Daniel Frith

1. How did you decide to become an artist?
It wasn't so much a decision as the fact that I'm terrible at almost everything else. Either that, or anything else I try is completely unable to hold my feeble attention span for more than five minutes. I don't think I have that much of a choice. Which is a good and a bad thing, but I think mostly good.

2. What kind of work as an artist have you done so far, and what other work have you done?
A lot of Regional Theatre, mostly. I got my equity card pretty quickly after the Kenan Program, and was fortunate enough to do a lot of equity shows in succession. Now that I've recently relocated to New York, the 5 years experience I had working regionally is certainly paying off. The Kenan Program was instrumental in providing that bridge to my professional career.

3. How did the Kenan Fellowship contribute to your development as an artist?
The Kenan Program allowed my work to be seen by people in the industry, I was constantly meeting directors and other actors to network with, and gave me the opportunity to audition for professional shows I otherwise wouldn't have been seen for.

4. What is the most memorable and positive experience you had as a Kenan Fellow?
I was offered a supporting role in one of the Kennedy Center's productions after playing the character in a reading of the play. It was my first professional gig. It was an incredibly well written character, the cast was a group of truly generous and seasoned professionals, and at the helm was a superb director. I couldn't have asked for a more positive experience.

5. What was disappointing or frustrating to you about the Kenan Fellowship?
Nothing. I was a working actor.

6. What are you planning to do next in your artistic career?
I've recently moved to NYC, found representation, and plan to continue to pursue my career from two points of attack. The conventional way; that is auditioning and networking, and the less conventional but still popular path; creating my own projects. I try and find things I am passionate about, things that really excite me, and see where they lead. You have to have something outside the realm of the industry that keeps you creative, I think that's critical. I'm working on a comedy album with music, with artists who I love and respect. Its due out in April, and I couldn't be excited. I love collaborating, and the Kenan program certainly gave me a place and a home to do that.