Who is PJ Williams?
I’m an Actor, Director, and Freelance Media Practitioner and have been based in Canberra since 2002. On stage I have appeared in Late Night Catechism, Violine, Under One Roof, Six Pack, Breathing Corpses, The Give and Take, Without Prejudice, The Chain Bridge, The Faithful Servant, The Diary of A Madman, Twelfth Night and most recently A Dolls House pt2. Currently I am in rehearsal for the role of El Ticho in Twenty Minutes With The Devil.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
I’ve been really lucky to have had parallel careers in both theatre and radio (ABC Canberra) but if I had to choose a different path then it probably would have been flying – I have always loved flying and envied pilots.
Who inspires you and why?
Writers inspire me, the originator of stories and ideas inspire me. The ability to turn an idea into either a piece of art or a piece of science or both. Selfless people in the community inspire me. I’m lucky enough to meet many extraordinary people in our community and am often astounded by their capacity to give of themselves.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
LISTEN! and then LISTEN some more!
Favourite holiday destination and why?
It seems such a frivolous concept at the moment. To be able to gather my friends around me in a house by the coast would be my favourite holiday location right now.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
Of course to The Street Theatre but often we just end up by the lake or the river somewhere. We can find quiet easily in Canberra or not far from it. If there’s a blockbuster on at one of the institutions we’ll get along and also places like Smith’s Alternative.
What are you currently reading?
MY SCRIPT! Last book I read was The Silence of The Girls by Pat Barker and I’ll catch up on Trent Dalton’s All Our Shimmering Skies.
What are you currently listening to?
Thelma Plum / Alice Skye / The Oils (always on the playlist) and whatever my 17-year-old son puts on the playlist. He has some great taste in music. (Obviously from me)
Happiness is?
A rehearsal room / curled up on the lounge with my almost adult children and a movie / a fine beer and a game of darts or table tennis with a mate.
What does the future hold for you?
If I really could answer that right now I’d be rich. The world is not a place of certainty at the moment so it could hold many things – the future is now so hopefully a show that people can come and see, live, in a theatre.
PJ stars as El Ticho in Luis Gómez Romero & Desmond Manderson’s Twenty Minutes With The Devil – which will be presented by Canberra’s The Street Theatre: 18 – 25 June 2022 (please note new dates!). For more information, visit: www.thestreet.org.au for details.
Image: PJ Williams (supplied)