Tom Butterworth to Star in Shakespeare on the Sound's AS YOU LIKE IT, 6/13-30

Tom Butterworth of New Canaan has reinvented himself as an actor after 20 years as a lawyer then business consultant and his next stage appearance is in Shakespeare on the Sound's production of "As You Like It" June 13-30 in Rowayton's Pinkney Park.

The Bard's sheer mastery of language and creative vitality comes to the natural amphitheater in the park under the stars for the theater's 18th season. There is no charge for admission. But donations are welcome, $20 suggested for adults, $10 for seniors and students.

Two elderly figures, Adam, a servant, and Corin, a shepherd, are Butterworth's to interpret in "As You Like It," a pastoral comedy that captures the elevating-and darkest--facets of the human spirit.

At 68 and a grandfather of six, Butterworth says "that's my niche now, old guys."

Since eschewing work 9-to-5 in 2003, he has appeared with community theaters like Curtain Call and the Town Players in New Canaan and the Ridgefield Theater Barn, playing diverse characters such as Thomas More in "A Man for All Seasons," Senex in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," Nils Bohr in "Copenhagen" and even Dame Clarissa in "Snow White."

But not since college has Butterworth pursued every actor's Everest, Shakespeare, where even cameos sparkle with infinite promise.

In transitioning to the theater and the creative side of his brain from the logical side that business demands, as Butterworth describes it, he says acting's appeal is provocative.

"When you first get a part," he says, "it seems impossible. How can you even contemplate doing it? Whatever you are going to say on stage doesn't come naturally. It's not transformative like normal speech. So you fall back on your personal history and emotional background. And that's never an easy process."

More recently, Butterworth has added another dimension to his theatrical arc, co-producing the Town Players' production of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" at the Powerhouse Theatre.

"As You Like It" is presented as a family-focused evening with picnic baskets and blankets or low-slung chairs. The director, Claire Shannon Kelly, is also a New Canaan resident. Four other members of the 14-performer cast apart from Butterworth, and the choreographer are Connecticut-based.

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