Kevin is a recent Apprentice who debuted this season as Sylvius in As You Like it. He’s also appeared in Hamlet as Guildenstern and as Balthazar in our Comedy of Errors with Janus Theatre in Elgin.
Q: What first turned you on to Shakespeare?
KEVIN: In 2013, I saw the Q Brother’s production of Othello: The Remix, which is a four-man show of Othello, told entirely through hip-hop (similar to Hamilton, though O:TR came first.) I wasn’t into Shakespeare or rap before seeing that show, and afterward, I was a fan of both.
Q: How has your approach to Unrehearsed altered during your first year? (or is it too early to say?)
KEVIN: I don’t know if it’s altered that much, but I’ve worked on cutting down on and specifying gestures.
Q: What, to you, is the most intriguing thing about King Lear?
KEVIN: It seems with most tragedies, the main character is introduced as a pretty decent guy (even Macbeth starts as a hero). Lear enters in the first scene, immediately banishes the only two people who are honest with him, and then has to get the audience on his side from there.
Q: If Lear asked you to flatter him, would you answer more like Cordelia or more like Goneril and Regan?
KEVIN: I’d probably plan on being honest, and then as soon as he asks I’d panic and say he’s the best thing ever.
Q: What’s your favorite Unrehearsed role to date?
KEVIN: Sylvius. Getting to lead the infamous (at least among Unrehearsers) “What ’tis to love” scene was an honor.
Q: So what’s next for Kevin Johnson?
KEVIN: Performing February 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th at the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg is a truly life changing production of The Lion King with the special needs inclusion based program, Ups For Downs. I’m playing Scar on the 2nd and 4th.
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