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[0:00] Tori Bullard: We would like to acknowledge the Thoroughwall people of the Eeura Nation and the Warundari people of the Coolin Nation.

[0:06] Eliza Gunther: We pay respect to the traditional custodians of this land on which we work, live and record, and strive to continue in the tradition of Australia's first storytellers.

[0:15] Tori Bullard: We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

[0:17] Eliza Gunther: Always was, always will be aboriginal land.

[0:25] Tori Bullard: Well, welcome back to Stage Door Podcast and to part two of our chat with William Kasper.

[0:31] Eliza Gunther: If you haven't listened to part one yet, what are you doing?

[0:34] Tori Bullard: Go back, catch up.

[0:36] Eliza Gunther: But without further ado, let's jump straight into it.

[0:39] Tori Bullard: Yes. Well, I think we're gonna kind of start this part with talking a bit more about you, your life, your career outside of just the D&D world, which we can definitely touch on as well.

[0:52] Eliza Gunther: You went to drama school.

[0:54] Tori Bullard: Obviously, we went to the same drama school.

[0:56] Eliza Gunther: And when you're at drama school, it's kind of all about the structure.

[1:00] Tori Bullard: Um and you kind of have that structure every day.

[1:03] Eliza Gunther: But life as an actor outside of that is honestly the complete opposite.

[1:07] Tori Bullard: Yep. What is kind of something you learned at the con that helped you not just in auditioning and on stage, but in navigating that kind of unpredictable world of working as an actor outside of that?

[1:22] William Kasper: Yeah, that's a great question. Um yeah, I mean the like structure can be really tricky. I think a big thing for me is just the like how well you get to know everyone around you. And kind of the main thing that gets you through the struggles of this industry is knowing that you're not in it alone. You know? So I think I think every single thing, you know, I mean, we were in the same cohort.

[1:47] Eliza Gunther: Yeah.

[1:47] William Kasper: Everything we struggled with. You could turn around and you saw the other person breaking down before you could, you know? Like so I I really do think there is um if you look at the individualism within— is that a word? Individualism?

[2:02] Eliza Gunther: We'll pretend it's a word.

[2:04] William Kasper: Um I said it with confidence. Uh I think if you look at the individualism of each person around you, and you see them all still struggling with the same things with the same issues, you know, the imposter syndrome, the anxiety of it all, the am I good enough, you go out into the industry and yeah, you don't have the structure of uni anymore. But you still have the people.

[2:29] Eliza Gunther: Yes.

[2:30] William Kasper: You know, like you still you can turn to your friend and say, dude, uh this this sucks. Like we're really we're really in it now, hey, and and you're still this individual out in this crazy world, like world, like you are this your own person, but you are surrounded by people dealing with at least similar struggles.

[2:49] Tori Bullard: So I look, I think I think uni, you know, we we were in first year, we had the second and third years above us, then we had the years below us.

[2:59] Eliza Gunther: There were five cohorts that we were surrounded by, and that's you know, that's like a hundred people that you can fall back on.

[3:06] William Kasper: That's a hundred people that you can be in the race with and be in this crazy world with. So I I honestly think that would probably be the thing that gets me through it. Um that that side of uh navigating the industry for sure.

[3:21] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, I think I think um definitely everyone lifting each other up as well. Because I think that when you don't see people for a while, and you're going through, you know, maybe you're haven't been employed or you've had some um not so great auditions and you think it's so yourself, and then you go and talk to your friends who have done the same audition, and they're like, that was cooked.

[3:43] William Kasper: I can't believe it wasn't that awful, and they're all feeling the exact same things. You're able to kind of like know that you're not alone in that.

[3:53] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, absolutely. Umigroup chat, whenever it blows up of people being like, Man, that dance call was nuts.

[3:59] William Kasper: Yeah, our favorite.

[4:01] Eliza Gunther: I'm like, oh great, okay, cool. I'm not the only one who struggles with this stuff.

[4:07] William Kasper: Um that post Annie dance call.

[4:10] Eliza Gunther: That dance call is cooked.

[4:12] William Kasper: I don't think I've ever danced worse in my entire life. I was like, you want me to do what? Why am I here?

[4:21] Eliza Gunther: I was like, I'll commit to it. That's all you're gonna get.

[4:25] William Kasper: But I guess like post-university, you started to dive into drive into dive into screen acting prior to this show.

[4:35] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, how did you start breaking your way into that side of the industry?

[4:38] William Kasper: Because it is quite different. Do you have any tap tips?

[4:42] Eliza Gunther: Oh my god, I can't speak.

[4:44] William Kasper: I can't English either. It's bad. Do you have any tips for those looking to get into screen acting?

[4:49] William Kasper: Well, firstly, acting isn't about speaking perfectly, okay. Um yeah, great. Um, I I love film. Um I I I always wanted to do it. Um, how did I end up doing it?

[5:06] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, that's a great question.

[5:07] William Kasper: Because I was so fascinated because we were when we were at uni, obviously we're all doing musical theatre, and then when at the end of like third year, you really started to dive into doing more film, but I was so fascinated. How did you even get there?

[5:19] William Kasper: Like what happened? Um, I mean, I I have a lot of people in my life that were really into the film worlds. I you know, studying at uh the Queensland I uh my high school the was uh uh the Queensland Academy of ex uh uh of creative industries, quacky for short, which is the way better way to put it.

[5:45] Eliza Gunther: Um there were there was a film part of that school where I didn't study film, but a lot of my close friends did, so they kinda lugged me into their films.

[5:54] William Kasper: They were like, Oh Will, you're an actor, come do this, and and we started doing it. I was like, holy shit, like I I really like this. This is fun, and I I I kinda had a knack for it, I guess, with um with being captured on screen and and stuff and and then I I did some little bits and bobs of training, just little workshops and stuff just to stay in it while we were studying musical theater.

[6:15] Eliza Gunther: I I always knew I wanted it to be a part of my life.

[6:18] William Kasper: Um I just wasn't really sure how to get in. And then uh um Oliver Clisdell in our cohort, the amazing Ollie who finds audition briefs out of nowhere, uh put an audition brief for a feature film.

[6:30] William Kasper: I auditioned for it and um I was lucky enough to to land a supporting role in in in this film and and just got in with that community and stuff, but um I had started film act I had started screen acting before before uni, my um my partner before uni in high school and stuff.

[6:49] William Kasper: She was really into the film world, so she kinda got me into it as well. I I just just surrounded by the right people, which um the the other question you asked of like tips to uh or taps to to get into it.

[7:01] Eliza Gunther: Um tips or taps.

[7:03] William Kasper: Uh tips and taps to get into it. Really is is um, you know, I I hate to stick with the cliches, but it's it's who you know. Um it's it's getting into those workshops and being surrounded by the people and just making friends and not being a dick you know and and oh my god don't be a dick.

[7:23] Eliza Gunther: Just don't be a dick.

[7:24] William Kasper: That's kind of my number one piece of advice for this industry you know it goes a long way. It goes a long way well I but genuinely I mean with how the industry's steering these days you know like people are they're not putting up with shit anymore.

[7:39] Eliza Gunther: They're not they're not allowing for the you know there is a history of of uh abuse and power dynamics in in the in the performing industries and and people aren't people aren't putting up with it anymore and they're calling it out and and being brave and that's kind of allowing allowing for safer environments where people don't want to put up with shit anymore.

[8:01] William Kasper: They don't want to deal with the arsehole or the diva or you know they they just want to get the job done and have fun.

[8:08] Eliza Gunther: And especially in film you know you you're on set at like 3 a.m and everyone's tired and cold and you just want to have fun so you you you push past it.

[8:20] William Kasper: But yeah so surrounding yourself with with the right people um just getting on film sets you know because there's this whole other if you especially if you're a stage actor yeah there you can translate so many skills but there is this whole other language and this efficiency you know it's you don't have weeks of rehearsal and then do the same show every every day you have you know maybe two minutes to rehearse a scene, maybe three days to learn your lines for this scene.

[8:49] Eliza Gunther: So it's all about efficiency and speed.

[8:51] William Kasper: So if you can just get on a film set as like a a water runner for actors. If you can just learn the language, you know, the more efficient you are, the more people want to work with you again because they know, oh, I'll I'll work with this guy again because he might this other bloke might be a better actor, but this guy I know he's just gonna get it done quickly enough, you know.

[9:13] Eliza Gunther: Uh so I think I think learning the language and learning the people is is kind of the best way to to transfer into into that side.

[9:21] William Kasper: Yeah.

[9:21] Eliza Gunther: I also love what you said.

[9:23] Eliza Gunther: Like I I also love the fact that Ollie also gave you that brief because I think this also speaks to people helping people and and recognizing when something really suits them and sending it their way.

[9:33] William Kasper: And I think that's such a beautiful thing of our industry, and that is something that is so beautiful when you don't gatekeep things is being someone that shares those things because the right things go to the right people and they end up going in the right path.

[9:47] Eliza Gunther: So be like an Ollie, be like an Oliver.

[9:51] William Kasper: Be like Ollie, be like Ollie, get the casting briefs out.

[9:54] Eliza Gunther: I I um I yeah, I mean, I could not agree more, and and and um as someone, you know, I I uh one of the kind of big things graduating from acting school is like you give you put so much pressure on yourself to book an agent, to get an agent out of uni.

[10:12] William Kasper: I did not book an agent out of uni, I still do not have an agent.

[10:15] Eliza Gunther: Um I the gigs that I have booked is because I've had friends go, Will, I got this casting brief.

[10:23] William Kasper: I think you'd be really good for it. Here's this thing.

[10:26] William Kasper: Or a director that I worked with wants to work with me again, or they have a friend making a thing. Uh I got the D&D brief because my darling friend uh uh Natasha Dyson um saw that the saw the brief and was like, hey, I'm not meant to share this, but I'm going to.

[10:43] William Kasper: Here you are. Like, oh sorry, Tash did I just call out Tash oh sorry.

[10:47] Eliza Gunther: Um it's okay.

[10:49] William Kasper: I called out people earlier for sending it to me, it's fine.

[10:51] Eliza Gunther: Oh yeah, okay.

[10:52] William Kasper: Um yeah, that's how I've gotten most uh pretty much all of the work that I've gotten is just is just people not gatekeeping, you know.

[11:00] Eliza Gunther: If if your friend books that role that you're also auditioning for, well then you weren't right for it.

[11:05] William Kasper: You know, there's there's millions of actors going for stuff. If you're not the one to book it, you weren't you just weren't the right choice, you know.

[11:12] Eliza Gunther: Yeah.

[11:13] William Kasper: Celebrate each other. It's so important because they will want to celebrate us when we book something, so we should do the same, just as like uh uh good people.

[11:22] Eliza Gunther: And also if you're interested in working in screen, I also recommend getting into extra work because it gives you a great foundation uh and to see just how fast paced and how fast you are going to need to move on the day.

[11:36] William Kasper: I recently did stuff for Heartbreak High, and I haven't done extra work in a long time.

[11:39] Eliza Gunther: But I was like, this will be fun.

[11:40] William Kasper: Oh my god, it was like a whiplash.

[11:42] Eliza Gunther: I was like, yeah, okay, this is how we do this. Great, great, great, okay.

[11:45] William Kasper: I I was lucky enough to one of my mates asked me to get on set as an extra last year.

[11:50] Eliza Gunther: Um, and it was great.

[11:51] William Kasper: It was so cool. It was so funny. He was like, "Oh, are you sure you want to do like extra work?" Like, most actors don't really want to do extra. I was like, "Dude, get me on a set. Oh, I want to see what it's like." And yeah, it is crazy fast-paced. But the other great thing that I really saw from being on set was like, "Oh, it is fast-paced, there's more money, there's a hundred crew members, there's a two cam operation, like it's amazing." But other than having more money and more people, it's the same thing. You know, the actors are being given the same direction that my directors have given me, and between takes, I would see the actors just go off and start learning their lines for the next scene. And I was like, "Oh my god, I do that." So yeah, extra work's great. It's really fantastic. It is, it is. And I guess kind of speaking of Tash Dyson.

[12:44] Eliza Gunther: Yes.

[12:44] William Kasper: You now this is taking of me, but I absolutely love it. And I checked with Tash, it was fine. You guys are currently writing a new musical based on D&D. So exciting. How did this idea spark between the two of you? And can you give us any sneak peeks on as to the premise of the show or just anything?

[13:05] William Kasper: Yeah, yeah. No, I was so I was literally I knew that you wanted to chat about it, so I was also messaging Tash and I was like, "Hey, dude, what am I allowed to say?" Yeah, so Tash and I were part of a D&D group during uni. We were the D nerds, so we would finish uni at, you know, 5, 6 p.m. and then we'd all go upstairs into the green room at Burke Street, dodgy Burke Street Studios that were the most beautiful place on earth. We would go upstairs and we would sit around a table and we'd play D&D. And it was how, you know, that group of people, we all became really, really close and it was through the game of D&D. And so Tash and I have both always been obsessed with D&D, and it was Tash, I mean, a lot of the—Tash has done some incredible work.

Mostly I've just been sitting there being like, "Hey, how does this story beat work? And oh, what about this character arc? And here's three lines of dialogue." Tash, meanwhile, Tash has just done incredible work, which I'll get to, but Tash just sort of came to me and was like, "Hey, I want to write a musical, and I think one of the big things with getting into writing is write what you know." And so Tash was like, "I mean, the most eventful stories of my life have revolved around our D&D group and playing D&D, and there's not a lot of musicals these days that are written about people in their twenties. You know, we've got a lot of musicals about teenagers, high school, what it's like to be going through all that nightmare.

We've got lots of musicals about older being older in your life, there's lots of family musicals, there's lots of broad spectrums. There's not a lot of musicals that talk about how hard life can be when you're in your twenties and you're trying to find where you set into life and it's not written out for you anywhere, and you maybe you graduate uni and there's no structure, or maybe you're in uni and you realize it's not what you wanted all throughout high school." And we just wanted to tell this story about really it's a story about a group of young adults finding their way, and it's about chosen family. You know, I love writing this because I am very fortunate with the family that I was born into.

My siblings are my best mates, my parents are my best mates, I feel safe with them, I feel cherished and loved and supported by them. Not everyone has that. A lot of the people in my life have not grown up, you know, they have not had that same family dynamic. And so it's been really exciting to write this show about a bunch of people kind of finding each other and creating their own family because that is just as beautiful, it is just as valid, if not more so. And then while we were talking about it, we were like, "Yeah, then we'll just chuck D&D in there as well." So we wanted to use this fantastical realm to kind of attack your problems and to have a, I guess, a heightened version of all the issues going on and the navigation of life.

We really just wanted to write something that we know, and then since then Tash has written, has already got like incredible music. Like I'm just doing this D&D show and I'm like on the light rail to the opera house and I will get a full Google Drive of just material that Tash has like a cappella recorded in their room at home and I'm just, it's mind-blowing. It's incredible music, she's an insane talent when it comes to composition, she's just incredible, yeah, an absolute genius. So absolutely, yeah, it's been beautiful writing that with her. I'm so excited, I just can't wait to see it and hear it. I keep telling Tash, I'm like, "Can I hear some? I want to hear some. I'm like, 'Hey, have you written any more songs?'" I really like listening to them, it's so awesome.

[15:55] Eliza Gunther: I think this is so great to see two people creating their own work as well because it's—and that exactly what you said about being in that era of your life. I don't think there is enough work about that, and it's so complex, and everyone has a different background and life story, and sometimes just a simple thing as D&D can bring people together, and you can have that common ground. So it's really beautiful to see you guys making this work.

[17:46] William Kasper: And I'm so excited, I'll be there. I'll be cheering for the front row. Also, new Australian work. We love Australian work. Oh, keep making work, Australians. We're getting there. We're still getting there, but there's more and more every year, which is good. And we love when it's not an adaptation, not that adaptations don't have their place, but we love like a non-adaptation, and we love something that's not based in the war times.

[18:11] Eliza Gunther: Yes.

[18:14] William Kasper: Thank you. Thank you all. I guess kind of to round out this episode, a lot of young actors and young actors, 27-year-old actors as well, worry about making the right choice, quote unquote, in their careers. Looking back, was there ever a moment for you where you took a risk or made an unexpected choice that paid off?

[18:42] William Kasper: I think probably the—I mean, yeah, this industry is crazy. And the more I can talk to, you know, actors younger than myself or people wanting to get into the industry just about the different journeys that everyone will go on, and that you should take advice from other people, but at the same time, your journey's gonna be different, so don't hold to it. My a big risk, yeah. Something I got told a lot before I studied musical theatre was I was kind of chopping up, going up, tossing up between like acting degree or musical theatre degree. Do I do a degree? Do I just go do this? Like, what do I do? And I have a lot of people basically being like, "Just pick one, and you need to stick with that."

They were like, "You need—the only way to make it in this industry is to go down an avenue and put everything you've got into it and really, really go into that. And then if you want to do other, you know, different sides of the creative industry, you can." Probably my biggest risk is ignoring that. You know, I said, "Screw it, I wanna study." You know, people are like, "Oh, you should study acting. You're really good at acting and film." I was like, "I don't care. I don't want to study what I'm good at. I want to study what I want to improve upon." And so I studied musical theatre, which was a risk in and of itself. Like I wasn't the strongest vocalist. I had never danced, done dancing training before.

And then through studying, I found a love for dancing, especially for tap, which I've now used as an actor. I've tapped for a film, you know, and studying musical theatre was a risk, but then going into the film industry right out of musical theatre was a risk. So I think probably the biggest risk I've taken is just not hunkering down into one avenue and just going out into all these different ones, and it's honestly, it's worked out so far. You know, like yeah, I've gotten the opportunity to work in lots of different avenues, and I didn't think I was gonna get to work in musical theatre when I was graduating. I really was like, "Oh, this film thing's working out, I'm not the strongest at musical theatre, maybe I should just do that."

And then I booked a musical and I was like, "Wait, shit, okay, great." Yeah, this industry's never gonna be what you think it is. So I think, you know, rather than picking an avenue and gunning it, I think you just gun it. I think you just—you just give it all the love you've got and you surround yourself with people who are gonna give the love right back.

[21:14] Eliza Gunther: Yeah, and you always end up where you're supposed to be. I think that's the main thing. You always end up, I think, like following that passion and wherever sparks that joy and that creativity so that you continue developing. And exactly what you said, like trying to do the things that you're not so good at because then they'll bring something to the things you're good at.

[21:35] William Kasper: Yeah. If you're already really good at something, go work. Don't get paid to do that thing. But if you're training, don't train in the things that are harder, you know. The more versatile you can be, the more work there is. Simple as that. You can book more gigs if you got less skills on your tool belt.

[21:55] Eliza Gunther: Yeah definitely. And well that kind of brings us to the end of our time. Thank you so so much again, Will, for taking the time to come on and chat with us about yourself and obviously in the last episode about Dungeon and Dragons, the Twenty-Sided Tavern. Come on, come watch. I'll say the tag again before we finish, don't worry. But before we go, give yourself a plug. Where can the people find you and follow your latest antics on social media?

[22:25] William Kasper: Oh, hell yeah. Yeah, my Instagram is where I kinda post all my professional stuff. It's just William underscore Kasper underscore. Casper is spelt with a K. It's German K-A-S-D-E-R. Yeah, that's where I kinda do all my updates and post about the work that I'm doing, and then the occasional stupid video that I definitely shouldn't post because it outs me. And yeah, but you know, that's fine. Yeah, go follow there.

[22:55] Eliza Gunther: Amazing. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to come on and chat with us. And you guys, just as another reminder, Dungeon and Dragons, the Twenty-Sided Tavern, is currently playing at the Sydney Opera House. Ticket link will be down below. Go see it. It's crazy, it's fun, and it's exciting. And follow Will down below in the description as well to see the latest on who knows when this maybe this new little musical might come to fruition. Very exciting. But thank you so much again, Will, for taking the time to come on and be with us. And until next time, listeners, stay happy, healthy, and safe. And we will see you then. And bye.

[23:33] Eliza Gunther: Bye from me.