In the Spotlight: David Mix Barrington

Name: David Mix Barrington

Character: Autolicus (and Archidamus)

Why Acting?

I started acting when my daughter (now 21) started at age 9 with the Amherst Leisure Services Community Theatre. Since then I have grown to love the community of people that make theatrical productions happen.

How and why did you get involved with Hampshire Shakespeare & this production?

My first show was the previous HSC “Winter's Tale” in 2002, in which I played the Shepherd. I have always loved Shakespeare and it was clear from watching the shows that HSC was the company in the Valley that I wanted to work with (along with Valley Light Opera, which I joined a couple of years later). This is my eleventh HSC show, as twice I was silly enough to do both plays in the same summer.

Do you have a favorite role from any past productions?

Owen Glendower in “Henry IV Part I,” in 2009.

What is your Favorite Word?

That's too general a question – my favorite word that Autolicus says in this show is "prognostication", though in the uncut text he gets to refer to "toads carbonadoed".

What is your Least Favorite Word?

The words "beating" and "hanging" are terrors to Autolicus.

What sound or noise do you love?

The interesting vocalizations of my cairn terrier, Duncan.

What sound or noise do you hate?

The sustained barking of my cairn terrier, Duncan.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Being a professor already allows for a lot of experimentation, but I have always wondered how I might have done with either politics or the (Unitarian Universalist) ministry.

What profession would you not like to do?

Sales.

What is your earliest memory of theater?

In a French play in high school, I played the manager of a Mexican wrestler, who only said "Si".

Why is Theatre Necessary?

There are lots of ways to be human, but theatre gives both performer and audience a chance to be more intensely human than in normal life. Shakespeare in particular also gives us great insight into the English language, which in our modern version was in substantial part created by his work (along with the King James Bible).

Has performing Shakespeare given you any interesting insights into Shakespeare?

I certainly feel like the ten plays I've done are part of me now, in a deeper way than the ones I've only read. Although some very smart people (like Michael York) have been led by their acting experience to think that Shakespeare could not have been the man from Stratford that history says he was, I've had exactly the opposite conclusion -- I think that theatre was his profession and his life. When people say that Shakespeare must have been a lawyer, a soldier, or a woman, because he understood law, war, or women so well, they're just overlooking how good the guy is at “making up as he went along” – he was always on a deadline.

What’s next for you?

Theatrically, I'll be in the chorus of Valley Light Opera's production of “The Sorcerer” by Gilbert and Sullivan this November. Chris Rohmann, who has directed three HSC shows that I've been in, will be directing that show.


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David Mix Barrington (Archidamus/Autolycus) is appearing in his eleventh SUTS production and his second "Winter's Tale", as he played the Shepherd in 2002.  He also sings with Valley Light Opera and works with the Amherst Community Theatre.  By day he teaches computer science at UMass.