GULF SHORES, Ala. — When Ryan Williams takes the stage at South Baldwin Community Theatre in Gulf Shores on Friday, Dec. 4, it won’t just be opening night that he is celebrating, but his 18th birthday as well.

A veteran of nine shows at SBCT, the stage is a familiar place to Williams. His roles on SBCT’s stage range from a bratty teenager to a Nazi soldier to a courageous lion who sacrifices his life for others.

“All Through the House,” SBCT’s December show, features Williams as one of the zany characters who make Christmas merry in this small 1872 Texas town. The director of the show, Joyce James, first directed Williams six years ago when she cast him as Billy Ray Jr., in “On Golden Pond.”

“I think that Ryan was probably the easiest actor on stage to work with,” James said of Williams’ performance in “On Golden Pond.” “He took direction easily, never goofing around. He was every inch the professional actor, even at age 12, and he has just gotten better with age.”

Williams’ costar in that show, veteran SBCT performer John Cobb, concurred.

“I’ve been onstage with a lot of kids and lot of young people in 30-odd years of acting,” Cobb said. “He just surprised me in ‘On Golden Pond,’ because he knew his lines, knew his cues and he delivered his lines with conviction. He became the kid he was playing and he has done nothing but get better and better.”

Cobb and Williams worked together again in 2008 during SBCT’s production of “Babes in Toyland.”

“He’s one of the people who always knows his lines, where he’s supposed to be and he even knows everyone else’s,” Cobb said. “It has been a pleasure to work with him and I hope it’s not over.”

Roles in “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “The Sound of Music” and “Shoes Blues,” are among Williams’ favorites.

“He is a brilliant young man who will go tremendously far,” said James Keith Posey, SBCT producer and director. “I am excited to see where he will land and hopefully, he will remember us when he gets there,” Posey said.

Williams is a senior at Robertsdale High School, where he is captain of the Scholars Bowl Team, president of National Honor Society, a member of the Drama Club, Student Government class representative and ranked in the top 10 percent of his class.

He recently won the Voice of Democracy contest, for the second consecutive year, from the Price-Wilsey Post in Robertsdale and was named premier speaker at the Baldwin Model United Nations competition for the past two years as well as garnering top delegation honors.

Although he was bitten by the acting bug at a young age, Williams is having a tough time deciding what to pursue at college, acting or international studies.

“I am hoping to combine the two,” he said. “I really enjoy acting, but I also want to make a difference in the world through my work in international relations. Fortunately, many of the colleges I am applying to will allow me to combine the two majors.”

Williams’ and his brother, Andrew, are both represented by agents: Barefoot Models and Talent in Mobile and Coastal Talent Kids and Teens in Atlanta.

He has worked professionally in commercials and music videos.