Acting Strong
Resilience for Stage Ready, Mind Ready Artists. Inspiring interviews with successful actors and artists exploring how they maintain positive mental wellbeing and resilience through the highs and lows of their career.
Created by Generation Arts. This production is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
Hosts: Ali Godfrey & Unique Spencer
Acting Strong
Gabrielle Nimo: Thriving without an agent, blending football and theatre, Black women in the West End, and making space for rest
What happens when your passion becomes your career, but then a setback threatens everything you've built? In this honest conversation with Ali and Unique, Gabrielle Nimo, West End Movement Director, shares her inspiring story of resilience and adaptability, highlighting her transformative journey through productions like "Red Pitch" and "Strategic Love Play." With no agent and relying solely on her organic network, Gaby's career thrives, showcasing how versatility across roles like dancer, facilitator, and teacher can continuously open doors in the arts industry.
Balancing a demanding career with personal well-being is no small feat, especially when you're dealing with the physical and mental challenges of injuries. Gaby opens up about her journey of recovery, the significance of self-care, and how exploring new interests became a crucial part of her healing. This episode also touches on the broader landscape of theatre and screen work, exploring different career paths, the power of representation for black female movement directors, and the relentless passion, persistence and hustling required to succeed in this industry.
Hosts & Guests:
Ali Godfrey (Host)
Unique Spencer (Host)
Gabrielle Nimo (Guest)
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Produced & Edited by: Ali Godfrey
Acting Strong is brought to you by Generation Arts and this production is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
Hello everyone, you are listening to Acting Strong. It's a podcast that helps explore resilience for stage-ready, mind-ready artists. It's brought to you by Generation Arts and it's sponsored by Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. We are your hosts.
Unique Spencer:I'm Unique a professional actor and I'm Ali, founder of Generation Arts of Generation Arts. In today's episode, we're talking to West End Movement director Gaby Nimo about her career working on productions like Red Pitch and Stranger Things, and also about her unconventional route into the industry. Let's get started. I'm actually doing quite good, so I feel that's good cool. Thanks for coming. Appreciate you being here. So, Gaby, what have you been working on? What are you working on at the moment? What have you been working on recently? Give us a flavor of what you've been up to.
Gabrielle Nimo:I'm on a little break now because I've had quite a long stint of um of work since February and I've kind of been going non-stop since then. Um, so I picked back up on work in September on a play at a drama school Guildhall. But most recently, the last few things I've done, is Red Pitch at the West End. I took on the West End leg of the show. I've also just done Strategic Love Play, which was at Soho Theatre and that's been a remount. That was that came on last year and it's returned back. It did return back.
Gabrielle Nimo:The last thing I did after that, well, it was kind of going on at the same time, but I then also did a new piece of writing called Swim Auntie Swim at Coventry Belgrade Theatre and it's been that kind of I've had. I also did another play at Lambda Drama School. They were all kind of going on at the same time between February and May ish, and then I've had like a few workshops and stuff in between, but it's been quite a long, a long stint after, after an injury I sustained actually, so came back to work, did all of that and now now I'm here and so all of these um jobs are as a movement direction, movement director yeah, all as movement director and some of them you mentioned, um the play at the Soho and also Red Pitch, were remounts of shows that had already taken place, and had you been involved from the beginning or did you join at the second leg, so to speak?
Gabrielle Nimo:so for Red Pitch, I joined um on the. I think this might be the third. The West End version was the third version. Yeah, I actually was an interesting story. I was actually asked by daniel bailey, the director of red pitch, to do it the first time it came around. I was actually teaching at art, said so I wasn't available, um, and just a few different things happened this time around where I was available, so I kind of took it over from there um, which was an amazing experience, and I work with uh Dan quite a lot, so we used to the way each other work and stuff, so he kind of knew that I could just jump on and get to work on it and so, yeah, I was gonna ask that is that like, um, like, in terms of like actors, like we have our favorite writers and we have our favorite directors in terms of like movement direction, do you have like your favorite directors and like your favorite well, not favorites, but like people that you really enjoy working with and you understand their vision?
Unique Spencer:is that like, really important to connect in that way before you start a project?
Gabrielle Nimo:you know, I do think I've still got lots of work to do and I'm still getting to know, like different directors and theatres and stuff like that, so it takes. I think you know there can be a magical connection and way of working with people when you do work with them. I think that relationship with a director is really important, especially in terms of understanding how they work and how to get to the vision that they want and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, I don't know about favorites. There are definitely people that I like, some.
Gabrielle Nimo:For example, someone like Dan I work with quite a lot, so um might be going into our third show together later on this year, um, and we just have a way of working it together that works and that's always helpful. When you just get it, you just kind of there's a flow, so that that always helps. I'm getting to know loads of other directors as well, which and that's what's kind of I found in my career that I've just happened to make connections along the way and they will usually get in contact and then, because I don't have an agent, um, so people just get in contact with me, to be honest, and it's just like an organic relationship that I work on.
Ali Godfrey:So, yeah, it really does help when the that connection with the director is there yeah and this is something we talk about um quite a bit, um on the podcast and also at Generation Arts, about in terms of for actors as well um, that idea of just one job leading to another, or making that connection, never knowing who you're working with but where it could lead. Um, what do you kind of think is the key to kind of have without, as you say, without having an agent, just having that work coming your way, and what do you think the the key is in terms of how you're working, your, your work ethic?
Gabrielle Nimo:just from my experience, I think I'm very, I'm very like fortunate to have that it works that way for me. Um, I think I remember, especially because I started this 10 years ago 2014 is when I really started kind of getting out there with movement direction and I do really think that I had my hands in a few pots of facilitation, working with yourselves, generation Arts, in different schools and communities and with different kind of theatre companies and buildings, and I think maybe that, and sometimes as a dancer, sometimes as a facilitator, sometimes as a teacher, so I'm in different pots or different kind of areas, and I think just that, being around, people just kind of get to know that you do stuff. So that has kind of opened up people kind of getting to know me or finding out about me, and that's how they get into contact. Um, I don't know if that's that explains it very well, but it's just. It's literally just I'm around in different things, so I think that's how people would find me.
Ali Godfrey:Yeah, you know yeah, yeah, that makes sense and, um, I just want to go back because I I just want to talk a bit more about Red Pitch because we mentioned that and some of the listeners might not have seen the show. Tell us about that show. It was amazing show, all about football and life. Three character, three young male characters. Can you talk a bit about what the what the show was and how it came about?
Gabrielle Nimo:yeah, I've known Tyrell Williams actually the writer of the show for about the same amount of time. I remember when I did my own um piece that I wrote here in Harrow. Tyrell actually interviewed me for that piece because he also did a bit of journalistic work. Um, so we met each other 10 years ago and I remember um Tyrell mentioning that it has been quite a long, a long time in the making.
Gabrielle Nimo:I want to say six years, six or seven, but I might have that that word wrong, that that kind of number wrong, sorry, but it has. It's been a long piece that he's been working on for a long time and I remember also watching a 10-minute short of it years ago I can't remember the exact year, but he did a 10-minute show on it. Dan Bailey actually directed that 10-minute piece as well and I think Dan encouraged him to keep expanding on it and writing on it. And from what I've heard Terrell say about the piece is that it's kind of about him also growing up in his area, about how he was watching his area change and the gentrification and the effect it had on his friends, and it's from I know it's from a personal experience that he's been working on for a while.
Ali Godfrey:And it was a kind of show where the movement was really integral. It couldn't have been what it was without the movement.
Gabrielle Nimo:Absolutely, absolutely and actually because, as I mentioned, I came on to the kind of third leg of the run, the previous movement directors, dixon Imby and Ricardo da Silva, all the beautiful work that they'd kind of input into that I was able to kind of expand upon and build on when I got there, because we changed a few things when I was there. We added an extra bit to the big party scene and but the groundwork that those two movement directors laid were a really good foundation for me to be able to spring off. Also, the boys themselves, um, also they had a hand in kind of creating some of the movement in there as well from the first and second second leg, and so it was just a very they're very creative kind of team and ensemble and I think there's all that organic connection and ability to just create stuff directly from the rehearsal room. Really, you know, made it what it was, and so my job when I got there on the West End run of it was to look at what they had and kind of look a bit deeper into the exploration of character work specifically and of course in the set pieces. So we kind of looked at I work, I can work quite psychologically when I'm working with actors, so kind of their mental and emotional patterns, but, um, because, because they've done it before, they'd already had specific things that they know that their character does physically. But we kind of looked deeper into that as to why they do that, where it comes from, um, particularly coming from their psychological and emotional states.
Gabrielle Nimo:And then, with the um set pieces and their dream sequences that they had where they individually do stuff. There were things like we had to swap around some movements, yes, but also things like I know it sounds like a small thing, but certain things like they used to do their movement kind of in the move in one place in the center of the stage. Then they move to, uh, they move upstage whilst moving, kind of using a ball. For example, I know one of the actors, their previous dream sequence, they were kicking the ball around whilst whilst moving, but actually we discovered with the other two they're not using the ball at all and, just to keep the language the same, it was taking the actual physical ball out and doing it without the ball. And kind of I call it isolated movements, where it's just a particular style choice, where instead of kind of moving around lots, focusing the whole sequence in one spot with the lights and with it's stuff, like that just kind of meeting and tightening it up and, you know, sharpening.
Gabrielle Nimo:I'm quite big on lines and clean um and the the um. The slow motion idea which is is from previous um, previous showings of the of the piece. Is was definitely integral to the piece as well, but luckily it wasn't kind of I don't the only word I can use is jarring. It wasn't as um, it just worked in terms of the sense of when you actually watch kind of match of the day and stuff and when they slow them down and they kind of make that moment really joyous and larger than life. It added to the whole dream essence of them imagining themselves in big stadiums and stuff. I just think that all the elements of the movement really worked really well with. It just suited the piece so much. So yeah, the elements of the movement really worked really well with.
Ali Godfrey:It just suited the piece. So much so, yeah, yeah, it was great and it was so. It was lovely to see such a young and diverse audience in the west end and, um, I loved how the show was really it's amazing show, but also the fact that it was really a good length, you know yes too long yeah, I don't know I'm just like um grumpy old women about this, but these shows and films just get longer and longer.
Gabrielle Nimo:No, do you know? Honestly I think I've been spoiled because the last few shows I've done have kind of run through the last two shows. I'm going to be honest, it's Red Pitch and Swim Auntie. Swim at Coventry had no interval and honestly, I think I'm spoiled now because I'm like right, let's do an hour and a half and get out of here, because I'm just like I mean, I feel like I need a bit more stamina to be able to sit through longer shows these days but but also it was really intense, but it was just, yes, just the right length, yeah, just the right length, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, and just on that, because you mentioned that you had an injury and stuff.
Unique Spencer:So how, like, how do you manage in terms of you said, you've got, you know, you've had a period where you've had jobs back to back, different things going on, you've injured yourself. This is very important in your role. Your physicality is really important to what you do. So how can you, what have you learned anything about that, about managing? I?
Gabrielle Nimo:I think, first of all, as a movement director, I, even myself as a physical person, I need to actually take a lot more care of myself in terms of, I call it, maintenance but looking after, in terms of whether that's monthly massages, because I kind of just I used to just kind of carry myself around and just do the jobs without even, you know, really thinking about how to look after myself as I'm going, especially because even if you're doing kind of warm-ups back to back every day, because I'm, I do the warm-ups with all participants in my I kind of don't, I don't shout on the side and tell them what to do.
Gabrielle Nimo:I'm very involved in all the classes and workshops that I do, um, and that's a lot of strain on the body, um, and so when I injured myself and I realized actually I can't, I can't work, it was very difficult to.
Gabrielle Nimo:It was it's the first time I've been injured as well, significantly to a point where I had to kind of remove myself from from working. Um, I'm still trying to figure that out, because if I'm not doing that, of course you're not working and you're not getting paid. So I've also at the moment I'm also figuring out ways to do things where it still involves movement, where I don't have to move, if that makes sense, whether that's kind of like writing work about movement or kind of exploring stuff that I would like to look into next, research into, you know, developing my craft. It was very difficult. I've kind of lost track of your question, annie, but um, it was a very difficult time. Um, and it really is, because my body is it's bread and butter and so when that's not working, it's it's very difficult to um sounds dramatic but survive, no for sure, it's the same with, like anyone in this industry.
Gabrielle Nimo:Like your voice goes, you break a leg, whatever it is like, that's you out of the game and and and that can take a big toll on your mental health, do you know? I mean like constantly thinking like, well, how do I make money? Like am I ever gonna come back, am I ever gonna?
Gabrielle Nimo:be all right, like and so that you, you're right, sorry to cut you off, uniqueique. No, no, no, go for it. It's, the mental toll that it took was also a lot to deal with, and then you kind of think just so, if I'm not doing this, then who am I? Yeah that's when that sets in like yeah, because you're like well, if I'm not doing this, then what else do I do? But actually during that time I was off for five months. It was a long time.
Unique Spencer:Wow.
Gabrielle Nimo:I lost work because of it. That took a mental toll. So you're losing work, you're stuck, quote unquote at home. You're trying to heal yourself through recovery. And yeah, it was just a lot. But actually what I learned during that time was I do other things, even if they're simple things. I actually one of my things is I love doing puzzles. Thousand piece puzzles went for walks, went for like, and I actually started like looking after my body a lot more and, um, it just made me think, like, moving forward, after the injury, how am I going to look after myself and make sure that I'm okay? I learned random things. Speaking to people about kind of like injury insurance. I was like I didn't know that that was a thing and I was like, well, you need that as a person who moves all the time. Um, so it's things like that I've had to learn through that experience.
Unique Spencer:So yeah, well, yeah, that's, that's really.
Unique Spencer:It sounds like it was a massive event, it was and because before you was movement directing, you was like head of movement at Arts Ed drama school, where me and you obviously saw each other and was working there at the same time. Um how did you make that change do?
Gabrielle Nimo:you know what's really funny? I was actually before Arts Ed I was already dabbling in movement direction. So I was already freelance a bit. I'd worked with you guys, but as a facilitator, so still very much facilitating teaching and do movement direction. So, for example, I did the high table at the bush before.
Gabrielle Nimo:Art Ed, whilst I was movement directing, I was also teaching going into schools. And I was actually teaching that art said, for about not for about a year before I actually became head of movement. I was also teaching going into schools. Um, I was actually teaching at ArtsEd for about, I feel like for about a year before I actually became head of movement. So I was teaching on the BA and the master's course and then I actually applied for that role three times.
Gabrielle Nimo:On the third time, um, yeah, I think after the second, I was kind of like I did kind of take a chance on myself. I was like you know what? Because I was enjoying teaching so much and just understanding how the school works and how a department needs to be organized, I kind of went. You know, I think I can do this, but I was very young in terms of experience and so rightly so, you know, I was kind of told you know, I appreciate that you've applied for this, but I think you should, you know, work a bit more, get a bit more experience, um. And so that's what I did. I then applied a second time, didn't get it again and I kind of went you know what? Nah, I'm gonna forget this. But actually I kind of just pushed again and then the third time. Third time I got it. So don't give up. Um, yeah, um, but I was. I was doing movement direction a little bit before that. Uh, I came ahead of movement, then went back into freelance again.
Unique Spencer:So this is actually my return into freelance work and movement direction and do you feel, like you've spoken a little bit about like facilitating for Generation, Arts and like teaching and stuff like that do you feel like giving back is really important to you, like helping those that maybe don't understand movement in like a traditional way?
Unique Spencer:Yes, um, and then being sort of that first teacher that they meet, like is that important to you because, like, I just think like if I would have met you as like my first movement teacher, like maybe my thinking do you know what I mean in movement that I said would have been different, like yes, I feel like I'm, I'm, I love, love, love teaching and facilitating, primarily because two reasons, I think because number one, my own entrance into movement and the world of arts wasn't traditional, and number two, I feel like I've also.
Gabrielle Nimo:I still feel like that now. Actually, I still feel like I myself have kind of had to. I've definitely had help from other people who've kind of shown me the way. I've also kind of had to. I've definitely had help from other people who've kind of shown me the way I've also kind of had to teach myself movement direction as I go, and so I know what that literally feels like when you don't actually understand the world that you're in, but actually someone coming along and being like actually, no, you're good and you don't necessarily have to have gone to drama school or done, um, a particular type of training. I still do think training is very important, um, but yeah, it doesn't. You don't have to.
Unique Spencer:If you don't have access to certain pathways that people traditionally go down, it doesn't mean that that pathway is cut, cut off to you, and I think that's important for me to also, just by doing what I do, to let people know that that's why I love it so much and in terms of like, like, like I just mentioned, like I've personally, like in the beginning of my career, like I never came across, apart from like Ira, and obviously then I met you later on at like Arts, ed and Generation Arts and stuff, but I don't come across many like black female movement directors, like it's not like I go into certain shows and like you, always people like you always pop up and like you're the people that I work with.
Unique Spencer:Is there any sort of challenges that you face with that or not having like people that are senior in that position that you can go to and like follow their sort of path and stuff like is that, is that a challenge or do you think that actually it gives you more freedom because there is no one to follow? I set pace and I make the rules.
Gabrielle Nimo:I think that's really interesting. I think my first um I was very again, very fortunate to, the first person I actually assisted in 2014 was an amazing movement director, you know carrying the torch. I say for, like a lot of us um was Cora Messam. Um she. I met her. I was introduced to her by talawa and we worked with each other again during run it back and on the workshop series of stranger things um the play um that was on in the western. I think it finished in december um, but I worked on the workshop series of it and not the full run of it. But I've worked with Coral a couple of times and she was my first. She's a black woman, so she's the first movement director that I was introduced to.
Gabrielle Nimo:So for me, my viewpoint on it doesn't feel like it's because there are it's very true, there are not as many kind of black women there are quite nowadays. I feel like it's expanded so much. There's quite a few and you've got rachel nanyanjo, you've got those other ones. Jade hackett at the moment is killing it um at the moment. Um ingrid kinnan there's. There's just so many different black women at the moment doing really well um, of course, shelly and Maxwell love that. Um, there's just, it's really opened up now because a lot of particularly dancers are now making their way through to the movement direction game.
Gabrielle Nimo:Um, so to to answer your question, I think because that was my first introduction to someone in the movement direction game, it gave me a kind of my eyes open to the fact that I can do this and I can kind of make my way through. Um, the one time I have felt any kind of limitation is actually when I entered into the, the west end sphere. That's when I realized how limited it actually is in terms of opportunities for black black, I'm saying black women in particular. I couldn't say black men, but, um, just because that's my experience, um, that's the only time I've gone. Oh, wow, when you get to these kind of echelons or arenas, it seems to be a bit more, a bit more tight and a bit more limited. But in terms of me, my trajectory from 10 years ago, I've always felt like I can kind of just move through and do do the best I can because of again, that's what we spoke about last time once I work with people, they kind of keep me in their pocket take me along um.
Ali Godfrey:So so yeah, to answer that question and you mentioned that you didn't go to drama school or dance training and stuff. How did it all start like, as you know, how did you first get into movement? Slash performance as a child, like what was your background in that sense?
Gabrielle Nimo:So actually my first introduction to any kind of movement of any kind other than dancing at house parties and with your family was actually I started as an athlete. I was in sports, so I used to do the 100 meter, 100 meters and relay race from about I want to say 10 to about 13 I want to say 13 or 14 um, and then I was into all kinds of different sports. So my dad got me into sports really early, starting with athletics, and then we did tennis very randomly and then I did trampolining very randomly and that my um and all those disciplines, particularly athletics and trampolining, actually all those disciplines are really they're quite, uh, the training's quite intense um, so that's where I learned my kind of discipline of um, understanding how the body moves and repetition and you know, conditioning and all that kind of stuff. So I have a lot of conditioning in my practice right now, just purely because I come from an athletics background. Um, I actually then moved into dance at about 15, 16 now.
Gabrielle Nimo:I didn't go to a school or anything like that. I actually did go to Sylvia Young. I remember I used to go on Saturdays. It was the Saturday school, so I used to do a drama class every Saturday and a street jazz dance very random, um every Saturday. That was the only kind of kind of going to a school to learn, to train in that, uh, in those disciplines that I that I did, but other than that it was, um, I got into street dance with a group of people like friends. We used to just meet every I think it was every Tuesday or Thursday or something like that, maybe might have been twice a week in a little youth club in Wembley and we just we said it was self-led, so well, we had one particular person who led the group but we used to kind of train ourselves. That was our training. We'd meet every week and a piece of choreography would be made and then we'd learn it and then we'd enter ourselves into competitions and that was my introduction. Um, so that was not my, that was my training. I would call it.
Gabrielle Nimo:And then, other than that, like drama was kind of I was introduced to it in school and I do actually always say the teacher I had in school did actually change my life because I was introduced to and Ali I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention it here, but you know, Ali, Ali, um, Ali introduced me to kind of theatre companies. So I was first introduced to DV8 in school. I was introduced to Complicite in school, like I knew I loved performing and we got to perform in school as well. But particularly being introduced and being able to see that, being exposed to those companies, seeing DV8, changed my life and that's when I went oh, you can move. Because I was very into dance and I was also into drama. But I didn't know you could combine the two worlds together. So when I saw those physical theatre companies, that's when I was like I'm gonna do this. You know, when I saw those physical theatre companies, that's when I was like I'm going to do this, you know, when I'm older. So I'm always thankful to Ali for, you know, exposing me to that work because it really did kick me off.
Gabrielle Nimo:That started me, that let me know the possibilities, because I thought I had to choose between dance, movement and drama. And then when I saw that, life was kind of full circle, because I remember one of the shows we saw Can we talk about this straight with you? To be straight with you. To be straight with you, yeah, can we talk about this was later, wasn't it? Um, to be straight with you and actually Coral Messam was actually a performer in that show. So when I years later, when I was actually assisting her, I was like, oh, this is like a. It's like, yeah, life moves full circle. But I did have that introduction to those theatre companies which I don't think I would have been exposed to had I not met Ali. I don't think I would have, and I'm just glad that that relationship has kind of maintained itself even years later. So it's been amazing.
Unique Spencer:Thank you, Ali's been a plug. Honestly, Ali really is the plug. So for anyone listening who's interested in this stuff, you didn't go to drama school or dance college, you went to university.
Gabrielle Nimo:I went to university. How did?
Unique Spencer:that come about, and how did you then move from there into what you then started doing?
Gabrielle Nimo:Do you know I say, as silly as it sounds, I don't know why I didn't think drama school was a option for me. I don't know why I thought that at that time. I'm not sure what it was. So I just thought, you know what? Everyone's going to uni. I'll go to uni.
Gabrielle Nimo:And also, because I think it might have also been the dance element of it, because I knew I wanted to do some dance and physical movement stuff I just thought, if I go to uni and actually study because I found at DMU is where I went to De Montfort University in Leicester I actually found a course that did drama and dance studies. So I thought, okay, just being that young, I just thought that's what I want to do, so let me combine the two together. Um, so yeah, that's what I decided to do. I don't know if in hindsight I do think in hindsight if I was a bit more kind of not with the clouds, I would have gone to drama school, I think. But I do think that course was perfect for me because they didn't only teach me, we didn't only learn theatre and dance, but they taught us to be artists, to create our own work as well, and that was the element of the course that I really, really, really enjoyed, and do you think?
Unique Spencer:that's the difference, just on a tangent, but for again, for a young person making that decision, you've taught at drama school, you've seen the undergraduates and you've been to university and done a dance and drama degree. Do you think that's the difference, because obviously there are pros and cons to both approaches Do you think it's more? There's more more. Maybe a bit more freedom to develop as a broader artist at a university course wow.
Gabrielle Nimo:You have to really understand, in particular, the course that you're studying and what it is that they're offering you, and you have to kind of know what you want as well. That can be difficult when you're a young person because you just don't know. You don't know what the best path is. But the best thing to do is just get as much information as you can. If you're quite clear on what you want to do, try and get in contact with as many people as you know that are doing it and they can tell you what they went through. But I guess ultimately you're gonna have to decide for yourself what the best, what the best path is.
Gabrielle Nimo:Drama school is great for you know, really focused, intense, real working on the skills needed to be an actor and all those different compartments kind of voice. You work on your voice. You work on your movement. You work on the acting skill. You will be exposed to different practitioners. You'll be exposed to different acting practices. Um, you'll learn to work in an ensemble. You'll learn you'll also come into contact with loads of different directors. You'll be exposed to different directors, writers, like. So that is a really good place to go to if you really want to focus on that acting skill for three years.
Gabrielle Nimo:I guess if you want to be more of a practitioner, you want to teach or make your own work, I do think. I just think it just depends on what you want. As you said, it has, they both have pros and cons. Um, uni can sometimes not be as, dare I say, as intensely practical. There might be a bit more theory and if you kind of want to intensely do a bit more of the practical stuff, then yeah, go for go for the drama school route. If you definitely want to be a bit more theoretical and understand, kind of, where these practices come from and, you know, write about it and understand it in that particular way, then yeah, I guess uni is for you. But then again there's also another strand where you might just go. Actually, I just want to go straight into the industry.
Gabrielle Nimo:I want to kind of train with. You know people who are actually doing it right now, because that's also an option um which I didn't know again when I was that young, but I do think everyone, whatever path you go on, you'll find your way around. Just depends on what you want.
Gabrielle Nimo:Yeah, yeah, thank you, and sorry, I interrupted you so once you you finished at university, um what happened next so my, my idea was when I was in, throughout even school and college, I always had this big dream of starting my own theatre company. Then I graduated and realized I need to make money. So then I went, I went straight into um into teaching. Actually, well, I was a teaching assistant in a primary school. I did that just to kind of stay alive and then, uh, throughout that I kind of got the itch. I was like I need to do some creative stuff. I then took on their drama club after school and then I remember I live in Harrow so we have an art centre and actually Talawa Theatre Company and a company called Emergency Exit Arts, who are a street theatre company, do a collaboration where they kind of go out to different communities and teach, make a piece of street theatre and they will go out and perform it in their local shopping centre or somewhere in their community.
Gabrielle Nimo:Um, so I took my I actually took my little sister, monique, to this workshop. Um, I can't remember why she wanted to go. Actually because she's she is creative, she's into more music and events, planning stuff, but I don't know why in particular she wanted or did I coerce her to go, who knows? Because I was actually too old to go to this workshop, but I was like I just want to get into anything I can. So I took her along and I kind of didn't I didn't mention my age, I was just kind of being quiet because I was too old, I couldn't be in that workshop. But luckily they didn't kick me out and what happened was the facilitators of that workshop were actually. There was a lady there called Talish Wallace who's also an actress. Um, she was doing the facilitator course that Talawa and Emergency Exit Arts train people to do. And I'd kind of made a dance sequence. I created one whilst we were there during creating this show and she said oh, you need to do this course.
Gabrielle Nimo:This course called Talawa and Emergency Exit Arts did this course called creating roots, which taught you to, which is a facilitator's course which teaches you to use your skills in the community and other sectors of the arts. Um, and she kind of introduced me to that and I literally just signed up that that year or the next time they have the next cohort and that's how I was introduced to talawa through that workshop and then through that course. So that was a collaboration between Emergency Exit Arts, talawa Theatre Company and Goldsmiths University. So it's about a nine-month course and we'd kind of go to Goldsmiths every week or something. It might have been every month, actually every month, and then we would learn about facilitation and then go out and practice and that's why I learned my facilitation skills.
Gabrielle Nimo:And then that year also, whilst I was doing Creating Roots is where Talawa Theatre also did they still do it now tipped Talawa Young People's Theatre. They kind of have a group of young people, they create, they devise a show and they perform it. And so, because they knew I was into movement direction, they said, right, you can assist on this year's 2014, you can assist on this year's um, uh, this year's kind of intake of the tips. That was 2014, so that's why I met Cora Messer and then from there I just kind of started moving into different worlds and pots of movement direction.
Unique Spencer:Yeah, and tallow are just to clarify are the uk's leading Black led theatre company and young people can get involved with their work yeah, yeah, I think they're based in Croydon at the moment.
Gabrielle Nimo:They're Croydon now yeah, they used to be at Old Street, now they're um, now they're in Croydon, yeah yeah, I always say it's the same thing.
Gabrielle Nimo:You know I, you know everyone's story will be different, but I really do feel like I've had really supportive, really encouraging people that you know. I mentioned Ali. That was my kind of intro start into kind of the world of different theatre companies and theatre and arts. Then Talawa, when I graduated, I always say that they kind of raised me also because I started there and they kind of went right here this way, nope, not that way, this way, this way, this way, and they'll put me in in different arenas and spheres. Um, because I then worked with Michael Buffong on a play that he worked on in a school.
Ali Godfrey:So just just to be around here.
Gabrielle Nimo:Yes, artistic director of Talawa. Yeah, just to be able to do that so it wasn't a main, it wasn't a main kind of house show, but he was working in a school and actually just being able to that's another thing that's helped me, because I've done, I've dabbled in assistant directing too, but that has helped me just to really sit next to directors and understand their process in creating work and working, understanding how to work with actors, because that was another thing I had to learn in terms of actors aren't dancers. I know that's, that's a lesson I've had to learn on this journey. The actors aren't dancers and they don't, they don't understand or learn things in the same way that dancers do. Very interesting lessons I've learned along the way, but, um, yeah, my exposure to different people and work with different companies has allowed me to understand stuff like that and because teaching is really interesting.
Ali Godfrey:So sometimes you know, there's that horrible snobby phrase about those who can do, those who can't teach and stuff and I really don't like that phrase and I hate that phrase um there can be some snobbery about it, but what you've illustrated, and what is certainly my experience, is that teaching affords you the opportunity to develop your craft in a massive way that you just do not get. If you're kind of a straight in inverted commas performer, because time is so limited, you know, with performance, that you've got, you know rehearsals are only two weeks, whatever it is, whereas if you know with performance that you've got, you know rehearsals are only two weeks, whatever it is, whereas if you are working with even going back to your after-school drama club, you've got free reign, you've got a space, you've got a group of willing participants and you've got your own creativity and you can dabble and you can test things out. Is that, is that? Would you say that to anyone listening?
Gabrielle Nimo:definitely I think the the, the craft of, because I think it's a craft.
Gabrielle Nimo:I think the craft of teaching really is a.
Gabrielle Nimo:It's one that takes time and you you do have to understand it from both perspectives, as someone who's learning and someone who's actually teaching the person who is learning, and so I think, in that sense, you do have to have both those, both lenses on, whereas I think as a performer and this is not to kind of compare and whatever you know, just just to just to kind of talk a little bit about it I just think as a performer, of course, if you're working with other people, you've got to think of others, but you are really focused on yourself and delivering whatever's necessary. I think, as a teacher, you kind of have to have both, both hats on, because you can. It depends on the kind of teacher you have. I think a great teacher does understand what it is to have to teach someone and for them to have to take on what you are teaching them and and finding the best ways to teach, to develop understanding, because that's what it's about at the end of the day. I feel like you have two hats on and that that takes.
Gabrielle Nimo:That takes a lot of work and a lot of time and I think particularly when you're at drama schools and you're around people that are so sensitive like in those environments because it is so high pressured yeah um. Having someone like yourself that has that understanding is definitely the type of teacher or director that you want in your corner and exposing right.
Gabrielle Nimo:It's so exposing. I even had to learn as well, even teaching in drum schools and stuff like that, because you know, you think, as a performer, performers are naturally, you know, confident or naturally you want to do this, so you should be able to do this. But actually it is such exposing work, dance, whatever you know, performance in general and they do performers still do need and deserve someone who I know. We talk about safe spaces a lot, but it really really is important because any experience that kind of where you feel unsafe or not understood or feel pressured to do perform or, you know, deliver, can really, can really take a mental toll.
Gabrielle Nimo:Even if you are a performer and this is what you do and you are on stage all the time, you do really need people who can really allow you to do that in a very safe, um, safe environment
Ali Godfrey:You paint a picture of your kind of whole career, career even from when you were 10, as someone who - and I know this to be true because you have now outed me as your secondary school teacher - but as someone who is a complete hustler, basically I I can remember you um selling chicken wings in the playground for 50p .
Ali Godfrey:Can you remember that? Yeah, so I know, I know that you were always a hustler, but I don't know. Do you feel like you're a resilient person, because it sounds like you've had some challenges with your injury and, like everyone in this industry, being having moments where there's no work and then moments where there's loads of work, do you feel like you have have a particular level of resilience?
Gabrielle Nimo:I think so and I, you know I need resilience. You need it every single day and I love that you mentioned the chicken wings, because we actually do speak about it to this day. Um, it wasn't only chicken wings, guys. I actually we actually made fried rice, jollof rice, coleslaw, and you got a drink in a box for about £2.50. It wasn't £2.50 or £3. Do you know what it was?
Gabrielle Nimo:You know, in school, when we had to do we had to raise money for, like, charity week, and everyone was doing the biscuit and cake sales, I said, guys, we're going to have to go harder than this. Everyone's selling cakes. It's not going to work. Everyone's selling cake. How many cakes and biscuits can you eat? I said no way, we. I said no way, we've got to go hard on this, actually, do you know what? So we devised a plan in our class and it worked so well the first time around Because actually someone did. I was in charge of the rice and the chicken, someone was in charge of the plantain Plantain, put my Caribbean's out there and then we actually bought.
Gabrielle Nimo:We went to Blue Mountain Peak in Halston and bought these small chubby bottles. They're a little fizzy drink, I don't know if anyone remembers? Yeah, and we used to sell that for £2.50, which, by the way, is totally illegal. You can't do that in school. I think it was like, um, that's definitely health and health and safety concern, but we were selling full-on food. I remember me and my sister packed them in the little takeaway boxes and we ran across the playground in a box over to the chapel. That's where we stored all the food. It was actually outrageous, but literally don't, don't, don't try this at home, guys. But um yeah, absolutely.
Gabrielle Nimo:I think even from then I've always had like a you've got to get this done you've got to get this done.
Unique Spencer:Yeah
Unique Spencer:, you've got to. There is a way, you just gotta find it.
Gabrielle Nimo:You just gotta find it, you've just gotta find it. And you know, I think every day in this job I think, movement directing and acting, actually teaching it's lonely. I think it's quite a lonely job, um, and sometimes you don't always, and also because it's so niche, like particularly in performance and stuff like that um, not everyone kind of understands unless you have fellow performers not everyone and teachers, not everyone has that experience. So sometimes it's difficult to find people who understand everything. Of course, if you have a network of people who are also performers, also facilitators, also teachers, you can kind of have conversations with them about the struggles, especially as a freelancer. If you don't work, work, you don't get paid, so you need to have resilience every day. There was a period of time and sometimes it comes in and out. Now every year I said I'm quitting, I'm not doing this anymore.
Unique Spencer:No, honestly, I just had the thought last night. I was like you know what I'm off, I'm just traveling. I ain't doing it, no more honestly.
Gabrielle Nimo:I'm done with it.
Unique Spencer:I'm telling you, I look at my spotlight like it's an audition.
Gabrielle Nimo:You're like anyone, but I think it's always been. I say it every year. And then and then I had had doubts. I was like maybe I'm not really a movement director because of those things of like, well, I didn't train here, I haven't done a master's here, I haven't done this course at central, I haven't done, you know, and other people have. You're like imposter syndrome, imposter syndrome, yeah, honestly, yeah. And to I and I say I think someone asked me before actually I had an actor ask me well, what, what keeps you going? And I just think the honest truth is there's nothing else I want to do. There's nothing else I want to do.
Gabrielle Nimo:Even when I decided to study drama and dance at uni in the dance group that I was in, I wasn't the best dancer, I wasn't the most talented one, and actually all the best ones didn't actually decide to study it. That's not what they decided to do in the future. And I did have doubts. People were like you're gonna study drama and dance, really. But I just kind of thought you know what? That this makes me so happy and I enjoy it so much. There's no other joy I feel being on stage or having any hand in the arts, but actually I'm just going to pursue it. Why not? Um?
Gabrielle Nimo:And then I think to myself I fast forward to now when I go. So when I I'm in my little strop and I'm going I'm gonna quit. Then I sit there and I think about so what are we gonna do? It's like, right, let's get on with it. Yeah, and sometimes, sometimes there are real moments where you're like you know what? I just, I, I just can't. And if that is, I've learned that actually it's good to sometimes take a break or have a chat with a friend or you know, just do something. If you do need to step away from it, step away from it for a bit. You know it's not by force, you can. You can take breaks. I think we need to do that more often.
Unique Spencer:Actually, if you can afford it, I think you need to like live life a little bit. Yeah, I think work, work, work, work, work, work, work. Yeah, yeah, it's. It's a dangerous territory to be in, especially in our field. Do you know what I mean? Because there is no stability in it. So if you consistently say for 10 years, all I'm gonna do is work, you won't ever take a break because there is no stability.
Gabrielle Nimo:You're always gonna feel like you're chasing it yeah, I think also because in our field because it is I do really believe that it's only something you can do if you're really passionate about it, because there are so many sacrifices that are made. So I do think most people who are in the arts are here because they actually love it and they love we love it so much that actually it almost becomes a part of our identity, and so sometimes it doesn't actually feel like work when you're working, until it does, you know, and so it's difficult to stop working because it is so attached to you and who you are and it is how you get paid. So the two are so intrinsically linked that it's difficult to separate yourself from it. But I guess that's stuff you learn along the way to kind of, you need to live a life as well as do this as well, you know to kind of you need to live a life as well as do this as well.
Unique Spencer:You know um. So what is next for you and what are your kind of goals and dreams, and what would you like to happen next and what are you interested in from?
Gabrielle Nimo:september. It's go, go, go. I start off at guildhall in september. I then move on to um walls on the road at the bush theatre, and then I'm also going to do Pig Heart Boy, written by Mallory Blackman but adapted for the stage by Winsome Pinnock, directed by Tristan Finn-Eduenu. That's coming up too, and then I've got a project which is kind of we're doing an R&D in December.
Gabrielle Nimo:Where's that going to be on that one Unicorn, and then it will take, it will go on tour and then I've got polka theater moving into next year December. Um, the boy with wings, which is a I think it's a book written by Lenny Henry, but it's also been adapted for the stage. So there's a lot of, there's a lot of stuff coming up. Actually, um, my one of my like favorite things to do also is I love fantasy and kind of that kind of genre of work. So it's my big, big dream and goal is is to kind of keep getting a lot of experience under my wing in terms of theatre. I definitely want to move into TV and film and see how that works out, because my big, big dream is I need to do a Marvel film.
Unique Spencer:Oh, incredible. Yeah, that's dope.
Gabrielle Nimo:Like superheroes, anything fantasy and magical, the movement world around that I just find fascinating. Like that is my ultimate dream. If I could be.
Unique Spencer:I want to be the fantasy movement person yeah, we've had ace ruel on this podcast yeah, oh, amazing yeah he's done some work with him, with creature bionics, creature bionics yeah, amazingure Bionics yeah, amazing, amazing company.
Gabrielle Nimo:And Ace is an amazing you know amazing artist as well. He's just such a hustler and go-getter and to think that that came from his brain and he now does that full-time, it's just amazing. Yeah, we've worked together a lot and that work also seeps into the kind of stuff that I'm really enjoying, into Animal work, fantasy. That whole world is is definitely my, my arena, um, so you'll find actually a lot of the work I do at the moment has some kind of magical element in it. So the high table I did at the bush it actually the high table got cut short because of pandemic, so they all have kind of an element of other worldliness. Ancestors the last player just did swim anti-swim had an element of magical realism, I'd call it, and so that that world forced me a lot a lot, you know.
Gabrielle Nimo:I've done a lot of sports sports shows. I did a boxing one a couple of years ago. I've done red pitch, now football. I've just done a swimming one and I feel like the one we're moving into later on, the boy with wings, um, might have some parkour elements in there. I've heard so a lot of. So my, my life's journey has kind of led to the stuff I'm doing now. So a lot of has a lot of athletic work in there not all of them, but a lot of them do and the the world that I'm really interested in, that I love, animal work with creature biologics that I've been doing, which is really exciting.
Unique Spencer:I just gotta keep stay focused because it's it's it's a tough, it's a tough industry for sure, but I think at the end of the day it's worth it when it fills your soul definitely in in joy and happiness. So, honestly, I can't wait to see that credit where it says Gaby Nimo for.
Gabrielle Nimo:Marvel, I'm waiting for it. Yes, yes, and I think that's why I said I Marvel.
Gabrielle Nimo:I'm going to come back to this podcast and be like no remember what you said in here yes, yes, and I think that's why I'm glad, I'm so happy I'm doing this podcast, because and I love the work that Generation Arts does and continues to do, because they're so for young people the company itself and everyone that works for Generation Arts with Generation Arts is so for young people and making sure that people who may be on the margins or are marginalised or don't have access in the traditional way of getting into the arts Like you said, unique, there is a way and Generation Arts definitely champions young people to be able to get into the arts and fulfil whatever dreams they have of that.
Gabrielle Nimo:That's why I have to mention Ali, because I know you didn't want me to out you, but I couldn't really do this podcast without mentioning you because you're one of the people that have really put me on my trajectory. I don't know if I hadn't been exposed to dva at that time, if I would, if I would be here. You know, um, if I didn't have you as an educator of mine, if I would be here. So I think, having worked with generation Arts also, it's just such an amazing company to get people in who may not have that access. You know, it's important because people have dreams, like myself, who may not have access to drama school, but that doesn't mean that they still can't live them out, and Generation Arts is definitely one of the ways to get through there oh, thank you for the plug.
Ali Godfrey:It's true, thank you so much. Thank you, you've been completely inspirational yourself.
Gabrielle Nimo:So thank you, it's been so fun.
Gabrielle Nimo:You actually start talking and it's like wow, yeah. You're like, oh, it's been an hour, yeah, it's free therapy.
Unique Spencer:Amazing, each one can teach one, so keep acting strong. Subscribe, spread the word and turn on your notifications.
Unique Spencer:The lineup of guests have all tested their resilience, so come see what you can learn.
Unique Spencer:Thank you for listening and see you next time. Bye.
