Charlie Sturgeon
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Favourite Play: Henry IV, Part 1
Favourite Character: Prince Hal/King Henry V
A “master of improvisation” (Herald Sun) and “a leading force in Melbourne’s improvised comedy world as both performer and instructor” (BroadwayWorld.com), Charlie Sturgeon hath performed regularly since 2010 with numerous companies including The Big HOO-HAA!, The Improv Conspiracy, Impro Melbourne (Theatresports™, Maestro™, Late Night Impro: The Bingo Board of Doom!), Impromptunes: Improvised Musical Comedy, Quiet Achievers: Completely Silent Improv (“this show is done so well that it’s hard to tell it’s improv” ★★★★ — Herald Sun), and hath most recently joined the ranks of Soothplayers: Completely Improvised Shakespeare.
Charlie graduated from 16th Street Actors Studio in 2011 and subsequently became an ensemble member, workshop tutor and artistic associate of the Australian Shakespeare Company. Now an established classical actor in Melbourne, Charlie hath played more than 200 performances at the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Athenæum Theatre, featuring in Henry IV, Part 1(Mortimer/Douglas), Romeo & Juliet (Prince Escalus) and Hamlet (Marcellus/Osric), and starring in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus/Oberon) and As You Like It(Orlando). Recent theatre credits include lead roles in Class Act Theatre’s The Winter’s Tale (Florizel) and Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s debut production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Demetrius).
Charlie hath performed full-length Shakespeare plays to thousands upon thousands of people, presented abridged Shakespeare incursions for hundreds upon hundreds of secondary school students, and taught dozens upon dozens of children, teenagers and young adults how to perform Shakespeare. He hath also had the pleasure of being invited as a special guest to recite Shakespeare soliloquies at symposiums with both David Malouf and Miriam Margolyes. In all forums, Charlie hath sought to demystify the Bard of Avon and make him accessible to all, which aligns with Soothplayers’ unique approach and wide appeal of improvised theatre.
A self-confessed bardophile and improficianado, Charlie would not wish any companion in the world but Soothplayers.