Philadelphia actor Reuben Mitchell, 31, was this past year’s busiest man in show biz, with roles in Theatre Exile’s A Behanding in Spokane (as a scruffy teen), Shakespeare in Clark Park’s The Merry Wives of Windsor (befuddled husband), 1812’s This Is the Week That Is (President Obama et al., plus co-writer) and the National Constitution Center’s Fighting for Democracy. The Morehouse College and Louisiana State University grad also had upcoming parts with Curio Theatre Company and Exile at his untimely death in a motorcycle accident on Nov. 12. I didn’t know the North Carolina native personally, but admired his intelligence and dynamism on stage in many performances. What I saw was a tall, lean, rubber-limbed, bright-eyed, charismatic performer with a knack for comedic improvisation and large, clear choices, with the talent to play a wide range of dramatic roles with conviction. A Facebook pic shows, next to his beloved motorcycle, a motto painted on a door: “Have fun and be inspired.” If the outpourings of affection and admiration at his funeral and 1812’s memorial service are any metric, Mitchell not only lived this motto, but brought fun and inspiration to many, many others. —Mark Cofta