ESC's Darryl Maximilian Robinson Salutes Excaliber Productions, Ltd. Of Chicago And St. Louis Founding Acting Company Member And Internationally-Noted Stage And Voice Performer Walter Roberts!

Chicago Joseph Jefferson Citation Award Winner And Four-time Chicago Black Theatre Alliance / Ira Aldridge Award Nominee Darryl Maximilian Robinson, of The Excaliber Shakespeare Company Los Angeles Archival Project Proudly Highlights The Fine Work By Former Excaliber Productions, Ltd. Of Chicago And St. Louis Founding Acting Company Member Walter Roberts!:

Your humble servant in The Theatre, Darryl Maximilian Robinson, is delighted to share a few comments on the versatile, skilled and longtime American stage actor, play director, theater producer, singer and musician Walter Arlie Roberts, who has not only distinguished himself in multiple U.S. stage presentations, but who spent decades sharing his skills in English Language productions in Japan, where he has appeared on stage, in film, in television and became notable around the world as a frequent voice-over character performer of numerous video games and films as well as a highly-effective narrator.

Mr. Roberts is internationally known for voicing such projects as Sixshot, Craig Marduk and El Blaze. He is credited with 35 voice roles of at least 24 titles. He is the English voice of Absolute Tarturus. He has also been the voice of Andy Holland in "Resident Evil Survivor." He is noted for voicing Andre Olivieri in "Ace Combat: Joint Assault" amongst his impressive gallery of voice roles.

Walter Roberts is also a fine and charming singer and musician who has delighted audiences in live concerts and Tokyo tv show appearances as a lively featured video clip duet with talented fellow vocalist Stacy Powell demonstrates.

This veteran theatre artist first had the pleasure of working with the resilient Mr. Roberts in 1982 when we both served as Acting Company Members of The National Shakespeare Company Tour of New York ( where the two of us became fast and lifelong friends while both performing classical roles in "King Lear" directed by the late and revered three-time Obie Award Winner Gene Frankel; "As You Like It" directed by skilled Oregon Shakespearean Festival veteran the late James Tripp; and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" staged by noted classical comedy director Susan Lawless ).It was a very well staged trio of Shakespeare revivals, designed to be manageable and compact so that a capable dozen performers, serving as both cast and crew, could easily fit sets, props, costumes and artists' belongings onto a refurbished old Greyhound bus and go on the road to fulfill touring engagements at large and small colleges, universities, high schools, civic auditoriums and arts centers throughout the continental United States.

The then talented young Walter Roberts ( a native of Nebraska ) had began his formal theatre training at Webster University School of Performing Arts in The Greater St. Louis, Missouri Area and completed his education in stage acting at the noted Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, Illinois.

Years later, in 1990, when this adapter, director and performer was staging the multiracial cast Excaliber Productions, Ltd. critically-praised dramatic reading of "A Child's Christmas In Wales And More Tales" by Dylan Thomas at The Utopian Loft Theatre and Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri, Walter Roberts responded to an invitation to come from Chicago ( where he was then based ) to appear as a Guest Actor and Musician for this production ( which also featured Suzette Sutton, Philip Dennis and Christian Kohn ), where not only did he provide excellent readings of Thomas' poetry and prose ( his rendering of "Fern Hill" being a memorable highlight ) but gave a wonderful mini-concert of classical music upon the cello before each and every performance as well. Mr. Roberts set a standard for quality and excellence in this literary arts production that was well-received by his fellow actors and audiences.

The following year, in 1991, Walter Roberts returned for a pair of audience-pleasing encore visits to Excaliber in St. Louis. First, as The Commander ( aka The Statue ) opposite this actor/director as The Devil, Suzzette Sutton as Dona Ana and noted future critically-praised actor and educator Christian Kohn playing the title role of George Bernard Shaw's "Don Juan In Hell" staged both at The Utopian Loft Theatre and Gallery and The Historic Old Post Office in Downtown St. Louis, and later, recording the role of the villainous Iago opposite this actor and director playing the title role in the Excaliber Productions, Ltd. Radio Theatre Presentation of William Shakespeare's "Othello" broadcast on KDHX St. Louis Public Radio. Walter Roberts proved to be invaluable as a Founding Member of Excaliber's Chicago and St. Louis Acting Company.

It was only a short time after his stage work as an actor with Excaliber in St. Louis ( and other theater groups in the Midwest region ) did the gifted Mr. Roberts accept an assignment to serve as an educator in Japan, where when not teaching eager and appreciative students, he appeared on the stage with multiple companies, and would serve as a Founding Member, actor and play director with a Japan-based English Language company of performers known as The Black Stripe Theatre. Over the decades, Walter Roberts has truly proven to be A Theatre and Music Man For All Seasons.

To display a bit of the versatile serious dramatic skills of Mr. Roberts, provided is a link to Walter Roberts playing the title role of the 1995 Kurofune Theatre Company of Japan revival production of William Shakespeare's "Othello," which also features Kurofune Director Jerry Rudd as Iago, Karen Sholto as Desdemona and and Sarajean Risotto as Emilia. Enjoy.

SPECIAL NOTE: Recently, the skilled artist Walter Roberts has returned to the U.S. to spend time in his original home state of Nebraska. We will keep Theatre Lovers and Supporters informed of any upcoming appearances regarding his work.