THE STAGE has played an integral role in shaping the life and destiny of Ishiaka McNeil. Since the tender age of six when he was performing with the Wesley Hall Boys Choir, it seemed that fate had plans for this talented youngster.
Fast forward a few years to 1999 and the rest of Barbados quickly learnt what Ishiaka knew, with winning Richard Stoute’s Teen Talent, that he was going to be a name that people would remember.
“Teen Talent was a life-changing moment for me because it was where I crossed over from being a young man to touching the hearts of many Barbadians,” Ishiaka recalls fondly.
That’s why it should come as no surprise to see Ishiaka among the likes of Andrew Pilgrim, Alison Sealy-Smith, Nala, and a host of acting stalwarts in the upcoming production, The It So Happen Suite. Here he brings the best of singing and acting to the genres that he loves so much.
“I think singing and acting go hand in hand because as a singer you should be able to put on a show and perform and I think theatre helps in that,” Ishiaka told EASY magazine. “The It So Happen Suite is a part-musical so in this instance, it’s good to be able to sing and perform”.
Being a versatile performer on stage comes easy for Ishiaka who along with performing during the Crop-Over season has given audiences tastes of his comedic wit as part of the cast of Laff-it-Off.
“When I’m on stage I feel like the gift that God has given me is at work,” he says. “I’m bringing joy to people. God is the one who gave me the talent and I must give him thanks for it.”
In this current production, Ishiaka plays a variety of roles, including a king, a policeman, a boyfriend, along with singing and dancing.
“I feel at home doing all these things but it’s a lot of hard work,” he says. “At the end of the day you have to go forward and be the best that you can be to make the product the best it can be.”