Mini: Shakespeare for Young Audiences with ML Roberts, Sean Patrick Nill, and Elyse Sharp of B Street Theatre’s NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE

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In this mini-episode, we sit down with actor ML Roberts and co-playwrights Sean Patrick Nill and Elyse Sharp to talk about NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE—a brand new Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) play premiering at Sacramento’s B Street Theatre. 

B Street is well known for its Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) programming, which brings high-quality, professional productions to children, families, and schools, making theatre accessible to the next generation.

We dive into B Street’s philosophy of theatre for young audiences and how NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE fits into that mission. Along the way, we discuss the theatre’s history with Shakespeare, what makes this new play different from other Shakespeare-for-kids or Shakespeare-adjacent productions, and why introducing Shakespeare to young people matters in today’s cultural landscape. ML Roberts shares his perspective on embodying a central role in the play, while Nill and Sharp reflect on the process of adapting Shakespeare’s world for youth audiences—balancing humor, clarity, and creativity to keep the material engaging.

At Shakespeare Anyone?, we strive to contextualize Shakespeare and make his works accessible. This episode highlights how NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE carries that same mission into the world of young audiences.

ML Roberts is the son of a Navy veteran and descendant of the Gullah Geechee of the Carolinas. As a member of Actor's Equity Association, he has performed with Seattle Children's Theater, Folger Shakespeare, Unicorn Theatre (UK), The Williams Project, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare, among others. As a playwright, his debut production Riverside premiered at Indy Shakes. His work has been developed with New Harmony Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, and GTG's Speaker's Corner. As a screenwriter, he co-wrote a Lifetime movie and has developed work with Hulu. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, a Broadway Advocacy Coalition Fellow, Co-Artistic Director of Yale Cabaret Season 57: Phoenix, and inaugural Core Company Member at ACT Theatre (Seattle). MFA Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama; BFA Acting from North Carolina School of the Arts marceselorenzo.com

Sean Patrick Nill is Artistic and General Manager at the B Street Theatre. B Street Writing Credits include: Tiny Trailblazers: Kids Who Changed the World, Winnie-the-Pooh, ‘Tis the Season, Fantasy Festival XXXI-XXXVI, Mind Boggling Mysteries of the World, and Mathematical Madness. Directing Credits include: Tiny Trailblazers: Kids Who Changed the World, Cosmo St. Charles is Dead and Someone in This Room Killed Him, The Prince of Lightning, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Last Wide Open, A Year with Frog & Toad, Proclivity for Kiting, and Fantasy Festival XXXI-XXXVI. His plays have been produced by the Sacramento Theatre Company, B Street Theatre, Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, Rover Dramawerks, Theatre InspiraTO festival, Watermelon One Act Festival, M.T. Pockets Theatre, Torent Theatre, and the Manhattan Repertory Theatre. His play Kings of America was a finalist for the Davey Foundation Theatre Grant given by the Salt Lake Acting Company, his play An Ordinary Woman was published in Stage It! Ten Minute Plays: 2017 Edition, and his play Brynlee & the Bull won the Audience Choice Award at the InspiroTO 10 Minute Play Festival in Canada. His adaptation of Winnie-the-Pooh, which premiered here at the B Street Theatre, is now published and can be purchased through Theatrical Rights Worldwide (https://www.theatricalrights.com/).

And, you know her as one half of Shakespeare Anyone?…Elyse Sharp is a member of Actor’s Equity Association and the Shakespeare Association of America, as well as a director, podcaster, dramaturg, and teaching artist. At the age of 9, and inspired by an episode of the PBS series Wishbone, she rewrote Romeo and Juliet for a fourth grade class assignment, and she’s been passionate about Shakespeare (and helping others understand his work) ever since. Previously with B Street Theatre, she has been an Associate Producer of the New Comedies Festival, an actor in Prince of Lightning, Mind-Boggling Mysteries of the World, and Fantasy Festivals 32 & 33, an understudy for Dance Nation and Winnie the Pooh. As an actor, she has performed in 17 of Shakespeare’s plays. Keep up with her at @elysesharp on all social media or at elysesharp.com

B Street Theatre is Sacramento’s premiere new works theatre for both children and adults. Founded in 1986 as Fantasy Theatre, a traveling children’s theatre troupe, B Street has premiered more than 135 plays across its School Tour, Family Series, and Mainstage Series. Located at the Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts in Midtown Sacramento, B Street is California’s only year-round professional theatre for young audiences. Known for championing bold new voices and creating theatre that is both accessible and adventurous, B Street has been named Sacramento Magazine’s Top Sacramento Theatre numerous times. In 2025, it was honored with the National Theatre Conference’s Theatre of the Year Award, recognizing its outstanding contributions to American theatre. To learn more, visit B Street Theatre's website, bstreettheatre.org. 

NEVER FEAR, SHAKESPEARE follows one shoemaker's son on his journey to become an actor alongside The Lord Chamberlain's Men, stepping right into some of Shakespeare's greatest hits. From Romeo and Juliet’s balcony to the witches of Macbeth and the drama of Hamlet, it’s Shakespeare reimagined with a wink and a laugh. For fans of Shakespeare in Love and Book of Will, this family-friendly comedy isn’t just a history lesson—it’s pure theatre magic, showing kids (and grown-ups!) that the Bard’s words are still buzzing with life, laughter, and big imagination.

Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

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