phil berns  - king lear

This is Phil's fourth appearance in a Shakespeare production at Ridgedale, having portrayed Jacques in "As You Like It;" Polonius in "Hamlet;" the oldest Macbeth ever; and now, as "the thing itself", King Lear.  Phil Berns is a native Detroiter, with degrees from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and Wayne State.  He was an English major, a college teacher and later, a counselor and administrator in academic support programs at Wayne State. Shakespeare, obviously, is his great literary love (his last seminar was on Hamet), but that's only half the story. 

In his 50-year career, Phil has performed in plays by Agatha Christie, Neil Simon and Noel Coward, including classics like Arsenic and Old Lace, Sunshine Boys, God's Favorite, Blithe Spirit, The Sisters Rosencweig, and Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, to name a few. Phil is a world traveler, finding time to visit spots like Hong Kong, Bali, Jakarta, England, Scotland, Trinidad/Tobago, and Israel.  He is married and resides with his long-suffering spouse, Martha, and his Hallowe'en cats (orange and black), Oliver Twist and Brillo, in Lathrup Village.