Acting the Role Discussion: Geoffrey Wade on DOGBERRY from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing (Amherst College and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park)

Professional actor Geoffrey Wade joined us in October 2021 to discuss the character of Dogberry in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Geoffrey has played Dogberry twice, at very different times in his life, and finds it’s a fascinating character to dissect. He first performed it as a student at Amherst College and then again at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Geoffrey and I first spoke on the podcast back in Season 1 about his life and career, and he has also appeared in several of the workshop presentations in Season 4. He trained at the Central School of Drama and has been working professionally for 30+ years across theatre, film, and TV; he was recently seen in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in San Francisco.

You’ll hear Geoffrey and I talk about rehearsals, preconceived ideas, and discoveries. How to ground characters that seem eccentric, bizarre or over the top, and how to trust yourself and the script. He’ll talk about working on roles that people think are “funny” and dealing with any sense of obligation an actor might have to be comical.

And as some of these guests have been mentors to me and perhaps even to some of you (even by listening to these conversations), you’ll hear a defining conversation in Geoffrey’s life with a mentor about this very role. Plus, don’t miss the lighting round where you’ll learn even more about Geoffrey!

It’s an excellent and to-the-point conversation—one of the things I always love about talking with Geoffrey— and whether or not you ever play this role, I believe you’ll leave with several ideas you can bring to your next acting challenge.

Enjoy the audio version of the Acting the Role conversation on Dogberry:

Total Running Time: 1:04:07

• Stream by clicking here.
• Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as/save link as”.

Get the show delivered right to you!

Or watch the discussion!