven, Prokofiev, Bartok and Schubert.
The 22-year-old is a member of the National Players, the longest-running classical touring theater group in the country, which is in its 69th year. He was one of 10 actors chosen from 1,500 nationwide to perform Shakespeare and other classic plays.
“For many audiences, their attendance at our performances is their first theater experience,” Austin said. “It is quite an opportunity to give and receive this gift.”
Austin has been rehearsing in Olney, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C., before embarking on a tour that will include “Othello” and “Alice in Wonderland.” He’ll also play the title role in “The Great Gatsby.”
In a recent phone interview after rehearsal, Austin recalled his first performance was a musical review in first or second grade. Then, he became enchanted with the profession.
“I’m an actor today because of the imaginative backyard games my brother and I created,” Austin said. “We put ourselves in the stories . ... Mom put us in an improv camp, and my brother and I devised a skit where two goofy characters’ actions always went awry. ... Our skit would always end with us colliding and keeling over, and saying, ‘Oh, my back!’ The other kids loved it so much, they stole our shtick. So, for the parents’ presentation, every skit had a back ailment, and by the time they got to our skit, it was old hat, and we couldn’t use it.”
He also credited Westlake drama teachers Gary Jaffe and Michael Harlan for inspiring him to become an actor. Jaffe suggested he audition for the Young Shakespeare Company, which is part of Austin Shakespeare. He did — and won the title role in Julius Caesar. After graduation, he won the part of Romeo in their production.
“Stellar English teachers like Melissa Dupre and Michelle Crocker also opened up literature,” Austin said, and inspired his love for fiction and plays.
Austin also expressed appreciation for his mother and father.
“I’m fortunate to have two parents who told me they’d support me in any creative endeavor I pursued. In studying at B.U., I met many students who couldn’t say the same thing.”
In May, he graduated summa cum laude from Boston University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting. The young thespian also received the prestigious Bette Davis scholarship and Bette Davis “Excellence in Acting Profession” prizes. Some of the foundation’s lifetime achievement awards have gone to Meryl Streep, Lauren Bacall and Susan Sarandon.
Previously, he was awarded the B. Iden Payne Award from the Austin Circle of Theaters for outstanding work presented on a local stage in his role as Zeus as Youth in the play “Zeus in Therapy,” directed by his former teacher, Jaffe.
As a college junior, the Barton Creek West resident spent six months studying classical acting at London’s Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. He visited Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon, heightening his love for the Bard.
“My favorite room was his father’s glove-making shop. It reminded me of the line Romeo utters to Juliet when she is on her balcony. ‘Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand,’” Austin said. “Shakespeare’s words grip like leather. I understood more about him.”