Heidi Bohnenkamp
Johnson (right) says performing Shakespeare with the Acting Company is his 'dream job.'
Torsten Johnson says he fell in love with Shakespeare when his parents took him to see American Players Theatre productions in Spring Green when he was in the "single digits." He loved all the comedies and fondly remembers Jim DeVita in A Midsummer Night's Dream. "That's really where I got a taste for what Shakespeare could be," says Johnson.
Now the 25-year-old former Madisonian has landed a coveted spot with the Acting Company, one of the country's preeminent Shakespearean touring companies.
Johnson will appear in the troupe's production of Macbeth on March 7 and 8 at the Wisconsin Union Theater's Fredric March Play Circle. He plays the role of Malcolm, the deposed heir, whose father is murdered at the start of the play. At the end of the play, Malcolm leads the charge back from Scotland to claim the crown.
This tour is the actor's first with the company. He also plays a role in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which the company will not perform in Madison.
Johnson says he landed his "dream job" after his second audition with the Acting Company. When not touring, he is based out of Minneapolis, where he received a BFA in 2012 from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater. The program has a close relationship with the Acting Company, auditioning seniors to see if they are suited for any roles in the touring company. In December, Johnson arrived in New York City to rehearse at New 42nd Street Studios, a bustling theater hub with giant windows overlooking Times Square.
In addition to those formative APT trips, Johnson credits the Madison public schools with instilling a love of learning and language. Both of his parents teach in the Madison schools, and he attended O'Keeffe Middle School and spent one year at East High School before transferring to Interlochen Arts Academy, a boarding school located outside Traverse City, Mich.
And it was during a Children's Theater of Madison production of The Boxcar Children that director Colin Douglas suggested he pursue a career in theater.
For now, Johnson is enjoying the adventure of traveling the country with the Acting Company. But someday he would love to be a part of APT; he worked with the troupe three years ago, the summer after he graduated from college.
Johnson says he always loved Shakespeare, but he initially viewed it as preparation for doing contemporary plays or on-camera work. But, he says, "I began to realize that the plays are always there. Shakespeare is worthy of constant practice and production, just for its own right."
On his brief stop in Madison, Johnson says he can't wait to order his favorite noodle dish from his favorite east-side restaurant, Lao Laan-Xang (13B with pork, two stars). But for now, the play's the thing.u
Johnson (right) says performing Shakespeare with the Acting Company is his 'dream job.'