Lifelong love of theater inspired by teacher

   Just as he encourages children with the characters he portrays on school stages throughout Ohio, William Salmons can trace his love of theater to a classroom.

   Salmons, in fact, credits his second-grade teacher in New Jersey.

   "She would find a script for the kids and have us perform for the other classes," he recalled of Alice Spooner, who drew pictures in colored chalk on the blackboard to serve as backdrops for classroom shows.

   "She still asks my dad what I'm up to."

   After 12 years, the performer and road manager for Columbus Children's Theatre is leaving the touring company.

   Salmons and the troupe's three other performers -- Brieanna Bailey, George Bailey and Kelly Strand -- will present Mother Goose this weekend and next, marking his last performance in the Park Street Theatre.

   Come August, the 40-year-old Salmons will begin pursuing a master's degree in acting at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

   "Instead of going out and buying something really expensive, I quit my job and I'm going back to school," he said, joking about a "midlife crisis."

   During his tenure with the company, Salmons has staged 3,192 performances in 82 shows.

   His passion was cemented by the time he reached the seventh grade at Pinelands Regional High School in Little Egg Harbor, N.J. -- which catered to grades seven through 12.

   When his best friend's mother saw him do a sketch at a school icebreaker, she encouraged him to audition for Dracula.

   "I was the first seventh-grader to ever get cast in the high-school plays," he said of his major role as Renfield.

   He studied theater in college, earning a bachelor's in theater with a focus on children's theater from Shenandoah University and Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Va.

   His college performing days included a three-year stint in a touring company that traveled to elementary schools in Virginia twice a week.

   "It kind of stuck because I really liked going into the schools."

   Since deciding to return to college, Salmons has had time to contemplate his contributions to the Columbus troupe and his growth as an actor.

   "For years, I was always pushing that the job should be more than just an entry-level job," said Salmons, who successfully campaigned to receive benefits for the company's professional actors.

   He takes pride in the professionalism he has brought to the company and the professionalism he demands from his acting peers. Many of the theater's productions -- including Mother Goose -- involve plenty of audience participation: Hands shoot up as children compete to be selected.

   Those same students, though, can create unplanned moments.

   "My improv skills have gotten better," he said. "You know, someone's not going to show up because they can't get their costume on. Or the kids want to volunteer, and they get up there and they don't want to volunteer. I'm not really shaken by much."

   Salmons' humor and knack for handling the unpredictable onstage draws praise from William Goldsmith, the company's artistic director.

   "He's an amazing comedic talent," Goldsmith said. "He's funny no matter what he does. And he's sharp onstage; if something goes wrong -- with Bill, never fear.

   Better still, Goldsmith noted, Salmons has endeared many schools and students to Columbus Children's Theatre. As readily as Salmons recalls his second-grade teacher's name, he'll remember the kids for whom he performed.

   He might visit a school only once a year, yet some students inevitably see him before he's in costume and start calling his name.

   "You cannot beat that," he said. "For them to remember your name, obviously you've done something right."

Michele Lemmon is a Columbus freelance writer.

William Salmons leaves CCT Touring Troupe after 12 years. Click above to play slideshow