Wil in rehearsals for Of Mice and Men
The Director of Get the Chance, Guy O’Donnell recently got the chance to chat to actor Wil Young. We discussed his career to date, his work with Hijinx Theatre, his role in a new production Of Mice and Men produced by August 012 and his thoughts on theatre in Wales today.
Hi Wil great to meet you, can you give our readers some background information on yourself please?
“Hi my name is Wil Young. I am 26 years old. I am based in Holyhead, North Wales. I’m a professional actor with autism. Through Hijinx Academy I have received professional training in acting, singing, dancing and mask work. My professional experience includes ‘Soup’ for the Hijinx Unity Festival. I can travel independently. I can learn and memorise scripts. I particularly enjoy my comedy acting.”
A performance of ‘Soup’ for Hijinx Unity Theatre Festival.
So what got you interested in theatre and the arts?
I’ve worked with Tim Baker on two productions. I’ve been with Hijinx for 3 years. I’ve been acting, if you can call it that, pretty much since I can remember.
Wil in rehearsals for Of Mice and Men
You are a member of Hijinx North Academy, one of 5 Academies in Wales. What activities do you get involved with in the Academy?
I do drama on Monday & Tuesday. I’ve done Unity in Cardiff & Caernarfon. The performances included ‘Soup’ which is a silent piece and ‘The Market’
You are playing the role of Lennie in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, produced by August 012 at Chapter Arts Centre during October. Can you tell us how you came to be involved in this production?
I actually heard through Hijinx that they were auditioning for the part of Lenny and I tried out.
Wil in rehearsals for Of Mice and Men
Lennie is a very famous fictional character, Of Mice and Men is a set reading text at many schools across the world. How are you going to approach your portrayal of this character?
He’s basically like a big kid, so I thought of playing him younger than I would normally.
If you were able to fund an area of the arts in Wales what would this be and why?
I would invest in the Ucheldre Centre in North Wales, because it would also bring money to the island and the arts.
What excites you about the arts in Wales? What was the last really great thing that you experienced that you would like to share with our readers?
There’s plenty of choice in Wales in terms of theatre. I recently saw the first Columbian Circus to be shown in Pontio, Bangor, North Wales. This was called Acelere by Circolombia.
Thanks for your time Wil.