Page 14 - Phonebox Magazine May 2016

The Buzz
Shaun Williamson speaks to Phonebox Magazine
Phonebox Magazine recently caught up with actor and singer Shaun Williamson about his career, his time at EastEnders, and how he
feels about performing in Milton Keynes Theatre’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang production in May alongside Lee Mead and Michelle Collins.
Shaun grew up and went to school in Kent, but had no intentions of going into acting: “There was no history of acting in my family. My dad was a postman and my mum was a cleaner. We lived on a council estate in Maidstone in Kent, and all I wanted to do was leave school and start earning money. So, I left school at sixteen and became a postman. I stayed there for a couple of years, got bored of that, so joined the navy but they found out I was colour-blind and I couldn’t do what I wanted to do within the navy so I left there.” After doing various jobs to earn money such as working in bars, American summer camps, and as a Pontin’s Blue Coat, Shaun even worked night shifts in a supermarket for a while to keep money ticking over. Eventually, a friend suggested he should go to his local amateur dramatics company. “I got my first break and I thought, ‘I like this!’ so I kept at it... I worked hard.”
Eventually, Shaun got offered a job at
EastEnders, but not for the role of Barry Evans at first. “In EastEnders, a paramedic was my first part. I did small parts in The Bill too... Then eventually EastEnders said, well, we remember you as a paramedic so we’ve got a nice little part for you: Barry. I was really there to get Roy, my dad, into it as a potential husband for Pat. So I went along without any great promise and then suddenly one day
they said we’d like to give you a permanent part... And I was in it for ten years!”
Having been in EastEnders for over a decade, what does Shaun miss about it most and why did he leave? “I miss the regular money... I don’t miss being that famous as it came with all sorts of problems. I’d worked at it and been acting for ten years and hadn’t even acted on stage, you see. So I thought I want to go on stage and I’ve done shows now for twelve years. I’m very lucky.”
In May, Shaun will be in Milton Keynes playing Lord Scrumptious and Baron Bomburst in the popular production, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Having already been to Milton Keynes Theatre to perform in Love Me Tender, Shaun said, “I’m really looking forward to coming back. It’s a nice theatre. There’s a loyal audience – I feel quite welcome at the shows.”
Shaun has been in rehearsals for a couple of weeks now with fellow performers Lee Mead and Michelle Collins, and they are starting to learn the song and dance steps, but learning lines isn’t what it used to be for Shaun: “It’s getting harder, to be honest, as I’m getting older! It really is. I never used to have a problem with it. You used to get older actors worrying about their lines and you’d laugh... But I’m not laughing now! But the Baron isn’t
Win Bucks Fizz Tickets
It is 35 years since Bucks Fizz
topped the charts and won the
Eurovision Song Contest. They
went on to become one of the
biggest selling bands of the
80s. In this performance at The
Stables, Cheryl Baker, Mike
Nolan and Jay Aston are joined
by Bobby McVay to bring you
many classic hits that will take you on a nostalgic journey back to the 80s. You can get tickets at stables.org or call the box office on 01908 280800. Would you like to win a pair of tickets to see Bucks Fizz in concert at The Stables on 26th May? Just answer the following question:
Which song did Bucks Fizz win the Eurovision Song Contest with in 1981?
a) Making Your Mind Up b) Making Your Songs Up c) Making Your Lines Up
Send your answer along with your name, email address and home address to competition@phoneboxmagazine.com, or post your entry to Competitions, Phonebox Magazine, Unit 2 Stanley Court, Olney, MK46 5NH. Competition ends Sunday 22nd May at midday and the winner will be contacted shortly after this date.
Entertainment Listings
Rita Coolidge, The Stables, Mon 2
Joseph, Royal and Derngate, Tue 3 – Sat 7
Laura Cantrell, The Stables, Tue 3
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, MK Theatre, Wed 4 - Sat 14
King King, The Stables, Thu 5
An Audience with Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe, The Stables, Fri 6
From The Jam, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Sun 8
Heartbeat, Royal and Derngate, Mon 9 – Sat 14
Spring King + Guests, Bedford Esquires, Fri 13
Ultimate Bowie, The Stables, Sat 14
Swinging at the Cotton Club, The Stables, Sun 15
That’ll Be The Day, MK Theatre, Sun 15
Avenue Q, MK Theatre, Mon 16 - Sat 21
Heather Peace, The Stables, Tue 17
The Sound of Music, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Wed 18 – Sat 21 Russell Kane: Right Man, Wrong Time, Bedford Corn Exchange, Thu 19 The Illegal Eagles, Royal and Derngate, Thu 19
Noasis, Craufurd Arms, Fri 20
Tell Me On a Sunday, Royal and Derngate, Fri 20
Sean Lock – Keep it Light, MK Theatre, Sun 22
Chicago, Royal and Derngate, Mon 23 – Sat 28
Save The Last Dance For Me, MK Theatre, Mon 23 - Sat 28
The Johnny Cash Roadshow, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Sat 28
The Proclaimers, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Sun 29
World’s Greatest Drummer Concert 2016, Royal and Derngate, Sun 29 Roy Hudd, The Stables, Sun 29
We’ve Only Just Begun, Royal and Derngate, Mon 30
Annie, MK Theatre, Mon 30 May – Sat 4 June
14 Phonebox Magazine | May 2016