TV star wants budding Islington actors
�An Islington TV star is calling on budding performers to become the next generation of acting talent.
Danielle Isaie, 25, who lives off Liverpool Road and counts Gavin and Stacey, Casualty, The Bill and Off The Hook among her acting credits, opened the Colourful Dreams Drama School (CDDS) in King’s Cross at the start of the year.
The ethos of the CDDS is to provide professional training for local kids who can’t afford to go to some of the more expensive academies.
To this end, when Ms Isaie received lottery money to set up the school, she used the cash to make all lessons free for six months.
Cheaper
The grant has now run out, but the fees are still thousands of pounds cheaper than some more illustrious institutions, and Ms Isaie wants budding thespians to take advantage.
She said: “When I was a little girl I always wanted to get into acting, but my mum and dad couldn’t afford to send me to drama school full time.
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“It wasn’t until I was about 21 and making my own money that I could get into it properly – I went to the Poor School [in Pentonville Road, Kings Cross].
“I really wanted to do something for kids who are in the same position I was.
“Drama school is really good for children; it can help build confidence and we’re all about having fun here, rather than endless exams. They get enough of that at school.
“A lot of places get funding but still charge a fee. We were only meant to be free for three months, but I managed to stretch it out to six months.
“Now we have to charge around �100 a term, but that still only works out at around �7 a lesson.”
The CDDS is currently running a competition for free places.
n Visit www.colourful dreamsdrama.co.uk for more information.
