Five Fast Facts: George Olesky

You may have read him in tenth grade English or seen his work on the Common in the summer, but you’ve never seen Shakespeare quite like this. Here’s what you need to know about Newton native George Olesky, who will be playing Will Shakespeare in our upcoming production of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE:

1. George’s first Shakespearean role was Laertes in a “bare-bones” production of Hamlet that he and a group of friends “outside the theatre department” produced while attending the Cambridge School of Weston.

2. George didn’t catch the acting bug until college. Although he was a film student, George played the role of Joshua in Caryl Churchill’s play Cloud 9 and suddenly “there was no looking back.”

3. George credits Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o, star of the film Twelve Years A Slave, with helping him get into the Brown/Trinity MFA program by coaching him on his audition monologues.  The pair became friends while appearing in plays together at Hampshire College.

4. After college, George spent a few years in LA as a writer’s assistant for Brookline native Jonathan Roberts, whose credits include such classic Disney films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Monster’s Inc., and The Lion King.

5. George was once arrested by Donnie Wahlberg. Check out the clip here!