Budding screen actor, Daniel Portman, visited Kibble to work with pupils in the drama department and has been singing their praises.
Daniel Portman who stars in the hit television series, Game of Thrones, has been working with the young people on different drama projects, teaching them how to film scenes, putting together performances and practicing skills like improvisation.
Daniel who is from Glasgow said: “Working with the boys has been great. They’ve been really focused and responsive. We’ve been introducing them to drama and showing them an alternative route where they can have a creative outlet. The boys just went for it and were a joy to work with.”
Following a project called Killer Pool that looked at the experiences of young British soldiers who had fought in Afghanistan, the drama workshops have been looking at other issues that threaten the safety of young people in the UK such as gang warfare and drug dealing.
Daniel added: “It only took five minutes to win the boys over to drama. It’s amazing that’s all it took to introduce them to something new. The boys get such a sense of accomplishment from drama. I at least hope it’s been the highlight of their week. But you never know, maybe some of the boys will want to pursue drama.”
Despite a busy filming schedule, Daniel came in to help after being asked by Gavin Sinclair, Kibble’s Creative Arts Development Officer. Gavin was Daniel’s tutor while he studied for his HNC and HND in drama at Reid Kerr College and played a big part in Daniel’s success. Daniel said: “Gavin took a risk and gave me the big part in the college’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the whole play just blew people away. He also gave me the part of Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet this year which was a real challenge as not many people get to do this at 20. After all this, we’ve just become friends.”
Daniel has been acting professionally since the age of 16 and has appeared in productions such as River City and the recent comedy, Angels’ Share. He is currently playing the part of Podrick Payne in the HBO drama Game of Thrones, airing on Sky Atlantic. This medieval fantasy has attracted millions of viewers and earned hordes of dedicated fans. On being asked about adjusting to working on such a popular and award-winning series, Daniel said: “It was very weird. I’ve sank into it quite nicely though. My character wasn’t so prominent early on and because my character grows slowly, I’ve been able to get used to it. It’s amazing. There’s not a day goes by where I don’t talk about it or get asked about it.” He added: “I’d definitely like to come back to Kibble and keep working with the young people because it’s been great.”
Read the article on the Paisley Daily Express website