Watching the doll鈥檚 eyelids pop open and shut, as his cast member bobs the fake baby up and down, Thomas Smith struggles to keep a stern face.
For the 32-year-old Aldergrove actor, it鈥檚 oddly one of the hardest moments for him in the Bard in the Valley鈥檚 (BIV鈥檚) production of 鈥淭he Winter鈥檚 Tale.鈥�
On a few occasions during their 100-plus hours of rehearsing, this scene has actually brought Smith to tears.
But, admittedly, it鈥檚 not tears of sadness nor regret in this Shakespearean bard that mixes of tragedy and comedy.
In fact, it鈥檚 tears of laughter.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to look at that and keep an angry expression going,鈥� Smith said.
鈥淭here have been a couple times recently where I鈥檓 laughing so hard I鈥檓 crying and then have to pull myself together,鈥� he added.
Smith is playing King Leontes of Sicily, one of the main characters in the 400-year-old William Shakespeare play being brought to life on stage at Township 7 Winery then Douglas Park this month. 
While Smith has wanted to be an actor since he was 11, has dabbled in community theatre a bit in the past dozen years, studied theatre at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), and even tackled an extra role in Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥� Johnson鈥檚 鈥淭he Tooth Fairy,鈥� this is only his second time in as many years performing in a BIV production.
He originally auditioned for the BIV's 2020 production of "Measure for Measure", but that play was postponed due to the pandemic. When they recast the production in 2022, he was again selected, excited to be working with a number of old friends who he had attended post-secondary with almost a decade earlier.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy to be back with them a second time,鈥� he said.
In Winter's Tale, his character devolves into a dark world of jealousy and rage when he suspects his wife and best friend are having an affair.
鈥淚 wanted to be a part of this production, because it is a classic Shakespeare tragi-comedy, in the truest sense of the word; it is literally a tragedy for one half and then switches to become a comedy in the second half, that doesn鈥檛 get performed very often. But I love the story of heartache, jealousy, and redemption that 'The Winter鈥檚 Tale' shares with us,鈥� he said. 
A fan of the play, and a supporter (primarily as an audience member) of BIV, he was also drawn to the theatre group because of his friend, Dylan Coulter. They鈥檇 attended four years together at UFV.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a great friend and very talented, so I was eager to get to work with him as a director. I鈥檇 also had a good experience with BIV the first time, and was happy for the chance to go back for another show with them,鈥� said Smith. 
Admittedly rehearsing for this week鈥檚 launch of 鈥淭he Winter鈥檚 Tale鈥� has been hard to juggle at some points during the past four months. But it's been very much worth it, he said just ahead of opening day.
By day, he鈥檚 a project coordinator for a custom cabinetry design company in Abbotsford, as well as the executive director of the Abbotsford Executives Association.
鈥淚鈥檓 very tired at the end of long days where I have to tackle all three obligations, on top of house work, making time for my wife and puppy, etc. But it鈥檚 all worth it in the end!鈥�
Really drawn to his character of Leontes, Smith describes the king as a deep-down good person who seems happy and easygoing on the outside, but is actually someone struggling with a sadness and darkness inside.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably at my happiest when I鈥檓 in the rehearsal room, digging into the text and talking about character intentions and actor-y things with Dylan, our director,鈥� Smith elaborated. 
鈥淚 love going to those darker places with characters. You have to be careful to separate yourself from it in your day-to-day life, but losing yourself in there for a couple of hours of performances is really fun.鈥�
The summer production launches Thursday, July 4, and runs for eight shows through July 14 at the Township 7 Winery, with tickets $35 each and available online.
Then tickets for the eight Douglas Park Spirit Stage shows, between July 18 and 28, are free by donation and can be reserved with an option to pay for assigned seating, a padded seat, and drink tickets for $16.
Gates open at 6 p.m. and the shows begin at 7 p.m. with tickets for both locations available at . Smith describes the content as being appropriate for a 13+ audience.
鈥淭his is a fantastic Shakespeare production, and it truly has something for all tastes since it does have such a clear divide between a tragedy half and a comedy half,鈥� said Smith.
鈥淭here鈥檚 some very fun musical bits 鈥� that I am not involved in, which is a good thing 鈥� and it contains the most famous stage direction in all of Shakespeare 鈥� exit, pursued by a bear 鈥� which I can鈥檛 go into details about but that moment will probably be worth the ticket price alone,鈥� he shared.
鈥淔or any parents out there, I think it also has a great story of redemption that will tug at your heartstrings鈥︹�� Smith concluded.
Bard in the Valley (BIV) is a volunteer-run registered charity that stages the works of William Shakespeare at outdoor and indoor venues throughout the Fraser Valley each summer and winter. 
Since the group鈥檚 inception in 2009, Bard in the Valley has presented a Shakespearean production every summer except 2020. More than 25,000 people have attended BIV鈥檚 performances.