23: Will Wollen

It was a delight this week to meet Will Wollen, Director of Public Engagement in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Kent. Will is an actor, and teaches actors, and wasn’t planning on being an academic. Will was born in Kent and grew up in Dorset, though his parents spent many years living in Kenya, where his older sisters were born. At University, Will studied French and Philosophy and we learn how he got into acting through the Theatre Society at the University of Leeds. We also discuss the perils of what happens when an actor falls ill. We find out what Will’s earliest memories were, which include having his toe being nibbled by a duck, and how in later years he discovered that the boys prep school he went to was run by a paedophile. We also talk about why people go to the theatre in order to see people lose and how comedy happens when people fall over. Will’s first record buying experience was at age 10 and we learn why, in the mid-1980s, he followed a different path to that of his peers by being into the Beatles while the music of the time passed him by. Will reflects on how his father had a passion for Charlie Kunz and medleys of piano music while his mother was into Burt Kaempfert. Will explains how he came to the University of Kent and we discuss teaching dynamics, how to engage with students and what happens when we don’t always know our material. Will has always been a big Radio 4 listener and we learn why he is nostalgic about radio and values the BBC. At the end of the interview, Will explains why his memories are predominantly positive and we learn why he has trained himself to listen to the gut and not just the head, and Will gives an unexpected answer to the question of whether he considers himself to be a looking back or a looking forward kind of person. Please note: Opinions expressed are solely those of Chris Deacy and Will Wollen and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of Kent.