What a treat - we have a guest-blog from NATALIE MEDLOCK and GARETH WILLIAMS! Both star in the upcoming Silo Theatre play 'ASSASSINS' (a musical written by Stephen Sondheim).'

"Using the premise of a murderous carnival game to produce a revue-style portrayal of men and women who attempted (successfully or otherwise) to assassinate Presidents of the United States. It’s a anarchic history lesson of a (in) famous and select group of assassins."

Natalie Medlock (Squeaky Fromme) interviews Gareth Williams (Lee Harvey Oswald) on their lunch break at rehearsals...

NATALIE: Good afternoon Gareth and welcome to your interview with Natalie Medlock on 'Assassins' and your life as an actor.

GARETH: Hello.

NATALIE: Hello. I’m just pretending to be an interviewer, really you know me. But my first question is, why did you become an actor?

GARETH: Well, Natalie Medlock…

NATALIE: Yes, Gareth Williams….

GARETH: I became an actor because I enjoy the performance.

<silence>

NATALIE: But why?

GARETH: Why? Because I feel it's, ummm, I don’t know. I just feel it’s one of the only things I can do.

NATALIE: That’s a nice answer.

GARETH: Thanks.

NATALIE: What’s your character in this play called 'Assassins', which is written by Steven Sondheim.

GARETH: Book by John Weidman…

NATALIE: Thank you Gareth.

GARETH: Can you put ‘book by John Weidman’ as me saying it?

NATALIE: Yes, I’ll type it up verbatim.

GARETH: One is the Balladeer, He comes on and sings ballads. Funny that. And he is kind of the narrator and he tells the story of the piece. And the other character I play, later on in the piece, is Lee Harvey Oswald. The guy who assassinated JFK.

NATALIE: What was Lee Harvey Oswald wearing?

GARETH: Jeans and a t-shirt.

NATALIE: Was Lee Harvey Oswald a sexy man?

GARETH: He was probably not as sexy as me.

NATALIE: Right.

GARETH: But...

NATALIE: You can play against type?

GARETH: Yeah.

NATALIE: How's your muffin?

GARETH: Really great.

NATALIE: Okay, next question…

GARETH: Café, Dominion Road.

NATALIE: Yeah it’s very good.

GARETH: It’s actually a bit shit.

<laughs>

NATALIE: How long have you known Oliver Driver?

GARETH: I’ve known Oliver Driver for years from a distance.

NATALIE: Oh yes.

GARETH: And, um, just a few months from up close.

NATALIE: And how’s working with Oliver Driver?

GARETH: He’s very direct. Just as a director should be with his direction.

NATALIE: Excellent. I’ve heard that Cameron Rhodes pulls his pants down during rehearsals. Is this true?

GARETH: I cannot say anything but... Yes.

NATALIE: And now I’m going to ask a more serious question.

GARETH: Uh oh.

NATALIE: As an American piece, about American people, dreams and politics, how do you feel it will be received in New Zealand and read by a New Zealand audience?

GARETH: Well, I think despite the fact that we’re not American, and we can’t possibly have as much of a deep cultural attachment to these assassinations... in the history of killing... Presidents...

NATALIE: Mmmm.

GARETH: Um, through America being such a global influence... I think we experience them in our own way... Yeah. We experience them in our own way. They may not have affected us but because it affected America, it kinda had a trickledown effect. Especially JFK, I mean JFK was loved the world over.

NATALIE: So, if you were really down and out, like Lee Harvey Oswald - Who would you kill? - If you had to!

GARETH: In New Zealand?

NATALIE: Um, any figure of power, doesn’t have to be a President... Could be a pop star, some-one that would make the news... someone iconic.

GARETH: I reckon I’d kill... I don’t know... Justin Bieber... oh, nah nah nah... he would be taken before his time. You don’t want to kill him, you want to give him a good life.

NATALIE: Why? That would really hammer home your message, loud and clear.

GARETH: Okay, Justin Bieber.

NATALIE: Who’s the best singer in the cast?

GARETH: Natalie Medlock

NATALIE: Thank you very much. Okay my final question, from Natalie Anne Medlock – that’s my middle name.

GARETH: I thought you said Natalie And Medlock.

NATALIE: No... could you describe to me your process of inhabiting a character?

GARETH: Um.

NATALIE: Even if it’s just for this specific project.

GARETH: Umm... this one, from the inside out... I mean the outside in. What am I even talking about?

NATALIE: From the outside in?

GARETH: Yeah.

NATALIE: And for those who are unfamiliar with your acting skills could you...

GARETH: I’m sort of talking about using external stimulus. In this case you start off with a little bit of research, who your character was. In this case, he’s a real person, or was a real person... so you kind of get indications of what he’s going to be like from that. HA HA HA and there it is!!!

NATALIE: Please note interview, that Cameron Rhodes has just pulled his pants down.

GARETH: As previously discussed.

NATALIE: Again... happening again... So research.

GARETH: Yeah research. Using that research to inform the physical traits.

NATALIE: Can you see Lee on YouTube?

GARETH: You can.

NATALIE: So has there been any...

GARETH: Mimicry?

NATALIE: Yeah.

GARETH: No. It’s not about mimicry. It’s about using where he’s from, what social class he lives in, his background, parents, education, up bringing etc., to kind of inform what his physicality might be... his accent.

NATALIE: So you didn’t take any physicality from Lee and then extrapolate from there?

GARETH: No.

NATALIE: Oh okay.

GARETH: I took a physicality that felt right for me as a tall 6 ft. gangly kinda person to inhabit Lee. But um, yeah, more importantly the accent actually was a big one for me.

NATALIE: A good way in?

GARETH: Getting the accent informed by the research and then using that as a way into what the physicality might be and then you get a general feel for what this guy might be... is he slow and lazy? Or is he kind of drawling, or is he, you know, kinda quick and changeable.

NATALIE: Thank you for being with me here today Gareth. My last question...

GARETH: You said that was your last question last time.

NATALIE: Shhhh! The last last question. Will you be wearing tight jeans in the play?

GARETH: I could be wearing tight-ish jeans.

NATALIE: Could you tumble dry the to make them tighter?

GARETH: It depends, for whom.

NATALIE: For me.

GARETH: Yes.

'ASSASSINS'

July 24th – 14th August 2010
Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall, THE EDGE
Tickets: $25 - $55 (booking fees apply)
Bookings through THE EDGE: 09 357 3355 or www.buytickets.co.nz