A Wilde one

Photo by Maria Young

When reflecting on 2016, Ashton Carter has found a bounty of boons to share. We are talking a South Philly address and the deepening of his admiration for the energy inherent within theatrical projects. Through Saturday, the 26-year-old is adding his vitality to the surplus of synergy among his Quintessence Theatre Group peers by playing seven roles, including a titular titan, in “Wilde Tales,” an adaptation of children’s stories from the immortal mind of Irish icon Oscar Wilde.

“You hear his name, and you’re not going to think immediately about what he wrote that involves kids, if you even know that he created such material at all, but he is highly concerned with their welfare, and these stories show his attention to their condition,” the Passyunk Square resident said. “Because of all that and the great team that I’m a part of, it’s been a joy to close out the year with this show.”

He and his commendable contemporaries are handling director Jeremy Bloom’s adaptations of five pieces, with a promotional release touting the texts’ celebration of selflessness, charity, compassion, and love. Those themes have proven captivating for the local thespian, especially given the endeavor’s staging during the holiday season and the direction that his life is taking.

“I’m realizing more and more the threads that unite us,” Carter said, noting the depth of ties among Philly’s theater scene members and the connections among his neighbors. “When you have work that reinforces your views on those bonds, you’re quite fortunate, and this whole month has been proof of that.”

His stance becomes particularly pertinent when one looks at his chief involvement in the Mount Airy-staged action, the embodiment of The Selfish Giant, whose desire to deny youngsters admittance into his garden offers a compelling look at loneliness and levity. Carter also spoke of an affinity for his turn as The Water Rat in “The Devoted Friend,” but no matter his assignment, he loves every moment among the Quintessence crew.

“I’ve been a huge fan since my first show here,” the actor, nearing the completion of his fourth job with the Barrymore Award-winning entity, said of his 2014 introduction to the group, which bills itself as being “dedicated to the performances and adaptation of epic works of classic literature and drama for the contemporary stage, which ignites the mind, body, and soul through the power of the actor, design, and spoken word.” “Every production has been amazing since it’s all representative of Philly theater, which I hope people realize is among the best there is.”

The merry sentiments from Carter come as proof of his joy over how positive the latter portion of the year has been. In its early stages, he feared there would be no place for him on Quintessence’s slate, but with the fall production of “Mother Courage and Her Children” and the late autumn/early winter offering of “Wilde Tales,” he feels ready to spring into action whenever his most common employer plots its schedule.

“I’m the worst theater kid, and you can use those exact words, because I’ve just not read or seen that much yet,” he said with a laugh. “[Artistic Director] Alex [Burns]” has joked that the only way to make me aware of all of these great works is to cast me in them. So far, that’s been quite the dynamic experience.”

CARTER COMMENCED HIS immersion into theater as a 17-year-old Tennessee resident. The Memphis product, whose initial artistic curiosity found him playing the trombone and who had noticed as a five-year-old the joy of receiving attention, soon considered a theatrical existence his calling.

“I kind of hate that it took so long for me to become involved in plays,” he said. “It’s bittersweet to some extent, yet no matter what I go after now, I’m not approaching anything with regret. I just want to help to bring something to life.”

He remained in the Midwest to study speech and theater at Middle Tennessee State University and developed an admirable sense of what acting could yield for him. With preliminary thoughts of making sociology his vocation considering his love for analyzing social constructs and behaviors, he has used that enthusiasm and commitment to his craft to become a reliable performer infused with a passion for being a chameleon.

“I consider myself so blessed that I’m able to go from classic works to contemporary pieces with relative ease,” Carter, whose other two Quintessence affiliations, William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” and “Richard II,” support his point, said. “I think I’m pretty adept at understanding characters’ desires and intentions, too, and it’s great to get at who each character is with respect to stirring emotions among audience members. When they’re especially amped up, there’s just such an explosion of energy, and I absolutely love that.”

The grateful and gregarious professional made his way to Philadelphia following time in Minnesota, where he knew early on, despite landing youth-centric regional theater opportunities, he could never forge a fruitful career. Settling in the Temple University area, he thought of the city as a dank and dirty destination initially yet vowed to make a name for himself in Philadelphia, with South Philly having been his haunt since August. Along with Quintessence, Arden Theatre Co. and Azuka Theatre, long friendly to local practitioners, have also secured his talent and have reinforced his philosophy on what stage-based ventures should produce.

“For me, it’s all about stirring emotions in a good way,” Carter opined. “I think I’m on this earth to make people happy and to make them smile. The Quintessence advertising material says ‘Wilde Tales’ is ‘soul-stirring,’ and I like stirring a nice big bowl of feel-good gumbo whenever people set foot in the theater.”

Come March, he will look to nourish cravings for timeless experiences when Quintessence will again enlist him to channel Shakespeare’s greatness, this time through “Love’s Labours’ Lost.” Now fully in love with the City of Brotherly Love, he stated he has no expiration date for his time as a local.

“Some cities have no heart,” Carter said. “Philadelphia isn’t like that. Philadelphia has tons of it.” SPR

“Wilde Tales”

Playing through Saturday at Sedgwick Theater,

7137 Germantown Ave.

Tickets: $15-$34

215–987–4450

Quintessencetheatre.org

Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com.