Returning home to take part in Gimistory, set for 25 Nov.-2 Dec. at venues across Cayman, homegrown talent Rita Estevanovich took time ahead of her performances to lead a series of workshops for aspiring young actors.
Estevanovich, a professional actress, performer, storyteller and voice actor based in the UK, said participating in the workshops, held 21-23 Nov. and facilitated by the Cayman National Cultural Foundation, was especially meaningful.
“This is very special to me,” Estevanovich told the Compass. “I came through the Young At Arts programme at the Harquail, so to have the opportunity to return home to work with our young people in theatre is a gift.”
The West Bay native began her acting journey by performing on local stages for various cultural events and initiatives. She eventually earned a master’s degree in actor-performer training at Rose Bruford College in London, and also graduated from the New York Film Academy’s Acting for Film programme.
Estevanovich is best known for her roles in a host of Cayman-based productions – the 2012 short film ‘Deliverance of Silence’; the 2009 drama ‘Cayman Went’; and several stage plays including ‘Hannah’s Confession’, the annual comedy revue, ‘Rundown’, and ‘Fallen Angel and the Devil’s Concubine’.
For the workshop, 10 participants, aged 13 to 17, focused on harnessing talent and building performance skills. They were introduced to acting using monologues to explore character, story, voice and physicality. Through a number of exercises, the young actors linked imagination, voice, and movement to communicate an experience. The teens took part in brief discussions on audition techniques and the viewing of showreels, as well as analysis of monologues.
Coda Wright, 18, told the Compass the workshops were helpful, “I have really liked drama since high school. It’s always been something that was really fun for me. I’m late in the game, but there are so many opportunities for me, and anything with drama, I want to get into that.”
She added, “In our education system… the arts are not really valued, and so it’s just inspiring to see people succeeding, pursuing theatre, and learning from them is just…it’s an incredible opportunity. I’m so grateful to be a part of this, be a part of the resources that have been given to us.”
Ziva Costa, 15, has been acting for five years and said it is her biggest passion and something she wants to pursue in her life. “This workshop is very important… I’ve been learning a lot and soaking all of this up.”
The young actors got a special treat as Henry Muttoo, the former artistic director of CNCF, made an appearance to share advice on acting and bringing characters to life on the stage.
Estevanovich took a moment to acknowledge the work and contribution Muttoo made to culture and arts in the Cayman Islands, as well as the significant impact he had on her personal and professional development over the years.
Nicole Durrant, programmes coordinator at CNCF, said the foundation is always working to provide artistic development opportunities to the Cayman community, especially youth.
“With the celebrated arts professional, Rita Estevanovich, returning home for Gimistory 2023, an event she loves dearly because of the community involvement, we saw the opportunity to expand on her presence beyond her performance role,” she told the Compass.
Durrant added, “All of this content promotes artistic and creative growth in our young performers and advises how they should navigate the business of the acting world by learning how to market and present themselves, if and when acting opportunities arise.”
She said, “Rita is passionate about sharing her skills and helping to open doors for Caymanian youth, which is evident in her previous years working at the CNCF in her role as programmes manager where one of her responsibilities was creating workshop opportunities just like this. She is the perfect person to deliver this content to her future theatre successors.”
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