Brooklyn couple enjoys acting together

BROOKLYN — Travis and Traci Williams take great pride in being community supporters.

The Brooklyn couple not only stays busy working jobs and supporting their families, they are active in community, school and church events.

And, they have enjoyed acting together in a number of Brooklyn Community Theatre productions and other performances.

The couple has taken part in six plays — four at the Brooklyn Opera House, one at the BGM Auditorium and the sixth at their church last year.

The latter was “The Gift,” a play that Travis wrote and directed in which Traci acted. The play was a Christmas story told from the perspective of an aged shepherd who was there the night Jesus was born.

“It was definitely a new experience for me,” said Travis. “I really enjoyed it, but I think acting has less stress.”

Of the Community Theatre productions, three have been Christmas-centered. They included “A Carol Play,” “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Story” and “Many Things,” all written by Josh Gerard, the Brooklyn librarian, pastor and playwright.

The fourth BCT production was “WCKY,” a play in which murder and mayhem collide in hilarious fashion as a new radio station prepares to air its first show in 1939.

The couple has also had parts in or worked behind the scenes in the “The Alibis,” a play that featured 22 local actors and actresses who kept the audience guessing whodunit.

And they were part of “The Day the internet Died,” a production centered around a small town that has to adjust after the internet goes down for a whole week.

“I’ve always loved acting,” said Travis. “I was in my first play/musical when I was in sixth grade, and I was in them every year until I graduated high school.

“I was captain of our speech team and did a lot of solo and group ensemble pieces. After high school, I didn’t really have the opportunity to act in local plays until Josh Gerard of Brooklyn approached me about being in ‘The Day the internet Died’ in 2022, and I haven’t stopped.”

“I have always enjoyed acting,” said Traci. “In high school I stuck to mostly smaller parts but loved being involved in them.

“I didn’t really think about acting in local plays until Josh asked if I would. I did backstage help for ‘The Day the internet Died’ and then had a speaking role in ‘A Carol Play.’ I really liked the idea of being able to act with Travis.”

“Acting together is a great way to spend time together,” they said.

“It’s also been really fun pushing each other to be better,” said Travis. “Sharing the stage together has been a real joy.”

Asked how the couple balances life and play practice, Traci said it has become an art form.

“We just have to be very mindful to plan everything out for that 6-8 weeks until the play is finished,” said Travis. “Some days we are only home for an hour or two all day, but in the end, it’s worth it.

“However, we’re definitely ready for a break after the last curtain call.”

Asked if they have any tricks of the trade to help get ready for a production, Travis said there are no real tricks.

“There are times we still feel like we’re going to forget all our lines,” said Travis. “But one thing that helps us is to be able to read lines together at home. We will usually take it a scene at a time and go over it again and again until it’s memorized and then move on to the next.”

Outside of plays, the couple enjoys traveling, hiking, playing board games and settling down to watch a good movie together.

“We are both very active with our church, Faith Christian Center in Montezuma, where Travis is the Youth Pastor and on the Worship Team and I am the sound technician,” said Traci.

Travis graduated from BGM High School, and Traci graduated from Benton Community Schools.

The couple met through Travis’ cousin who went to school with Traci. The couple started dating their senior year of high school, went to college at Victory Christian College in Tulsa, Oklahoma and got married in 2005.

The couple moved back to Brooklyn in 2008. They have two children — Lexi, who is 19 and attends Ellsworth Community College, and Isaiah, 15, a freshman at BGM.

Travis works full time at Walmart in Grinnell, Traci works full time at BGM as a para educator.