An Intimate Conversation with Daniel Anderson

Read Time:10 Minute, 41 Second

From a small-town boy in the Eastern Cape to a theatre sensation, Daniel’s journey is one of relentless passion and an unquenchable thirst for artistic growth.

When I first witnessed your performance of “Vincent” at the Theatre On The Square in Johannesburg back in June 2023, I was immediately captivated. Your voice, combined with your compelling storytelling and commanding stage presence, made me an instant admirer. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me.

“Wow, what a compliment! I feel greatly honoured to be part of The Something Guy’s magazine inaugural edition. You’ve created such a beautiful space for us as artists through your online platform already – this just takes it to another level. I also want to take this opportunity to say thank you for the detailed and wonderful review that you wrote on “Vincent” during our last run. Those words give us a lot of mileage and so we are deeply grateful.”

While many know you from your performances and the roles you’ve played, that’s just one side of you the audience sees. Could you introduce yourself in your own words for our readers?

“I am truly living a life for which I have always asked – touring, on stage, doing what I love – but really I am a small-town boy from an ever smaller seaside village in the Eastern Cape. I do my best to see the world through a love-lens and I am driven by a deep love for my family and for my God. I am ambitious and I work hard to hop onto every driftwood of opportunity that passes only once with vigour and commitment. I am a dreamer and a searcher for life’s beauty – which can be found in everything when you look hard enough.”

Daniel, you are a dynamo on stage. But when the curtains fall, how do you find your moments of calm and relaxation?

“Time spent with my family on our little “stoep” at home – the sound of the waves crashing in the background, music, a braai and a good glass of red wine is always a good start. But true relaxation is always found in the ocean – most often with a pair of goggles and a snorkel. Those moments are the antidote to the crazy world and I schedule them in as absolute musts.”

From rocking those Elvis Presley moves to lighting up the stage with award-winning cabarets – wow, what a rollercoaster of theatre adventures you’ve had! What motivates you and gives you inspiration for when you perform?

“I am motivated by the knowledge that I have never – and will never – “arrive” fully in my craft. It is always a process of developing and growing and becoming. There is no glass ceiling and every single performance reminds me of just that. I am inspired by the boundless resources that I have at my fingertips to develop and grow – most brilliantly these are found in the crazy amazing works of theatre that play in all the theatres in our beautiful country. There is no greater joy in digesting these works, experiencing them and learning from them.”

You’ve given us so many memorable performances in the past. Do you have any upcoming projects or roles you’re excited about?

“I realise I am in such a fortunate position – one where there is always another project or two or three in the development pipeline while another is walking the boards. This festive season I will be making Durban my home for a few months as I play Aladdin in Kickstart’s family pantomime. Thereafter Wela Kapela is launching an exciting Mother Tongue project, which will see me and a crew of actors trekking off the beaten track across the Eastern Cape. We’ll be taking a puppet production of Aesop’s “Jackal and Wolf” fables to schools where accessing any kind of theatre may be a challenge or even an impossibility. The production will be performed in the mother tongue or language of learning and teaching that is predominant at each school (either English, Afrikaans or IsiXhosa). In between all of this, Amanda and I are working on a new one-man show which should premiere in May 2024 – but I’m afraid that’s all I can say for now, hehe…”

Throughout your journey in the world of theatre, have there been any mentors or influential figures who’ve significantly shaped your approach or inspired you?

“Oh, so so many! I feel like I am literally a product of these people – like a piece of clay that they have all had their hand at moulding and nurturing… Of course, there has always been mom and dad – Dean and Cresta Anderson. They motivate me because they just know how to handle me (and this is no mean feat): they are never too much, never too little – they’re just enough and just right. hey support, they advise and they love… what more can a boy ask for? My whole family (and there are a LOT of us) is close and tight and they have my back. I miss them so much when I am not at home.

I was fortunate to be at a school that made it their mission to employ the best of the best in terms of “the arts” teachers. Firstly, my beautiful and wonderful vocal coach Leoni Armour. She knows my voice inside out and therefore I trust her with it and trust her to have hard conversations with me about it. I started working with Leoni when I was 11… and still today, Leoni is the lady who listens to the songs I have to sing in “Vincent”, for example. I get excited for every session with Leoni and they always come at just the right time, to make you sound better and stronger – I just wish more people could experience working with her.

Marc Williams, my drama teacher, my mentor (on stage, off stage, all over) – the guy who showed me that discipline in this industry gets you to the places you need to be and that passion fuels you when there is nothing else left. I’ve cried so many tears with Marc – about things we have heard or seen or felt. They are etched in my heart and I think about them when I work – all the time. These are priceless exchanges. Marc is a priceless man.

Jacques Du Plessis – one of our musical directors/pianists – for “Vincent”. Jacques also taught me music for much of my high school career and today he is a dear friend, a constant laugh and guide. Jacques is the guy you call when your day is going to the dogs and you don’t know what to do. He knows what to say to chase the blues and when you’re out there, touring and working the blues do creep in. How amazing that Jacques is there to catch these days and, apart from all of this, he is bloody insane on those keys!

And then, last, but not least – Amanda Bothma. My reason and rhyme. Amanda took me under her wing as a chubby-cheeked, over-eager little 10-year-old singer and she worked with me until I started to become an actor (where I still am today). She teaches me how to tell stories and she taught me how to live life – or more how to squeeze every millilitre of zest out of the lemons that make each day’s sweet lemonade. There is a certain rareness about the kind of working relationship that Amanda and I have. This allows us to do good work and to get excited about everything we do. I cherish you deeply, mama Amanda. Thank you for giving me this life.”

You’ve been Alladin, Prince Topher, Daniel Beauxhomme and even embodied Vincent van Gogh – Which character or person would be a wild, unexpected leap for you, but one you’d be thrilled to do someday?

“I just saw a production of Kander & Ebb’s “Cabaret” on the West End in London. I’d give my left arm to play the Emcee… to be able to let go in a character like that must be so liberating. I know it will happen someday – so I’m using this opportunity to put it out into the universe. In terms of wild and unexpected leaps… I’d love to play Frank n Furter in Rocky Horror… but then again, which theatre boy in his right mind doesn’t – so is that even so wild? I don’t know, haha!”

In “Vincent – his quest to love and be loved”, you’ve used various genres of music to narrate Van Gogh’s life. If you had to pick one song that encapsulates the essence of your own life, which would it be and why?

“Every Time We Say Goodbye – Cole Porter… I don’t think there’s a song that speaks about feeling an emotion (whatever that emotion may be) as intensely as this one does. I like to think that I feel everything deeply and with heightened meaning. My life has been like that – I can’t stop feeling more and more and evaluating these feelings and then feeling them even deeper. Hopefully, I can keep creating.”

With your flair for bringing various epochs to life, if you had a one-day ticket to any moment in history, where would you zoom off to and what would you do?

“I’d visit Vincent on that fateful day in 1890 and I’d sit with him and tell him how much he was going to change the world.”

Given your vast experience at such a young age, what advice would you offer to someone reading this who thinks, “I wish I could pursue this, but…”?

“My advice would be to “just do it”… even if that sounds cliche. In this industry, the gates and obstacles that are put up for us seem to be unending and insurmountable, but they’re often put up by ourselves. To “just do it” means to make your own way in the craziness by showing up, working hard and stripping away your own limits. If you think you can’t be the lead, you’re right. What you think is what you do, is what they will see, is what they will believe , is what they will feel. Importantly also, be kind to yourself and to your instrument (your body): get enough sleep, don’t drink too much alcohol and find a meaningful exercise routine.”

If you had a free day with no responsibilities, how would you choose to spend it?

“On the beach, on the Wild Coast – hopping between gullies and rock pools, finding fish and all the other beautiful things under the sea. I do this from time to time… the best day ever, every time!”

Hit me with your killer karaoke track! “Grace Kelly – Mika”
Favourite Drink? “Red Wine!! Or Coke Light for the day time, of course ;)”

Your go-to favourite TV Series? “Schitt’s Creek… or The Crown… depending on mood.”
Superpower for a day? What’s your pick and what mischief would you get up to?
“Cloning – I’d make 100 of myself to do all the things I need to do in a normal day and I’d take the day off to go to an art gallery or to the beach.”

Zombie apocalypse! Quick, what are your top three survival must-haves?

Electric shaver (Can’t stand any hair growing on my face)
A role of gaffer tape (because you can do anything with this stuff)
An ABBA soundtrack (who needs food, even??)

Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences with us. Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

“I’d just like to say thank you to each person reading this who has purchased a ticket to see a theatre show at some point in their lives – especially if that work of theatre was a South African one. With the good fortune that I have had to travel around this country and abroad, telling the story of Van Gogh, I have been blessed to see so many works of theatre presented by our country’s fearless and fabulous artists. What beautiful, beautiful company I have been in. We are rich in our abilities to tell stories here and so this must be protected, promoted and actively preserved. So I guess that’s what I’d like to leave with: #ChooseLive, beautiful people; keep our artists going and allow them to inspire you and to equip you with the tools to deal with this crazy life. If you do, we shall all be richer for it.”