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 here in one place as they are published, and for more information visit the 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.
“I wasn't a theater kid,” says Daniel. “I was very science-focused before I got to Dal, and had not done any acting.”
Daniel’s 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.
“It’s been a big shift from science to this art,” he says. “Physics is one type of smart, but this is a different type of emotional intelligence you need to present yourself on stage and be vulnerable.”
Daniel chose Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts because he was looking for a program that encompassed multidisciplinary tools he’d need as an actor and noticed theatre and performing arts degrees do that well.
“They get you up and moving, creating and using your voice,” he says.
Daniel 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 Véronique MacKenzie.
“I hadn't seen a map of the campus and was emergency texting Véronique for help,” Daniel remembers. “I 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.”
Daniel appreciates the value Dal’s new Dance and Movement Certificate added to his tool kit. “It teaches you the basics of how to dance and move as an actor,” he notes, “how to compose your own movement.” He also credits Veronique with a gentle push to “just get in there and start trying everything.” 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.
“Clowning forces you to be an object of insult,” Daniel recalls. “You don’t realize how much it changes you to be that vulnerable, to let yourself be targeted by others. It opens doors that don’t close back. People cried.”
Faculty, funding and community support
Daniel received summer-break coaching in voice acting with financial support from the Fountain School’s 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.
“I auditioned for a voice-over job on a cartoon series called Roboforce here in Halifax and got one of the major roles,” he says. “That 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.”
The Fountain School also prioritizes connecting its students with local and international guest artists, offering multiple discipline workshops and masterclasses every year. “Bringing in so many guest artists really allows you to make connections,” notes Daniel. “You also leave school with a clear knowledge of how to do the work.”
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’ interests. “From your intro year to your fourth year, it is very holistic,” says Daniel. “You become a complete actor creating and producing your own projects before you even leave school.”
Behind the scene photo with Fountain School classmate. (Kate Hayter)
He credits faculty Matthew Walker with fostering this sense of autonomy.
“Matt’s bridge projects challenge us to create a 10-minute cut of our work we’d like to produce and pitch it. It’s 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.”
“I’ve become an actor during my time at the Fountain School. I’m 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’m growing alongside of.”
Check out Daniel this summer at Halifax’s Shakespeare by the Sea.
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