British actor DENVER ISAAC chatted with ACT Magazine about life before acting , drama schools and his role in the hit TV drama ‘ A . D . The Bible Continues ’.
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A Hard Working Performer
British actor DENVER ISAAC chatted with ACT Magazine about life before acting , drama schools and his role in the hit TV drama ‘ A . D . The Bible Continues ’.
Born in Masvingo , Zimbabwe shortly after the country ’ s independence from colonial rule , actor Denver Isaac has established his acting career in England , and is now on the road to international stardom after his latest role in A . D The Bible Continues . “ I was born in Masvingo but I never really lived there ,” explains Denver . “ It ’ s a cultural thing to grow up with your siblings , as well as your cousins if you have any , in Zimbabwe so you end up travelling all over the country ! Now that I think about it , there was a feeling of hedonism almost , utter joy and pride , that I got from my parents and their friends when I was growing up and it was all related to the country ’ s new found Independence from colonial rule . However , that feeling shifted very quickly to dread as soon as the mid 90 ’ s when the economy , according to my father , became unstable . That is when he lost his job in the national rail service and my mother decided to emigrate to England .”
Growing up as a child in Zimbabwe , it was rich with music and a history of performance ; a wonderful foundation to inspire Denver into the arts . “ Zimbabwe has a rich history of performance . It ’ s embedded within the culture to sit in a circle with people performing especially with the native instruments like the mbira and on TV , I remember a sketch show with a comedian called ‘ Paraffin ’ who was very popular . I would watch him with my father , and Clint Eastwood ’ s cowboy films . I just loved Clint ’ s swagger and the fact that he wore a blanket over him even in hot hot hot weather !”
Although living in Zimbabwe gave
Denver the initial taste for acting , it wasn ’ t until he had emigrated to England that he decided to follow this career path . “ I realized I wanted to be an actor in three memorable and funny stages . The first being watching Clint Eastwood ’ s cowboy films , I just mentioned . The second stage was when I spent more time playing in the garden as an actor performing in-front of the flowers and bushes pretending they were thousands of spectators watching me , and the third came when I began attending Chicken Shed Theatre when I moved to London . Chicken Shed is a wonderful place where kids with all sorts of abilities and backgrounds mix and make fun and inspiring theatre . The youth group I joined at that theatre became , and still is , an emotional inspiration for me because it made me realize that I was different but so was everyone else and that it was ok . The casting team there gave me the role of Azdak in Bertolt Brecht ’ s play called ‘ The Chalk Circle ’. There has been nothing else I have wanted to do than perform since then .”
Denver enjoyed his time in youth theatre , but also knew that to take his talent to the next level he had to continue his training and hone his craft with different acting teachers and platforms . “ I went to the Italia Conti drama school in London that has a foundation and history of theatre acting . I have found that I am able to apply that on any stage that I am on as well as in life in general . It is so important to be ready as an actor . I believe my continuous pushing out of my comfort zone and removing boundaries as an actor has helped me to become more cultured and worldly .”
Recently , Denver has dabbled in film producing . His short film ‘ Beyond Plain Sight ’ was nominated for Best British Short Film at Raindance in England , and will be shown at a European festival in Berlin very soon . “ Producing was a whole new experience for me . I produced with my own money and I loved it . I remember sitting down with my friend Joseph Adesunloye , who directed the film , discussing how long we had known each other and yet I didn ’ t know that he didn ’ t drink red wine . Our conversation
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