Getting to know... Josiah Wise

Meet Josiah Wise, the Shakespeare-loving, risk-taking, adventurous maestro behind Goodly Creatures, a drama program in Blenheim that teaches kids and youth groups.

I’m a real nerd about…

Theatre. Shakespeare, in particular, has captured my heart. I was raised near the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and I enjoyed seeing their productions every year. The depth and beauty of Shakespeare’s work never fail to inspire me, and it always gets me itching to perform it myself.

After work, you’ll find me…

Attempting to get outside with my family. The new guy that we recently welcomed into our lives is learning how to sleep soundly in a front pack. My wife and I love hiking, swimming, and spending time together in beautiful places. We go out as often as we can, whether it be on the weekend or straight after work while a few hours of daylight are left to be savoured.

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken…

Turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. I decided that school was boring where I was, so I packed up my bags and went to study at Capernwray New Zealand. I met my future wife there, went back to the States for a while, then embraced the next big risk and flew back into New Zealand to get engaged just hours before the borders were shut down in 2020.

I hope in ten years I will be…

Kayaking in a lush canyon somewhere with my family. I’d like to have a few more miniature versions of my wife and me wandering around, enough free time to spend with them, and a great job full of energy, art, and dynamic teamwork.

I wish more people knew…

Other people. No amount of television or films can replace the joy of knowing other human beings. Those things are nice too, but it’s unfortunate when we allow ourselves to be distracted by strangers’ living TV lives instead of living our own. Back in the day, “Following” and “Likes” meant other things. It would be nice to see more people following and liking real people again. It doesn’t even require a subscription. “Oh wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is!” – Shakespeare.

When I need advice, I go to…

Myself initially. I pace around, ponder my problems, flail my arms around, and talk to myself, spending a good amount of time looking a bit chemically imbalanced to anyone who happens to see me. Then I go to my wife, and she straightens me out right away. Slowly but surely, I would like to learn how to share my heart with more of the people in my life. People are great!

A family tradition I’ll never give up…

Is simply doing things together. My parents used to play card games with my sister and me, and even perform with us in community theatre. We lived in a small one horse town before the horse died, but our life wasn’t dull as long as we had each other. I want to carry on that tradition and make sure my kids feel loved, valued, and accepted. I’d like to be the embarrassing dad from time to time as well, and get them used to the idea that being OK with looking silly is the new cool.