Will Tran knows how to handle the drama of two (very different) jobs. Photo: National Zoo and Aquarium.
Will Tran is leading a double life.
Early in the day, you’ll catch him zipping around the National Zoo & Aquarium where, as advertising and marketing manager, he wrangles everything from meerkats to media releases. Later, he’s inhabiting eight different characters in rehearsals for Trent Dalton’s Love Stories.
With the full and enthusiastic blessing of the zoo, it’s sanctioned moonlighting — but it does take some juggling.
“I’m up around 5:30 am for a couple of hours at the zoo, then I’m off to rehearsal til around 6 pm. I definitely have to compartmentalise,” he laughs.
He wouldn’t have it any other way, though.
As a self-proclaimed “Jack of all trades”, Will has always had one foot on the stage and the other firmly planted in the real world. He studied Arts and Law at the University of Canberra, and gained diverse work experience, including at a veterinarian clinic, an aquarium and a criminal law firm.
Growing up in Canberra, the idea of being a professional performer felt far-fetched.
“I was always told there probably wouldn’t be enough acting work for me as an Asian Australian,” he recalls. “It was a different time.”
Instead, he turned to dance, teaching himself and eventually joining Kulture Break, a community organisation that nurtures young artists. Before long, he was in the top 80 on So You Think You Can Dance, followed by a five-year stint teaching and performing across Europe.
With his profile and performing credentials growing, he eventually landed his first television commercial for greenfield development Ginninderry. He parlayed this into more substantial television work, including The Heights on ABC and a stint presenting for Southern Cross Austereo.
Then came the role that changed everything: the lead in Vietgone for Queensland Theatre in 2023.
“It was not only my first theatre show; it was my mainstage debut,” he says.
“It was a lot of pressure, but in the end, the most astounding experience I’ve ever had.”
When it’s not red pandas, it’s red carpets as Will prepares to take centre stage in Love Stories at Canberra Theatre Centre. Photo: Will Tran.
Between contracts, Will sought a job that would allow him to utilise his eclectic skill set, while also offering flexibility to attend auditions and production tours.
He found just that at the National Zoo & Aquarium, where he’s been everything from tour guide to vet nurse.
It was as a tour guide that he learned he had landed the Love Stories gig.
“I was taking the USA female rugby team on a tour of the zoo when I got the email,” he says.
“It was such a surreal moment – we were with the kangaroos, and I had to play it cool. ”
Dalton’s Love Stories is a book that captured the messy, fragile, luminous heart of humanity — stories of hope, grief, joy and connection. Dalton spent two months sitting on a busy Brisbane street corner with his typewriter, capturing real love stories from passersby as source material.
On stage, the multi-award-winning collection of vignettes about love becomes a kaleidoscope of voices performed by a dozen actors, each slipping into multiple roles.
It is soon to stop in Canberra on its second Brisbane Festival tour, following its sold-out debut season last year.
For Will, performing in his hometown will be a career highlight.
“I am so proud not only to be telling an Australian story, but to do that for Canberra audiences. It’s hard to put in words the thrill when I think of waking up in my own home, having a coffee and then heading to my local theatre — I have never known what that feels like.”
He promises Canberra audiences will leave with something lasting.
“For every Canberran that comes to this show, I know there will be a moment that’s for you, one that will resonate and will follow you long after the curtain falls.”
Love Stories runs at Canberra Theatre Centre from 24 to 27 September. Book via Canberra Theatre Centre.
