Daniel Curalli

Daniel Curalli (he/him) began acting at some point between the ages of 4 and 6. Recruiting his younger sister as his occasionally unwilling scene partner, they brought scenes from Winnie the Pooh to life in their living room. Not only were the scenes complete with couch cushion sets and blocking, the dialogue was word perfect, and if it wasn’t, he insisted that they go back over it until it was.

And so began Daniel’s love of storytelling. It became a part of every aspect of his life. With friends over, instead of playing outside, gaming or talking, they would act out scenes from movies over and over again. If a free moment presented itself, he would disappear into his room to listen to stories on tape, or dance and sing along to music, often from Broadway shows or Disney musicals. Even when he played organized sport, he created situations in his mind to make the game more exciting. The first time Daniel stepped on a stage was in elementary school for a Christmas concert. Having his crazy antics be encouraged was a powerful drug, and he quickly entered himself in the school’s spring musical, and repeated the pattern every year.

In high school, Daniel didn’t take drama, and instead focused on the sciences as preparation for university. However, his love of storytelling did pull him into the school’s musicals, and he spent four years acting, singing, dancing, and making some lifelong friends. When the science stream left him less than inspired, Daniel took a dare from a friend to audition for UBC’s BFA program, and it utterly changed his outlook on storytelling. It introduced him to a whole world that he had never known about, and that he loved instantly. For three years, he was immersed fully in form and discovery, learning more than he could have possibly imagined about the power, practice and pleasure of telling stories. Upon emerging from the program in 2017, Daniel knew that he had found what he wanted to do with his life.

Daniel enjoys a great many things about the work he does, but what he enjoys most is the sense of play. It is the same sense that existed as a child, knocking his sister off a couch cushion log, and now it is supported by a desire to learn, a knowledge of the work, and an ever growing tool belt of technique and exploration that opens new ways to play and story-tell every day.