NOTE: This interview is part of a series of 4 interviews with lead cast members of Hempfield’s production of Les Mis, which can be found here:

Jonny O’Maille and Derek Harris: https://hempfieldflash.com/3237/features/hempfields-les-mis-lead-interviews-jonny-o-maille-and-derek-harris/

Addie Aument and Reese Szulborski: https://hempfieldflash.com/3254/features/hempfields-les-mis-lead-interviews-addie-aument-and-reese-szulborski/

Sonia Shih, Izzy Conicella, and Liam Conicella: https://hempfieldflash.com/3262/features/hempfields-les-mis-cast-interviews-sonia-shih-izzy-conicella-and-liam-conicella/

It’s musical season once more here at Hempfield, and in the lead up to the show I conducted interviews with every lead in the musical. Up first are Wilder Long and David Becker, two seniors playing Javert and Enjolras, respectively. Here are the contents of that first interview.

C: I’m going to start by asking for your names and roles.

W: Absolutely, my name is Wilder Long and I play Javert.

D: My name is David Becker and I play Enjolras.

C: Do you have any previous experience in theatre at Hempfield or otherwise?

W: Yeah, so I did the musical, I was Curly in Peter Pan my freshman year. I was Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof and I skipped my junior year but in 5th grade they brought me up for Michael Banks in Mary Poppins.

D: So I was in Mary Poppins along with Wilder, I was just a kid in that. My freshman year I was in Peter Pan, I was Bill Jukes. My sophomore year I was Motel from Fiddler on the Roof and then my junior year in Pippin I was Lewis and then finally I’m Enjolras.

C: But no experience in any place other than Hempfield?

W & D: No.

C: Did you have any meaningful experience with Les Mis prior to the show being announced?

W: No, this was actually my first time- well I actually watched the movie but otherwise it’s really just new.

D: For me, I’ve never even saw it or heard of it, well I heard of it, but never seen it until I heard about it here for the production so then I started getting on that and started learning about it.

C: What were your first opinions when it was announced that the show would be Les Mis?

W: I was wondering if we had the voices for it because I knew it was a singing show. I was like “hmm I don’t know if it’s going to work out,” but it certainly has.

D: Yeah, I was kind of in the same position as Wilder, I just wasn’t really sure what to expect or who would be cast as what but I was excited to see what happened.

C: What did the audition process look like?

W: We had two days of call backs so we had one day it was no dance call it was all singing. So we had that first day and then I got called back for a couple of things and he got called back for a couple of things, and we had two days where it was preliminary and a couple of people they wanted to hear for certain roles.

C: Did you expect to be cast in the roles you were cast in and what were your first thoughts when you saw the cast list?

W: I wanted this role. I feel like I suited the character just with my voice part and build wise.

C: Were you expecting it?

W: I wasn’t expecting anything, I was just happy to be a part of the show, you know what I mean? It’s a cool show to be a part of.

D: I wasn’t really sure what I would get. I just came with the attitude of doing my best and being my best. I was kind of going out for Jean Valjean originally and then it kind of shifted as I went through the audition process, but I’m very happy with the role I am. I think it fits me well.

C: I have a question for each of you individually, first for Wilder. Javert is probably the most dynamic character during the show with how he grows and changes and how his viewpoints all shift.

W: For sure.

C: How do you approach playing Javert to fully depict the depth and complexity of the character?

W: I think it’s a combination of apathy but also expressing that apathy in a very intense way, being intense and showing it on my face, showing it in my voice, in my songs and solos and stuff like that. I’m not on all the time but the scenes I am on I need to really work on my expression and that’s something that I’ve cultivated over this process.

C: For David, when people think about Les Mis they tend to think about the revolutionary themes of it all, and Enjolras is kind of the embodiment of all of that. What do you think about the message of hope and persistence in the fight for freedom that is shown by Enjolras and the rest of the ABC society?

D: So I think that throughout the whole thing we are very positive. We try to build each other up together in the musical and outside of it, that’s just kind of how we are in the musical atmosphere, we build each other up. And then bringing that on to the stage is super important as your character that you have that hope as you live your daily life outside of the stage. So I think that just bringing that energy of excitement, thrill, hope and just dedication to this revolution is what’s going to really pull that in and bring it together and express that message.

C: How long has rehearsal been going on and how rigorous is it?

W: Music took all of December. We were just focused on music in December and then it started to pick up. We did stuff in Hackman Auditorium and then we actually got down to the PAC really early. We usually don’t do that. We usually come up later, closer to February we get down to the PAC, but we were up pretty early this year. It’s just been, it’s pretty typical. You have scenes and then you put things together. It’s like a puzzle, you just put all the pieces together and make sure they’re able to fit together nicely.

C: What’s the community like here in the Hempfield Theatre department?

D: I think overall it’s just very like, build each other up. It’s a very healthy community. Everyone feels wanted and needed in their position. Nobody is like, “oh I’m more important than you,” it’s a very even playing field as far as importance of your role. Everybody in this musical plays a very important part and everybody makes this show happen together and there’s that unity as a group.

W: I think this is a very cool year because I haven’t experienced much strife and tension between people, and I think it’s very important because as the seniors we get to set an example for what musical should look like, how we should be treating other people, because this can’t happen if we’re not facing the same direction mentally, physically, just like in it together, so it’s important that we set that, be those role models that we need to be.

C: Are there any stresses, worries, or anxieties that come with musical season?

W: Oh yeah, for sure. Right now I do two things, I do track and I do musical, so communication has been a big thing for me. Balancing track and wanting to be the best I can be in that sport and also having the emotion and the time to really invest in my role while also keeping up my grades, so it’s like a trifecta that takes up most of my time. I think the stress comes when you don’t manage your time well and you have days where you’re like, “man, I just scrolled on my phone for two hours, what am I doing? I have so much other stuff to be doing,” but I think it all worked out. I’m very positive about all of these things and, I don’t know, I’m just looking forward.

D: For myself I think, I own a business which makes it very difficult for musical and business as I’m coming into the peak season of starting. I own a landscaping business and having that landscaping business you know spring is a heavy, heavy time for that. So I think a lot of it is just balancing. When I’m not in school I’m probably working on something along the lines of my business, and then when I am in school or there’s just free time in rehearsal it’s looking at the lines and focusing on what I need to have memorized. But it definitely does bring a lot of stress, and it’s just learning how to manage it and cope with it. Definitely find time for ourselves as well, otherwise you’ll start to get drained and you can’t be drained in a show like this.

C: Ok, we’re going to start wrapping things up here. What is your favorite song in the show, to listen to and to sing?

W: When I listen to “I Dreamed a Dream” the first 3 times I heard it sung, I saw Les Mis in Pittsburgh, I cried profusely, like just sobbing ugly tears, and when Addie sang it, it was the same thing. It’s my favorite, it’s very cathartic, I love listening to that. I’ve gotten to a point where I can manage it, I’ve heard it enough times where I’m like “ok, we’re cool,” but that’s my favorite song to listen to. I don’t know, it just hits me in a different way. My favorite song to sing is my soliloquy, my suicide at the end because I get to put everything out there. I’m very crazed and I get to express that which is pretty cool and just let loose.

D: For me, some of the songs I haven’t really been able to sit down and listen to as much as I want to, but ones I have heard just for the fun of it, “Master of the House” is such a fun song. A lot is going on on the stage and it’s just very funny, very fun as a song as a whole. As far as the one that I like to sing, I have to go with “Red and Black.” I think it’s very powerful, very motivating and it’s fun to try and pull that out of me and place it on the stage and leave it on the stage as well.

C: If you have any closing remarks or thoughts, thanks you want to give to people, or words to aspiring actors and actresses go right ahead.

W: Come see Les Mis. But I want to thank my parents for being very graceful in this time, they know I’m very busy, and I also want to thank my best friend Jonathon O’ Maille, who is Jean Valjean. He’s been by my side for years, ever since I was 12 years old. I couldn’t be here without him.

D: Definitely come see Les Mis. It’s going to be really, really fun. It’s going to be an enjoyable experience to both watch and for us to be in. I think, I’d love to give credit to my parents and just for them being there and supporting me with all of these late nights along with Dance Theatre. And then I also just want to give credit to my girlfriend for being there and supporting me when things get stressful and difficult .

C: That’s going to do it for this interview, thank you so much for your time.

W & D: Of course, thank you.