Meet the Cast of Henry V: Alyssa Banister

Hello! My name is Alyssa Banister and I am new here to the Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company. I am from Birch Run, MI, but I am currently residing in Grandville, MI for the duration of Henry V.

I am currently studying theatre as a Theatre Performance major at The University of Michigan-Flint. I have worked with The Flint Youth Theatre and UM-Flint's theatre program. My favorite role that I have played is Jo March from FYT's production of Little Women. I appreciate how strong of a character she is, her honesty, and the vigor she possesses. It made her a privilege to play.

When it comes to free time, when I have it, I enjoy reading, sewing, and watching my favorite TV shows. Three fun facts about myself are: my favorite band is Twenty One Pilots, my favorite food is spaghetti, and my middle name is Noelle (pronounced like the Christmas Noel.)

The character I am playing is the Boy. Three adjectives I would use to describe him are: intelligent, prankster, and unlucky. He is intelligent in the sense that he speaks French pretty fluently (as I do not.) He is a prankster because he messes with Falstaff's drink in the beginning to irritate him. Lastly, unlucky due to the fact that he gets stuck with the Eastcheap Gang, and other reasons that would be spoilers if I said them now.

When creating a Shakespeare character, I tend to start from the inside with emotions and motivations. I do it this way because it drives my physical responses and actions and makes them more fluid and believable. When it comes to "Original Practice," I love productions that do cross-gender roles. I think that it's fun and socially progressive to be able to play any character without the limitation of gender. Art is art.