This article is part of a series focusing on the grads of the Dalhousie Class of 2024. Spring Convocation runs from May 21 to 31 in Halifax and Truro. Read all our profiles聽here in one place聽as they are published, and for more information visit the聽Convocation website.
Daniel Nwobi graduates from Dal this week with a honours degree in theatre, which may seem a stretch from his interest in science and robotics while in high school in Nigeria.
鈥淚 wasn't a theater kid,鈥� says Daniel. 鈥淚 was very science-focused before I got to Dal, and had not done any acting.鈥�
Daniel鈥檚 shift in focus began one day after watching the Marvel movie Antman (yes, the one staring Paul Rudd) and decided he wanted to become an actor.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a big shift from science to this art,鈥� he says. 鈥淧hysics is one type of smart, but this is a different type of emotional intelligence you need to present yourself on stage and be vulnerable.鈥�
Daniel chose Dalhousie鈥檚 Fountain School of Performing Arts because he was looking for a program that encompassed multidisciplinary tools he鈥檇 need as an actor and noticed theatre and performing arts degrees do that well.
鈥淭hey get you up and moving, creating and using your voice,鈥� he says.
Daniel聽Nwobi on stage as Phaedra in FSPA's Euripidaristophanize. Costume by Madlyn Woodruff. Mask by Tess Kotsibie. (Kate Hayter photo)
Finding a safe learning space
Completing his first year virtually from Nigeria, Daniel felt a little adrift when he finally arrived on Dal campus in his second year. His first in-person class was with Dance and Movement faculty member V茅ronique MacKenzie.聽
鈥淚 hadn't seen a map of the campus and was emergency texting V茅ronique for help,鈥� Daniel remembers. 鈥淚 showed up very late but right from the start I was comfortable in her class and was very happy about that welcoming feeling. I knew it was a safe space.鈥�
Daniel appreciates the value Dal鈥檚 new Dance and Movement Certificate added to his tool kit. 鈥淚t teaches you the basics of how to dance and move as an actor,鈥� he notes, 鈥渉ow to compose your own movement.鈥� He also credits Veronique with a gentle push to 鈥渏ust get in there and start trying everything.鈥� As a result, he spent summers doing community theatre, started auditioning and got an agent.
Another moment Daniel was grateful for a safe space to explore his craft was in an acting-class clowning module with faculty member Ann-Marie Kerr.
鈥淐lowning forces you to be an object of insult,鈥� Daniel recalls. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 realize how much it changes you to be that vulnerable, to let yourself be targeted by others. It opens doors that don鈥檛 close back. People cried.鈥�
Faculty, funding and community support
Daniel received summer-break coaching in voice acting with financial support from the Fountain School鈥檚 summer program. He describes it as two months of intense work and notes how involved faculty was in helping him navigate balancing work and study commitments.
鈥淚 auditioned for a voice-over job on a cartoon series called Roboforce here in Halifax and got one of the major roles,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat was a big moment for me. Susan Stackhouse was so open to helping me prepare for that first read through. Everyone here at Dal has been so supportive.鈥�
The Fountain School also prioritizes connecting its students with local and international guest artists, offering multiple discipline workshops and masterclasses every year. 鈥淏ringing in so many guest artists really allows you to make connections,鈥� notes Daniel. 鈥淵ou also leave school with a clear knowledge of how to do the work.鈥�
Life beyond the classroom
Daniel believes in the efficiency of the program and curriculum but notes it is also flexible enough to accommodate individual ways of learning and students鈥� interests. 鈥淔rom your intro year to your fourth year, it is very holistic,鈥� says Daniel. 鈥淵ou become a complete actor creating and producing your own projects before you even leave school.鈥�
Behind the scene photo with Fountain School classmate. (Kate Hayter)
He credits faculty Matthew Walker with fostering this sense of autonomy.
鈥淢att鈥檚 bridge projects challenge us to create a 10-minute cut of our work we鈥檇 like to produce and pitch it. It鈥檚 work we may have acted in, written, or directed. It is amazing to see how your work can grow from a little idea to something featured at a Fringe Festival, for example.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e become an actor during my time at the Fountain School. I鈥檓 more aware of my habits, how I am perceived by others, and that there is beauty in failure. My time here has made me consider new career options in the community I鈥檓 growing alongside of.鈥�
Check out Daniel this summer at Halifax鈥檚 Shakespeare by the Sea.