After months searching for a job, Rajai Denbrook started cursing his drama degree.

The 24-year-old was newly married and unemployed.

He sent out tons of job applications, but there were few drama jobs available. Still, he was certain a job would come soon.

It didn’t, but his daughter Sowilo did 11 months later.

“I thought, I could have been a lawyer,” he said. “I could have studied actuarial science.”

In his heart, though, he loved theatre.

He was also proud of the drama, applied theatre and education degree he earned at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England in 2012.

Mr Denbrook decided to create his own opportunity. He offers drama workshops and consultations through his company, Thrive Applied Drama.

“I want to work with groups of people who are looking to either create a piece of quality performance or who are looking for a novel and dynamic way to engage,” he said.

His offerings aren’t limited to actors, Mr Denbrook feels his company can also benefit businesses looking to motivate their staff.

“Performance is nothing but applying creative awareness to how you are applying your body and mind in the world,” he said. “The vast majority of us are not really conscious of how we use our bodies, but we need to be. Interpersonal skills are paramount in any kind of business setting.

“We are trying to revitalise our hospitality industry and a part of that is asking how people on the front line embody genuine hospitality.”

He said he had often experienced situations where a salesman’s attitude had discouraged him from patronising a business.

“I didn’t seem like a priority because of how I was being engaged by the retailer or customer service representative,” he said. “Essentially, these interactions lacked the intention and awareness that can be developed from participating in a performance-based workshop process.”

Mr Denbrook also wants to offer his services to schools as an enrichment option.

“Very few government schools in Bermuda have a drama programme,” he said. “I want to show people that there is a context for this work. There is lots of value to it.”

Mr Denbrook fell in love with drama as a child, and took part in many school and community musicals. Theatre was a welcome relief from learning struggles at school. When he reached university he was diagnosed with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder.

“Performing was certainly a part of learning to manage my symptoms,” he said. “It gave me lots of opportunity to become aware of myself emotionally, physically, and mentally. Creativity is one of the most superior thinking skills.

“I was able to develop an active awareness of how I experienced my specific learning difficulties, and with that awareness, learnt to live productively with them.”

He said performance is about being comfortable with being vulnerable and playful and embracing failure.

“With being dyslexic and having ADD, it’s easy to waste my energy trying to overcompensate, especially when interacting with people,” he said. “It can make me very awkward, but after performing for so long, I’ve learnt how to be comfortable with any potential awkwardness and failure so that I’m able to use just enough energy and focus to get me the results that I want in my interactions and in my work.

“I’m able to enjoy and value the quirks of my mind. I owe that largely to performance and other creative processes.”

He’s returned to local theatre since he moved back to the Island. He was Cogsworth in Troika’s Beauty and the Beast last summer.

“It was a bunch of fun,” he said. “The production was extremely high calibre and I felt privileged to be a part of it.”

This summer, Mr Denbrook will teach students nine and older how to put a production together. Ah Tempo will involve everything from acting and musical scores, to prop design.

The programme was started by Luann Wainwright-Dill in the 1990s; Mr Denbrook was a student.

“It had a 14-year hiatus as the founder became busy with other things,” he said. “I love running the programme although it is not affiliated with Thrive.”

For more information e-mail: rajai.denbrook@gmail.com; thrivedrama@gmail.com. Alternatively, call 505-1159.