Actors Michael Goodman and Juan Parada from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival came to American River College Monday to discuss how the theme of friendship is interwoven throughout Shakespeare’s plays by alternating back and forth between lecture and acting.

Goodman began by playing a song dedicated to Shakespeare to celebrate the playwright’s 450th birthday, but Parada said that the song was too “morose.”

“What can you give a guy who is turning 450 years old?” asked Goodman.

“I get what you’re trying to say about friendship,” Goodman said. “I mean, Shakespeare is everything to us.”

The two actors picked scenes from King Lear, Two Noble Kinsman, Winter’s Tale, Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth.

“What if you had a friend that turned totally evil?” Parada asked Goodman before they acted the climactic scene where Macbeth and Macduff fight each other to the death.

“There are so many levels of friendship,” said Parada. “There are also these delicious moments of conflicts that hopefully these people will get over.”

Goodman played different variations of the song that he wanted to write for Shakespeare, but finally listened to Parada’s advice, “Just say the words and speak them from your heart.”

Goodman and Parada ended the show by reciting Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 together.

The duo allowed the audience to ask questions after they were done performing.

Goodman said his favorite role Shakespearean role was Hamlet, while Parada hopes to one day to take on the role of King Lear.

Attendee Dana Fraire said, “I really appreciated that they focused in on relationships and friendships.”

Evan Lucero, who is going to be acting in Tennessee Williams’ Honky Tonk Parade said, the reason why he thinks Shakespeare is still relevant to day is that, “Maybe like some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy…He was different even from his day, so I think he created something that was assured to be lasting. It was geared to last.”