Name: John Williams
Year: Freshman
Major: Digital communications and social media
Activities: Theater; WYBF, Cabrini’s radio station; and Alpha Delta Gamma, Cabrini’s fraternity.
Favorites:
Color: Blue
Food: Pizza
Musical: School of Rock
Actor: Hugh Jackman
Role you’ve ever played: Phil in Hercules.
When it comes to John Williams’s journey to the Cabrini stage, he said, “I never expected to be doing theater in college.”
However, after coming to Cabrini and making friends with many people who had that interest, he decided to put himself out there and try something new.
In “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying,” Williams plays Milton Gatch. Milton is a man in charge of an apartment for the first part of the show, and also known for being the company “creeper.” Throughout the musical, he creeps on one of the girls and gets sent to Venezuela as punishment.
Williams said one of the most challenging parts of being involved in theater is that there is lots of time you have to put into it, with practice five times a week. However, hanging out with all of his friends that are in the cast keeps him going and keeps it fun.
On opening night of the show, Williams is most excited to not only see the crowd’s reaction to all of the different jokes, but also see all of the cast’s hard work pay off. “One of the best parts about being an actor, and one that performs live, is making people laugh and seeing their reactions to your lines,” Williams said.
While he does not have any specific influences when it comes to musicals and acting, if he could play any role in musical history, it would be Dewey Finn from School of Rock.
When asked what advice he would give to anyone who wants to become involved in theater, Williams simply said, “Do it! You’ll have a lot of fun with the cast, it’s easy to be welcomed in and you’ll feel comfortable right away.”
Photo taken by Theresa Paesani