Page 65 - Beauty Prime Magazine

a pitchfest many years ago and found
a producer that would produce it if I
could find a network to air it. Amaz-
ingly, I found a network to air it at the
same pitchfest, but they wanted me to
turn it into a 1-hour special or a 2-hour
movie. At the time, I didn’t know how
to do that. But I am confident I could
do it now.
It really wasn’t until I read the poem
to one of my adult acting students who
said to me, “Why am I not reading this
as a book to my grandkids at Christ-
mas?” I thought, “Oh, I can make this
a children’s picture book.” And so I did.
You’ve worked as both an acting
instructor and a director for vari-
ous theatre companies, including
Storybook Theatre in Calgary.
How do you balance the roles of
educator, director, and writer,
and how do these different as-
pects of your career inform each
other?
As someone who’s passionate about
storytelling in all its forms, I’ve been
fortunate to have had the opportunity
to wear multiple hats in the world of
theatre and writing. Balancing the roles
of educator, director, and writer can be
challenging, but I’ve found that each
aspect informs and enriches the others
in wonderful ways.
Ania Danylo is a visionary
storyteller whose diverse talents
enrich theatre and literature,
inspiring audiences
and students alike.
Your children’s book, The Ele-
phant’s Christmas Wish, tells a sto-
ry of perseverance and following
one’s dreams. What inspired you
to write this story, and how do the
themes of the book reflect your
own experiences in the arts?
I have always been a firm believer in
following dreams. It is hard to work in
the arts if you don’t believe in that. I
also really liked elephants. In the past,
I wrote a lot of interactive children’s
plays, which I produced and toured
around Calgary and western Canada.
Many of them were Christmas stories,
which also held themes of following
dreams and inclusion. When I got tired
of touring and carrying my sets on my
back with my small group of actors that
I had assembled, I guess I had another
Christmas story in me.
I also think part of the story came
from one Christmas performance that
we did in a local community where
the audience was extremely diversified
ethnically. I had been asked to drop all
of the “Christmas” references
for that performance, which I
thought was very odd based on
the name of the play and the
time of year.
When we arrived, I asked the
person in charge if they really
wanted us to lose Santa, the
Elves, and all “Christmas” references.
She looked horrified and said,Heck
no, this is a Christmas party.” It struck
me funny that someone had assumed,
because of their ethnicity, that the
audience didn’t want to celebrate
Christmas at a, well, Christmas party. I
have come across that a few times over
the years. So, it struck me one day that
an elephant might want to be part of
Christmas too.
When I’m working on a project, I
often find myself drawing on skills
from each of these roles. For example,
when writing a picture book, I might
think like a director, imagining how the
story would be staged or visualized. As
an educator, I consider how the story
can be used to teach or inspire young
readers.
In terms of specific tips for balancing
these roles, I’ve found it essential to
prioritize my time, set clear goals,
and be flexible. Some days, I’ll focus
on teaching or directing, while others
are dedicated to writing. By allowing
myself to oscillate between
these roles, I’ve found that
each one enriches the others,
and I’m able to bring a
unique perspective to each
project.
You’ve also moved into
the world of film and
television, working on
independent produc-
tions, commercials,
and TV shows. What challenges
did you face transitioning from
theatre to screen, and how have
these experiences shaped your
creative process?
Transitioning from theatre to screen
has had a few challenges as well as
insights along the way.
I like to explain the fundamental dif-
ferences most simply, as theatre is like
talking into a megaphone (everything
expands out) and film is like turning
the megaphone backwards (everything
contracts in). Film, by the very nature
of the medium, is vastly more visual
and less dependent on the spoken word.
A great deal can be conveyed on the
screen with the smallest of gestures, the
twitch of a lip, or a glimpse of an eye.
For the actor of film, the eyes are by far
the most important, both in what they
show in the spirit, soul, and emotions
of the character and also in what they
reflect in what the character sees.
In the world of theatre you are fully
immersed in the story and life of the
A heartwarming tale of perseverance
and inclusion, beautifully illustrated,
capturing the spirit of Christmas through
an elephant’s adventurous journey.
character for weeks and often months.
When you perform, the audience is
right there with you, becoming part of
the performance and giving immedi-
ate feedback. There is an energy that
passes between the performers and the
audience, whether it be a traditional
play, an interactive script, or even
an improvisational performance; the
audience is an intrinsic element. The
storyline is front and center through
the rehearsals, and the performance is
always beginning, middle, and end.
Film is very fragmented. The story is
broken down into individual shots and
scenes. While there may be numerous
takes of the shots, the rehearsal process
is not the same at all as in theatre. The
team is much larger, with numerous
crew members. The actor needs to
quickly focus on the immediate scene,
which is probably being shot well out
of sequence of the storyline, as films are
shot with the idea of keeping the costs as
low as possible. Also, there is no energy
between actors and audience since the
audience comes much later. While the
actors and directors in films need to be
story-focused as well. It really seems to
me that the story itself becomes strongly
defined by the editor, which is one of the
most critical roles in filmmaking.
As a certified hypnotherapist
and an experienced acting
coach, you have a unique per-
spective on the mind and emo-
tions. How do you incorporate
these skills into your teaching
and directing, and how do they
help your students and actors
achieve their best performanc-
es?
As a certified hypnotherapist and
experienced acting coach, I’ve had
the privilege of delving into the inner
workings of the mind and emotions.
I’ve discovered that these skills are
invaluable in helping my students and
actors access their full potential and
deliver truly captivating performances.
There are many tools, such as visualiza-
tion, body mirroring, etc., that can be
useful for producing great performanc-
es; however, the very best one is to “be
specific.”
But truly the most important part of
my teaching, coaching, and therapy is
providing a very relaxed atmosphere
coupled with a fair amount of humor.
Providing a safe environment where
actors feel comfortable to take risks,
try out ideas, push the boundaries, and,
yes, laughing brilliantly when things
don’t quite work out, goes a very long
way to building confidence. Confi-
dence is key to a good actor, public
speaker, and/or storyteller. I always tell
my actors and students that the most
important part of their job is to have
fun. Having fun is contagious. I like
to think all performances possess the
power of passion and the fragrance and
flavor of fun.
Your book features 56 illustra-
tions by Remi Bryant. How did
you collaborate with the illustra-
tor to bring Felix the elephant
and his journey to life visually,
and what was the process like of
turning your written story into a
fully illustrated children’s book?
Remi was fantastic to work with. She
not only did the illustrations but also
mentored me in how to self-publish a
book, which I knew nothing about. But
I was a pain in the butt, you know? Be-
fore hiring Remi, I actually completed
three iterations of my own version of
the book, so I knew precisely what I
wanted in terms of style. I therefore had
some very strong thoughts right away,
and she did a terrific job of collecting
copious notes from me throughout.
That is something that carried over very
strongly with me from my years of di-
recting. I can always see how to tweak
something just a bit more to make it just
a bit better. Without a doubt, I am sure
I drove her more than a bit crazy. Plus,
I was traveling through Bulgaria when
we worked on a lot of the book, so the
time differences were quite challenging.
But she was fantastic to work with and
learn from.
But given the high cost of printing, 56
full-color illustrations for a book is just
absurd. When I began writing “Zolemi-
na: The Should Do Could Do Would
Do Cat,” my second children’s book,
I started with it in mind. I did manage
to get my page count down from 56
illustrations. But I was having
so much fun collaborating with my
illustrator, David Griffiths, that I wasn’t
able to stick to my goal of 32.Thus, I
also converted both stories to coloring
books. While black and white pages
are more economical to print, coloring
them inspires children’s innate desire
for self-expression. The surprise was
people were buying extra coloring
books for their grandparents and elderly
relatives.
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