Meet Devereau Chumrau

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Devereau Chumrau. Devereau was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Walid Chaya.

Hi Devereau , we’re so thrilled to have you sharing your story with us today. Maybe we can kick things off by having you introduce yourself to our readers? We’d love to have you go into your story and how you got to where you are today.
Hi there! So glad to be apart of this story!

My journey began here in Los Angeles. Born and raised in this beautiful city. For as long as I can imagine, I’ve been a storyteller. Completely in love and fascinated by how storytelling through art can be so transformative, transcendent, and life-changing. Second to my incredible tribe of family friends and mentors that raised me, are movies, theatre, music, and television. Even though I’ve always been a storyteller in some capacity, my career with acting didn’t start until I was in high school. I attended private lessons; oddly enough this very extroverted gal had some super shy beginnings. The shyness quickly faded the more I worked. Each rehearsal, each audition, and all the hours finally paid off: I joined SAG and was an official commercial/television and film actor before graduating high school. I was proud to be a working union member but I wanted more. My passion continued to grow in college, and expanded to Theatre, before I knew it I become fully immersed in both worlds. Happy but still wanting more! Wanting to keep adding to my storyteller’s toolbox, I decided to study abroad in my junior year of college and learn more about storytelling through a more cultural lens. I moved to and lived in Ghana for a little over a year learning West African Theatre and Dance. And man! What a year! Beyond eye-opening and life-changing. Living in Ghana gave me an even deeper sense of storytelling, a created an even bigger fire for my craft. By the time I got back and was ready to graduate Undergrad, my mentors encouraged me to continue to add to my craft by going to grad school. Grad school was never in my original plan, but seeing as how Ghana wasn’t either, I gave it a shot. I applied and actually got into several different programs but eventually settled on FSU Asolo Conservatory. Grad school (alike like working in the field) gave me a few of the biggest tools: self-discipline, a strengthened sense of my voice and power, and most importantly a new perspective: acting as an art, a true craft. One of my favorite mentors said “Don’t just be an actor, be an artist. Be an artist everywhere you go and with ANYTHING you do, and if you are fortunate enough, it will be with acting.” I still carry it with me to this day. Once I finished grad school, working in the industry full-time was a completely different set of tools. From doing background to lead roles, PA’ing to directing, editing, and even producing, expanding myself beyond acting gave me the valuable lesson of being able to story tell from so many other angles. I’ve been so fortunate to have begun a path here in my home city, go out in the world, gather so many wonderful tools and life lessons, and apply them to this amazing machine of our industry in LA. A full circle I’m pretty satisfied with. I’ve been working steadily across the board in Television/Theatre/Film/Commercials ever since and can’t imagine telling stories any other way 🙂

Alright, so we’d love to learn more about your acting career. What should we know?
So many great stories and projects, its hard to pick! Here’s a short list (of course not by order of importance) Some of my favorite highlights are directing Theatre in Ghana and working with a Ghanaian non-profit “Theatre For A Change.” Touring with Asolo Rep for Theatre productions of Antigone Now, and Las Meninas during grad school. Originating the role of Lily in “Tender Rain at Syracuse Stage early this year. Working with Kym Whitley and the OWN Network team on Raising Whitley, and honestly EVERY indie film I’ve had the pleasure to work on. I’ve been so lucky to have had such great experiences on all my indie films. And last but not certainly least has been the immense joy of being a part of the AVATAR franchise. Working on the sequels Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 have been so amazing. Watching so many members of our Avatar family get nominated, win tons of awards, and excel after the release of “The Way of Water” is a dream come true, and I’m so excited for the release of Avatar 3 in 2025. Currently, we are in post-production, but that is probably the most exciting project currently 🙂 What I love most about acting: Acting has always felt (and still feels) like a social responsibility. A responsibility of honesty, clarity, care, joy, and empathy when telling stories that may or may not be our own. When I’m acting and creating art, I love the feeling that I’m doing something that demands that I be bigger than myself, think outside my own sphere, be brave enough to expand, and keep searching for the best way to tell the story. And not just tell it, but honor it well.

So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by Wald Chaya and Studio For Performing Arts LA and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with Studio For Performing Arts LA.
So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by Wald Chaya and Studio For Performing Arts LA and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with Studio For Performing Arts LA.
Walid! He’s the best truly. We met back in 2019, at an Actors convention near LAX. I was browsing the various tables, hoping to gain some new insight about the business, and maybe connect with some casting directors and other actors. I didn’t have any intention on signing up for a program (mainly for financial reasons) but I came across Walid and immediately connected. He was so warm approachable and so open to discussing the human side of our industry in a way that was so refreshing. Lots of conventions can become so business-driven, that it takes the fun out of acting, etc. But we connected so well that I knew I was walking away with a new friend, rather than just an industry contact. I eventually followed up about his program and loved everything about the way he approached his business. From the type of class structure and format to the industry guests to the success rate of all of his clients associated with it, so it seemed like a great fit for me. I attended Zoom meetings, webinars, and social events. Sadly the pandemic delayed several things so I didn’t end up in his first full program until this year, but I was very satisfied and even walked out with an agent! I participated in the “LA Acting Bootcamp”, a collaborative effort with 12 distinguished Casting Directors, Agents, and Film Directors last spring. It was a week-long intensive (perfect for my schedule). Each day working on different mediums from Commercial work to Television/Film work. We brought two different types of Commercial/TV/Film scenes and worked with casting directors and directors on how to perfect the scenes before our official showcase at the end of the week. Walid created the best space to get to know each industry professional, with enough time to dig deep, ask questions, and reframe our scenes, so we could put our strongest foot forward during our showcase. He also consistently gave us feedback, tricks/tips, and enough time to get our pitch/interview style down, so that we could also strengthen our networking pitch skills. After a week of working with a variety of industry professionals each day, I was ready to fly with my showcase. And I did! That same evening I set an additional interview with an agent and by the end of the month I was signed!

Walid most definitely proved not only to be one the best advocates for actors and industry members alike, but he’s just a great human being; one you could easily always call up and grab tea with! Over the years, I’ve become a fan of who he is but getting to officially work with him this year just made it even better! My network and community are so much stronger, my approach to my craft and career trajectory is clearer, and I’m so looking forward to creating more with him in the future!

Website: devereau.com

Instagram: @skittles422 @devereau

Twitter: https://twitter.com/devereauchumrau

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devereauchumrau

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCapFx0jFNqQuzKm3Nai3iSQ

Image Credits
Picture 1: Avatar 2 Way of Water BTS Picture 2: Avatar 2 Oscar Photos BTS Picture 3: Theatre Production: “Neverwhere” (Sacred Fools Theatre) Picture 4: Theatre Production: “House of Joy” (San Diego Rep) Picture 5 Film: Twilight Stories: “We’ve Met Before” BTS Picture 6: Film: “Long Hollywood Night” Picture 7: Theatre “Antigone Now””