John Robb

John Robb played in R.G. Davis' famously rowdy San Francisco Mime Troupe during the '60s, when the group was bringing political commedia dell'arte illegally to the city's streets and public parks -- without permits. He was part of the Il Candeleio performance in Washington Square park that got Davis arrested, and he participated in Davis' guerrilla theater project -- free, impromptu shows in waiting rooms and other public spaces -- until 1968, when Davis stepped down.

After that, Robb says, drug culture hit the city, and "the flowers started dyin', people started disappearin'." Robb moved to Oregon, then L.A. He realized in 1975 that he was sick of being broke and bohemian and decided to "give 15 years to Caesar," by working construction and handyman jobs. That stint ended on schedule in 1990, and Robb has been balancing Caesar with acting ever since. He was the center of gravity in most of his shows last year (No Mercy, Mrs. Armstrong, Suicide in B Flat), whether or not he played a main part -- a quality that annoys some people. He says he's looking forward to starring in King Lear this May. "It won't matter if I'm good or bad," he says, "because I'll be the fucking king."

-- Michael Scott Moore