Augusta Harrison Denby is the newest drama teacher here at ISB.Here,  PantherNation decided to take the opportunity to interview her and find out about her start in drama, her life before ISB, and how she got here.

Ms. Denby got involved in drama at a young age. She originally wanted to be an actor and was on stage a lot in her youth. However as she got older, she started acting less. She says, “I was in school productions, youth theatre performances, university theatre, and later on in community theatre while in my early twenties. I have also taken performances to the Edinburgh Festival which was a real highlight and such a great experience.” The Edinburgh Festival is a festival that combines the arts and culture, and happens every summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

She also shared that her favorite type of character to play is the “crazies.” In an experimental theatre in University, she says,”I once had great fun playing a Christmas tree decoration with murderous tendencies who hated Christmas.”

She has been teaching drama  for 10 years. She got her teaching licence in London and taught English and Drama.  Ms. Denby describes the schools she started at as “tough.” She says, “the intake was very poor and the students faced real challenges in their lives; school was not always easy for them,  but there were some fantastic young people there They had brilliant energy and loved Drama.” From there, she and her husband started moving abroad. She has taught at a few schools abroad first in Borneo at a school called ,  ‘Kinabalu International School’. From there, she and her family moved to Beijing where she taught at ‘Dulwich College Beijing.

They decided to come to ISB specifically because of the reputation. Ms. Denby says that ISB has, “ strong emphasis on extracurricular and not just the academics – and a strong arts programme. It is also just the sort of school we would like our daughter to attend in a few years time.” Her daughter, Evelyn  is 9 months old and Ms. Denby’s husband is spending most of his time at home taking care of her. Their daughter is another reason they decided to move to ISB. Ms. Denby says, “ It is also just the sort of school we would like our daughter to attend in a few years time.”

Overall,  she is excited to be a teacher and a part of the arts program here at ISB. The fall play “Almost Maine” which was chosen and directed by her will be coming on soon. Check it out on November 16, 17, and 18.

Isabella Abate