Nicholas is an award-winning actor, writer, producer and director.
Born and bred in Sheffield, graduated from the University of Birmingham and then trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where he won the Comedy Prize.
His theatre work includes the RSC at the Barbican, Bombur in “The Hobbit” in the West End, Pod Clock in “The Borrowers” (UK No 1 Tour) and over 40 shows in repertory in Basingstoke, Ipswich, Jersey, Coventry, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
Co-founder of Third Party Productions in 1992, he has toured from Belfast to Beirut and beyond, with 18 productions of Shakespeare and other classics and over 1000 performances. In 2010 he was nominated for ‘Best Actor’ by the Off West End awards for his title role in “Dr Faustus” at the New Diorama Theatre, which won the company a Peter Brook award.
He has a fruitful partnership with Gavin Robertson – since 2011, together they have created five solo shows. Nicholas regularly tours his self-penned “Spitfire Solo”, “Nelson – The Sailors’ Story” and “Your Bard – an informal audience with Will Shakespeare in the pub” around the UK and abroad to Australia and the USA. “Nelson” won the Best of Kansas City 2015 Critics Choice Award. He has directed “Crusoe – No Man Is An Island” and “Bond – An Unauthorised Parody” for Gavin. Together they perform Gavin’s play “The Six-Sided Man” (a stage version of “The Dice Man”).
In 2016 he co-produced and directed “Crazy Horse – A Dream Of Thunder” for the American actor Samn Wright. It premiered at Brighton Fringe in 2016 and won Best Solo Show at Kansas City Fringe.
He has recently appeared as the postman Jim Oakley in “All Creatures Great And Small”. TV enthusiasts may remember him as Buster from BBC’s “Timebusters” – and as Sylvester the Jester in the new episode of “Knightmare” for Google Geek Week. He has also appeared in many Afternoon Plays on Radio 4.
He won the 2016 British Arrows Craft Award for Best Performance by an Actor for the Currys commercial “Laptop” with Jeff Goldblum.
In 2018 he directed “That Daring Australian Girl” starring Joanne Hartstone, which won Best Theatre award at the Adelaide Fringe.
He also won a Special Performance Award at the Duo Festival in Seoul, South Korea, for his role as Counsellor in “The Black and White Tea Room”.
In 2020 he won an OnComm award for his performance in “Waiting For Hamlet”.
In 2022 he won Best Supporting Actor from the Dark Chat awards for his portrayal of Yorick in “Waiting For Hamlet” at the Edinburgh Fringe.
In 2022 he directed “Prejudice and Pride” at Music Theatre Heritage at the Crown Center, Kansas City and then at Edinburgh Fringe, where it won the Best Show Award from the Sinners Review.
In 2023 he won a Best Theatre award at Adelaide Fringe for his performance as Jo in “Appraisal”.
“Prejudice and Pride” played at the Arts Asylum in Kansas City before transferring to 59E59 in New York.
