A part Daniel Molina nabbed 25 years ago provided an opportunity to hone blade-wielding skills that have served him well as an actor in several Shakespeare plays over the years — among them: Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV, Part One and Two, Love’s Labor’s Lost, and Henry V.

The 12-year-old Molina had been cast as First Rich Nobleman in Robin Hood, a sixth-grade play at his elementary school in Annapolis, Maryland.

“My chief interest in the role was to show off my incredibly studied sword fighting moves,” he said.

Today, Molina’s theatrical résumé has expanded considerably, with six seasons under his belt at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a myriad of performances at regional theaters across the country, and a stint on Broadway.

Molina, 36, is returning to Ashland this season to perform in Doubt and a reading of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for Rogue Theater Company and in Shane for OSF, which after a week of previews opens its 90th season Friday, March 14.

Cast as 2012’s Romeo

It was OSF that brought him to Ashland in the first place, in 2012.

“My first role was Romeo in Romeo and Juliet,” he said. “My college professor and classical theater mentor, Lawrence Ballard, was the first person to tell me about Ashland. He said, ‘Any actor who is serious about classical work knows Ashland is the place to be.’”

Molina is delighted to be back in Ashland for the 2025 theater season.

The draw was not only the chance to work with OSF again but also to take on two juicy roles for Rogue Theater Company.

RTC’s productions in recent years have featured some of OSF’s most beloved alumni in its casts.

“There was very little problem convincing me once I saw the cast lists of RTC’s shows,” Molina said. “Some of my dearest friends are doing the kind of work I hold most dear. Vilma Silva as Sister Aloysius in Doubt? I’m on my way!”

Molina plays Father Flynn in the production, RTC’s first of the year, written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by John Sipes. It opens March 12 and runs Wednesdays through Sundays until March 30.

The cast also includes Gina Daniels and Rainbow Dickerson.

In the play, the charismatic Father Flynn advocates for reform of Sister Aloysius’ St. Nicholas School’s strict customs. When a fellow nun tells Sister Aloysius that Father Flynn may be paying too much personal attention to a student, Sister Aloysius begins a personal crusade against the priest, despite her lack of evidence.

The challenges

Molina anticipates tackling several challenges in the role, given the intensity of the play’s themes and characters.

“I hope we achieve the perfect balance I think the story is requesting,” he said. “I want people to be in a Rashomon-like deliberation on the drive home. For us to tip the scales in any direction would cheat them of that.”

It will be a case of “from the righteous to the reckless” when Molina steps into RTC’s second production of the 2025 season.

After playing a moral authority in Doubt, he’ll tackle the role of the self-destructive, emotionally complex Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a play reading April 30 and May 1-4.

“Brick is daunting,” Molina said.

He sees differences and similarities in the two characters he plays in RTC’s season openers.

“Obviously the tone and style of the two plays are very different,” he said, “but they are works where both my characters are forced to unearth their deepest secrets and, consequently, fight like hell to keep them.”

And then there is the aspect of self-discovery through embodiment when an actor steps into a character’s shoes.

“I look forward to the challenge of seeing how much I can lose myself in the role,” he said. “But I am almost more excited to see what Brick and I have in common.”

Avoiding the trap

Molina knows that melodrama can be a potential trap when working on a Tennessee Williams play, but he is confident the acting company will be up to the challenge.

“Listening will be the key,” he said. “Actively listening. That’s always important, of course, but even more so in a play like this where it’s all character driven. One line at a time!”

Other cast members are Tony DeBruno, Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey, Lili Fuller, Jeffrey King, Jamie Newcomb, Barret O’Brien and Ellen D. Williams. Domenique Lozano directs.

Molina completes the hat trick when he moves to OSF this summer to play young Bobby Starrett and the older Bob in the West Coast premiere of Shane, running July 31 to Oct. 25 at the Angus Bowmer Theatre. The Jack Schaefer novel was adapted for the stage by Karen Zacarias and will be directed by Blake Robison.

Molina looks forward to playing both versions of the character.

“It will be wonderfully challenging and incredibly freeing,” he said.

He says he hasn’t played many “character” roles or parts that require to get “really messy.”

“And I think there’s some opportunity for that in this role,” he said. “Have you met an 8-year-old? All those impulses and behaviors that haven’t been edited by society yet, those little sponge brains soaking everything in.”

Playing two versions

The challenge will be in capturing the innocence and hero-worship of childhood while seamlessly transitioning into the weight of experience and reflection in adulthood — all while maintaining a cohesive character arc that resonates with the audience.

“The role functions like a chorus as well,” Molina said, “in that there is quite a bit of direct address to the audience.”

Molina was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and moved to Annapolis when he was 10. His father sold insurance and his mother is a stockbroker.

One of his first exposures to the performing arts was in high school, when the drama teacher wheeled in a big TV set and played a couple of VHS tapes, recordings of the 1982 Sweeney Todd and the 1987 Into the Woods.

“I wasn’t at all into musicals then,” Molina said, “but I was transfixed. To this day, I’m a Sondheim freak.”

He went on to earn a bachelor of arts degree from Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.

He made his Broadway debut in Larry David’s Fish in the Dark at the Cort Theatre in 2015.

What was that like?

“It was a surreal experience, in the best way,” he said.

He describes a memorable moment:

“Why is Larry David screaming over me to Rosie Perez while I’m in nothing but my underwear on a Broadway stage? That’s the most scared I’ve been onstage and, thankfully, nobody died.”

These days, he’s less “skittish” after logging in several years of success on the stage.

Offstage, he finds distraction and pleasant engagement with crossword puzzles

“I’m a fiend. I do them in pen. Send them all my way, please,” he said.

What might people be surprised to learn about him?

“The baby voice I do for my dog is outrageous. Don’t judge me.”

And the future?

“I’d love to direct and/or teach,” he said. “As for future roles, how hard would you roll your eyes if I said Hamlet?”

Roll our eyes? Hardly. More like lean in and wait for the soliloquy.

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Rogue Theater Company plays are mounted at the Richard Hay Center at Grizzly Peak Winery, 1600 E. Nevada St., Ashland, and begin at 1 p.m.

For tickets and more information about RTC plays, visit roguetheatercompany.com. For tickets and more information about Shane and other OSF plays, visit osfashland.org.

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This story was originally published at Ashland.news on Feb. 23, 2025.