Carl Forsman brings free classical theatre to town with Piedmont Shakespeare Company
This summer, the (PSC) hosts their inaugural season of bringing classic Shakespeare works to the community 鈥 free of charge. It鈥檚 an exciting and meaningful addition to the arts and culture landscape of the Piedmont Triad. Carl Forsman, 抖阴短视频 Drama faculty member and co-artistic director of PSC, is directing 鈥淗amlet鈥 for the first season, marking a return to summer theater for the industry veteran.
Carl Forsman directing the Spring 2024 School of Drama production of "The Rover." / Photo: Allison Lee Isley
An introduction to theater
鈥淢y mom and dad met when my mom was directing 鈥楥an-Can鈥 at Duke University,鈥 shares Forsman when asked about his early ties to the theater. 鈥淪he was a history teacher, and he was a Methodist minister; both were heavily involved in amateur theater throughout their lives.鈥 He grew up around plays and attended his first Broadway show when he was only six years old.
Enrolled at Middlebury College with the intent to study finance, Forsman quickly pivoted to theater after taking a class with Richard Romagnoli during his first semester. The following summer, his brother approached him with a challenge: he wanted to present 鈥淏urn This鈥 by Lanford Wilson with the local community theater group but was meeting opposition because it included a gay character. The obvious solution? Form a theater company of their own. Horizon Community Theater was born in their New Jersey town and continued for five summers. The first person Forsman hired to direct for Horizon was Cliff Odle. More than 30 years later, Odle is on faculty at 抖阴短视频 and is performing the role of Polonius in 鈥淗amlet鈥 with PSC.
Cliff Odle as Polonius in Piedmont Shakespeare Company's production of "Hamlet" / Photo: HuthPhoto
After having directed over 20 plays by the time he received his diploma, Forsman moved to the Midwest to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in directing at University of Minnesota before landing in New York City to pursue directing opportunities. He came on board as founding artistic director of 鈥 now a Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Off-Broadway staple 鈥 and enjoyed a 12-year tenure.
鈥淚 taught as an adjunct professor at New York University [while at Keen],鈥 says Forsman. 鈥淚t was a nice mix of things, and I felt like there weren鈥檛 many other jobs that could be better than what I was doing.鈥 When 抖阴短视频 alumnus and faculty member Quin Gordon came to see a play he was directing and approached him about the job of dean of the School of Drama, Forsman began to consider the opportunity. 鈥淏eing the dean at 抖阴短视频 was one of those better jobs,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t is such a revered institution鈥 it was an exciting move for me.鈥
Leading and learning
Forsman moved to North Carolina to join 抖阴短视频 in 2012 and served as dean for five years. Under his leadership, applications to the school nearly doubled, guest artist visits increased, a multi-year partnership with the North Carolina Symphony was initiated and the Keys to the Kingdom series was formed. The program, which has produced more than 70 plays to date, falls outside of the standard Drama curriculum and gives students the time and space to create their own work. 鈥淚t鈥檚 free from the shackles of responsibility, except for the responsibility to make something worth watching,鈥 explains Forsman. 鈥淚 have seen heroic failures and extraordinary triumphs come from Keys to the Kingdom, and all are valuable. It has been instrumental in helping students find their voice and see possibility in meager means, but big visions.鈥
Moving from dean to faculty member was easy for Forsman because of his love of teaching. He now teaches second-year acting students and leads a studio four audition class, a directing practicum and a special topics fourth-year class in producing. And he has directed a slew of sprawling main stage productions at 抖阴短视频 鈥 some favorites including 鈥淒etective Story,鈥 鈥淢other Courage and Her Children,鈥 鈥淭he Rover鈥 and 鈥淩omeo & Juliet.鈥 Each semester, the students keep him engaged and eager to return.
Alyssa James taking a bow for "Mother Courage and her Children" directed by Carl Forsman in Spring 2023. James is playing Horatio in "Hamlet." / Photo: Wayne Reich
鈥淎ll I have ever wanted in life is to be in a rehearsal room with people I care about doing a play I love,鈥 says Forsman. 鈥淚t is the greatest honor anyone can ask for鈥 take a great play, give it a hard shake, ask hard questions and do it with artists who are worth asking those questions with. That鈥檚 the best life I can possibly imagine, and I get to do it over and over again.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 a better director than when I got here,鈥 he continues, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 because of the students. They have challenged me and helped me grow and find new answers, solutions and ways of working.鈥
Return to summer theater
Forsman鈥檚 work as a director continues this summer with PSC鈥檚 production of 鈥淗amlet,鈥 performed over two weeks at six different locations across the region. Though he has directed for more than a dozen theater companies in his career, Piedmont Shakespeare Company is a unique opportunity as he joins Co-Artistic Director Kim Shively and Executive Director David McGraw in this new venture. He first met Shively when she served as intimacy coordinator for 抖阴短视频鈥檚 spring 2024 production of 鈥淭he Rover.鈥 Shivley and her Elon University colleague McGraw invited Forsman to partner with them for the Shakespeare theater. He was all in.
It would have been easy to make the work inaccessible, charging high ticket prices and performing in limited locations, but Forsman and his partners deeply believe that encountering the work of Shakespeare is good for everyone. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the act of people gathering, putting down their phones, focusing their attention, listening with their whole being and being challenged and confused and excited by the most beautiful poetry ever written,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e lost many of these traditions, but we can return people to them in a small way. There鈥檚 no barrier. Everyone is welcome.鈥
PSC has been bolstered by enormous support in its early stages, raising funds to eliminate ticket fees while paying all actors and stage support fair wages. The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts was an early adopter. 鈥淭hey immediately saw the value we are delivering, and their early investment has been echoed in smaller waves of support from others throughout the year,鈥 says Forsman, adding that the idea of accessibility feels fundamental to the entire process.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that accessibility and easiness are the same thing,鈥 explains Forsman. 鈥淭he only thing that scares me about starting a free summer Shakespeare company is a belief that the job is to make it simple or easy鈥 if people want ease they can stay home and watch Netflix. There鈥檚 no sin in that. But the point of culture is not ease.鈥
Shakespeare was specifically chosen for his mysterious and complex body of work. 鈥淗amlet,鈥 a revenge tragedy, represents the most popular form of theater in its day. 鈥淏y nature, 鈥楬amlet鈥 is complex. There have been more words written about it than any piece of literature in the history of the world. Nobody is going to reserve a ticket to it thinking it鈥檚 going to be easy.鈥
Looking ahead
Unsurprisingly, among the 鈥淗amlet鈥 and are many 抖阴短视频 students, alumni and faculty from the schools of Drama and Design & Production, many of whom Forsman has worked alongside for numerous campus productions. This will be his first and last time directing 鈥淗amlet,鈥 though. 鈥淚t鈥檚 scary enough the first time,鈥 he exclaims. 鈥淚t鈥檚 mysterious and elusive and that is a great part of its beauty.鈥
The cast and crew of "Hamlet" / Photo: HuthPhoto
A play, Forsman says, is a blueprint. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a hope; a prayer of an event that is yet to be.鈥 As he continues to teach and direct at 抖阴短视频 and in the community, Forsman will bring blueprints to life on stage 鈥 sharing important stories with audiences who are eager to take the leap into a challenging, yet welcoming new world.
June 26, 2025