Art and Culture: Ryan Williams

RYAN WILLIAMS

teacher and performer

BY SEVA MAY PHOTOS: HANNAH GREEN

1905, George

Bernard Shaw wrote a stage play entitled Man and

Superman. In this four-act drama, Shaw put in the line,

“Those who can, do; those who cannot, teach.” This phrase is more often than not used to criticize and disparage the teaching profession. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement especially when used to malign one of the most underpaid yet most important and fulfilling jobs a person could take on. To prove that every statement is not always true in every situation, I give you the example extraordinaire of C.E. Byrd High School’s own Ryan Williams. This is a man who “can do” and absolutely thrives on teaching others the art of acting. However, teaching drama is so much more than producing theatre. Williams understands this better than anyone I know.

To prove that every statement is not always Armed with a degree from Centenary, a masters from Louisiana Tech, and the experience of an internship at Julliard, Williams landed his teaching position at Byrd 18 years ago. The first few years taught him how to work in the Caddo Parish school system. “Luckily, I had mentor teachers and administrators who would continually come by and check that I was doing okay,” Williams says. He had to learn how to obtain a purchase order, and how to go about reserving space for rehearsals and productions, for example. His sense of teamwork and excellent communication skills enables him to work with and integrate with Byrd’s sports program. “My first year, the students wanted to do a play. So, we did The Haunting of Hill House. We did it down at the Performing Arts Center (PAC). It played to 30 people a night.” In his defense, this production was the first in a very long time. In hindsight, Williams believes it might have had a bigger draw had they staged it at Byrd’s Auditorium which was, at the time, illequipped for a theatre production. To date, his most successful show at Byrd in terms of audience was Mamma Mia. The biggest disappointment was The Little Mermaid. The show opened and played for one weekend and was forced to close because Covid came along and shut the world down. The forced quarantine kept getting extended until the seniors in the cast had already started college. It wasn’t practical to gather the cast and perform the last three performances. This was indeed heartbreaking because the cast of The Little Mermaid was loaded with talent.

Williams understands that a drama class will produce the best creative thinkers. Drama builds more confident students who may become more resourceful future leaders. Drama students can use their skills to become better trouble-shooters and problem solvers. These students are more likely to become better communicators which is crucial to becoming a productive member of society. For Williams, theatre is not only a passion, but also his life. His students absolutely adore him. Many have gone on to successful careers in other fields and have also enjoyed involvement in community theatre. Some have stayed with theatre and have careers in regional and touring companies. Williams is equally proud of all his kids who have benefited from his knowledge, guidance, and encouragement over the years. Outside of Byrd, Williams has directed productions at PAC and Centenary. What many people do not know, however, is that Williams is just as talented on the stage. He is a brilliant actor and vocalist (the same quality as Michael Bublé) and has shared his talents with numerous community theatre and repertory theatre stages. This coming spring, he will be hosting a fundraiser for Byrd High School’s drama department where you can hear him sing. He is also making plans to participate in an upcoming musical planned for the summer of 2023. To see his students in action, make plans to see Byrd High School’s spring production of Footloose. This foot stomping, iconic show will feature several members of the coaching staff – something you won’t want to miss. Ryan Williams has had the privilege of sharing his passion for performing arts with countless students and has watched them learn and grow not only as performers, but as people too. On this note, I’ll leave you with one last quote. This is from Aristotle himself. “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.” presents

MERRY

and HAPPY NEW YEAR

from the Emmett Hook Center!

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