Testimonials
Below are a few comments from colleagues, regarding my work and directing style. (All comments given of their own free will!)
I’ve heard it said that the best acting is where you don’t ‘notice’ the acting; and I think the same can be true of directing. Sure, there are those directors who very visibly stretch you, as an actor, often in many directions at once – and then there are those who you realise have stretched you, but without you noticing. Nicola is one of those. She has a talent, a skill and a personality which certainly put me, as an actor, in a zone where I was looking to fine-tune the theatrical performance afresh every night. She’s very good fun to work with, as well – and also managed to persuade me to sing, professionally, for the first time in 30 years, which was no mean feat!
Andrew Forbes, actor
Of the various projects I’ve collaborated on with Nicola as an actor one of the finest examples of her work as a director was actually for Shakespeare’s Globe: we had one day to put together a staged performance of the Tricks of Youth at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Nicola was in complete control of a company of actors, a group of musicians and a complicated set of action in tandem with a fight director. We had no break out space, scant hours to prepare and an imminent, paying, public audience. Not to mention a script nobody has really read in 400 years let alone performed. Nicola was at the centre of everything- managing the scene changes, making text suggestions, allowing time for characterisation, seamlessly bringing in music and fights. Delegating and deferring to individual experience where prudent and keeping a firm line on her vision for our presentation throughout. I’ve been involved in rather a lot of the Globe Read Not Dead readings over the years, this one sticks in the memory as it’s the first time we had time for a lunch break because everyone was ready and confident.
Adam Cunis, actor
Nic is a truly supportive, intuitive and incredibly articulate director with a wealth of literary knowledge behind her. Throughout our rehearsal process she encouraged cast creativity and actively promoted company engagement within an inclusive and collaborative, thoughtful environment, thus enabling a constant progression in all aspects of the piece at hand. Each element of our rehearsal process was shown equal importance and respect - whether that was the enjoyable team building and warm up activities she provided, in depth analysis behind character motivation or her crafting of each intense scene to bring all acts to fruition. Nic is a pleasure to know and work with, she is a warm, intelligent and passionate director who shaped Red Skies so brilliantly, incorporating the sentimental value of the script into every detail – bringing nostalgia into the forefront of the production and valuing its wonderful and personal history with delicate precision.
Sally Burnett, actor
Nic is a very supportive and creative director that I was lucky enough to work with during the last few Christmas seasons. She creates a positive, engaging, professional atmosphere for everyone involved in the production, from the actors to the crew to the creative teams. She is always willing to put her hand to something new which makes working with her a successful experience for the productions. I look forward to the opportunity to work with her again.
Alice Rowe, Stage Manager
She is razor sharp in her analysis of a play and always the best informed, yet creates a rehearsal environment which feels fully collaborative, supportive and safe. She keeps her ego out of the way of the text and I have seldom (in 15 years as a professional actor) worked with a director so sensitive to the heart of a piece of theatre, regardless of the genre. I was lucky enough to work with Nic again on my own solo show 'Hi. I'm David.' for Playmill Festival at The King's Head in 2018, she was characteristically brilliant and wholly supportive of this terrifying endeavour. She deserves every support and opportunity.
Tom Giles, actor
Nicola has a bold, bright vision which resonates with me: to bring brilliant stories with high production values to audiences who might not experience theatre. Nic’s audiences love her work; it is engaging, intelligent and enthralling - people recognise that and comment on it. I loved working with Nic on Peril at Sea, she really trusts each practitioner in the collaborative process to be the best they can be. As a designer it is fantastic to collaborate with a theatre maker like Nic, she has faith in every aspect of the process and is open to exploring all the strengths design can bring to a production and deepen the audience experience. She is a true collaborator.
Charlie Cridlan, Designer
