By Style Correspondent
Versatile arts personality Caroline “Nyaka-Chana” Nyaka, who credits her prowess to comedian-cum-musician Freddy “Kapfupi” Manjalima’s tutelage in her formative years in the arts industry, is charming the world as she has featured in blockbusters.
In a recent interview with Standard Style, the 38-year-old artist revealed how her interaction with Kapfupi in the early years of her career shaped her exploits on the global arts arena.
“I am a ‘quintuple threat’ which simply means I major in five disciplines namely theatre, music, dancing, acting, and presenting,” Nyaka-Chana said.
“So when I was young I marvelled at Kapfupi’s street theatre performances such that I requested my parents to always take me on weekends to witness his acts.
“I would then ask Kapfupi to take me on board so I could also perform, but because I was coming from the affluent Avondale suburb, he couldn’t fathom me excelling so he took me on a grooming expedition where I would spend long hours in Epworth going through how they would come up with scripts.
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“One special take-away from these grooming sessions was how to improvise and keep on the roll when a mishap or technical glitch happens.
“This is a lesson I have used on numerous occasions.”
The former Avondale Primary School student also gives credit to her former school teacher a Mrs Zhou for discovering her artistic exploits.
“While in Grade 3 at Avondale Primary School, our teacher asked the boys if anyone was willing to play the role of King Herod, but because of the character of Herod no one was willing to,” she said.
“So our teacher [Mrs Zhou] then called for all of us to perform the ‘lines’ of Herod so she could select and I nailed it exceptionally well.
“She had no choice despite that I was a girl to select me to play the ‘Herod’ character.”
This marked the start of her acting career.
She was to enroll for a Bachelor of Industrial Psychology and Performing Arts at the University of Warwick and this chartered her into the world of arts.
“While at the University of Warwick, I was exposed to world-class arts mentorship. For example I was able to work with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on a musical play,” she said.
“This was eye-opening and also Tuku used to be a regular feature at the university.”
Her debut in theatre came in 2006 when she joined the Cast of Half a Sixpence at Solihull Arts Complex by Peterbrook and played a humble role of a chorus girl.
The play opened her doors as she landed roles in several theatre productions with her biggest role being Dame Shirley Bassey where she belted the Big Number “Goldfinger” at the Old Rep Theatre Birmingham to a mesmerized and jaw dropping teary audience who gave her a standing Ovation on Opening night.
In 2009, she featured in Hollywood’s Give My Regards to Hollywood, a 2007 musical production.
The Zimbabwe-born quintuple threat had own show filmed at the world famous Pinewood Studios home to Star Wars and James Bond movies.
“I was once attested at the world-famous Pinewood Studios home to Star Wars and James Bond movies. This is where I started my own children’s show Nyaka-Chana (truncated from her father’s surname Nyaka and mother’s surname Chananda,” she said.
Now settled in Northern Ireland, the affable Nyaka-Chana is part of the Northern Ireland Screen (NIS), the production company of the popular Game of Thrones series where she is working as an understudy in film production.
“Working with NIS has been one of the biggest opportunities ever. This is where I am getting refined in all aspects of production and it’s very fascinating to be interacting with the revered actors of this series,” said Nyaka-Chana.
Despite all these and other feats Nyaka-Chana has attained, she remains grounded in principles.
“There is an occasion I remember when I turned down a role in 12-Years-A-Slave acting role, which was eventually played by Lupita Nyong’o,” she said.
“I was approached by one of the producers, Brad Pitt, to feature in the film in 2012, but after reading the script and discovered that there was going to be a nudity scene which I was to feature, I turned down the role because I could not stomach my mother and kinsmen watching such.
“This is one big lesson that I would like to convey to all young aspiring arts enthusiasts to remain principled, be yourself.”
She was to do a cameo role in Disney’s Christopher Robin in August 2018 appearing alongside Ewan McGregor and Children’s Favourite Winnie the Pooh.
After moving to France in 2010 having been cast by Walt Disney just to be in the Parade, Caroline excelled and ended up joining the principal Disney Characters and becoming the first black African to play Princess Tiana in the Princess and the Frog.
In October 2015 due to popular demand, Caroline was seen on Challenge TV for the second time being the recipient of the coveted Golden chair by Jack Dee in Don’t Sit in the Front Row.
The BBC Comedy Production had originally aired on Sky Atlantic and Sky 1 in 2012 and Challenge TV had to transmit it again. By popular demand.
The show added another string to Caroline bow and qualified her as one of the few Quintuple-Threats in the world as she had now achieved credits in five major entities.
Nyaka-Chana has credits with BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky for Fox Television.
She has also had cameo roles in the Sci-Fi Celestial Sisters as a Female Warrior in the Battle Scene and also played Police Detective in The Estate. Keep your eyes peeled for more cameo Appearances in Crime Thriller Drama Houdini and Doyle in February 2016.