Q & A With Kwayi Grimstad Ndjamen
By A Noise Within
February 28, 2023
Hi Kwayi, I saw you as Cratchit Child / Ensemble in A Christmas Carol and you were wonderful. What do you love about acting?
I really like acting because you can be someone else that’s not you. In a way, you can escape from your life and be and embody a different person with different problems. Acting takes you away. When you are on the stage you ARE this character, and the character is you. And when you go backstage, you have a cast and crew that is like family.
What is your favorite play and why?
My favorite play to act in is King Lear. Having done it once in Summer with Shakespeare was amazing. Not just the variety of roles and evil, but the fast pace and chaos of it. I would gladly be any character because they are all so incredible to play and to watch.
How old are you now? And how old were you when you first attended Summer with Shakespeare (SWS)?
I am currently 13 but I was first 8 when I attended SWS.
Was Summer with Shakespeare your first time performing on a stage? How was your first time performing on stage?
I don’t really remember my first time on stage, but I used to be in the small plays at my church as a much younger child. I did a few Christmas pageants and a passion play.
What was your favorite part of the Summer with Shakespeare camp at A Noise Within?
My favorite part of camp was ALWAYS when we were in the theater. That is my safe space. I could spend hours down there. I love sitting in the house and watching my friends act and seeing the little attributes in their acting and the little knacks they have. Then striding, or hunching, running, or crawling from the voms onto the stage, being in the moment. Those are my moments where nothing else exists or matters just for a bit. Spending hours in that theater practicing blocking and running lines is one of the few times when I’m at my peak.
