David started his career at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where he trained in classical acting and theatre arts and at the renowned Bristol Old Vic Company. His training also included appearances for BBC TV Bristol. His career in acting and directing has included Repertory // National Theatre // West End // Theatre-in-Education // Fringe // four years touring in companies specialising in clown work and classical mime // TV comedy // Film // Music videos. Early work also provided invaluable experience in 16mm celluloid camera operation (Aaton/Arriflex/ Beaulieu) In the eighties he founded ADC Video specialising in locally based advertising in London and Ireland. He is a founding director of the Man in the Moon Theatre, Chelsea (1981-2003) where he was Artistic Director, co-producer and script adviser. In 1985 he started teaching at the Academy DS Whitechapel, teaching theatre and incorporating screen acting on location. He was Head of Voice there for six years and directed over twenty productions ranging from Classical Greek Theatre through to Harold Pinter. He founded Quest Theatre Company (1990 – 2000) specialising in little known plays by well known playwrights, participating at International theatre festivals abroad. His work has taken him to Scotland, Wales, Ireland, former Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania Jamaica,,Uruguay, Brasil, Argentina.
In 1996 he gained his Master’s in Anthropology at UCL where he specialised in Anthropology of Art, Ethnographic Film, Performance, Ritual. His research interests focus on the performing and visual arts as forms of social display and their significance for the evolution of the ‘social’ brain. He is currently engaged in Cognitive Anthropology, namely fMRI brain mapping studies, (Wellcome Institute) having so far investigated Role-Play // Pretend Play, with Art and the Brain currently in development. He is an active member of the Royal Institution and the Royal Anthropological Institute and has spoken about Consciousness at science conferences in Arizona and Hong Kong.
He trusts that the significant inclusion of science in his life now helps underscore the school’s holistic approach to creativity. He is particularly pleased to find himself working in both Science and Arts. The International School of Screen Acting is his latest venture along with his more recent founding of Indie company, Film Quest which will be participating at global film festivals. Films currently in production include ‘Exocet’ , and in pre-production ’2076’ also his ‘triptych’, ‘One Woman // ‘One Man’ // ’One ‘Wo-Man’.