Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Neely.
Nicole, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I graduated from Midwestern State University in 2014 with a BFA in Acting/Directing where I discovered a love for puppetry, new works, and collaboration. I had these excellent professors who became mentors, all of whom were on the brink of retiring. They taught me to revel in amateurism because anticipation is joy. That the beauty of art lies in the learning. That theatre was a sanctuary for all of us to come home to in our own time. And to stand up straight. Less poetic, but eh.
My final directing project was “Fin & Euba” by Audrey Cefaly. She was a dream to learn from and is one of my greatest encouragers. I began writing short plays with her guidance at the end of my senior year.
I started my professional life as a performer. My first few years out of college was a flurry of going on tour, meeting some of my best friends, coming home from tour and feeling inadequate. “Tale as old as time…”
In 2016, I started my first tragically underpaid full-time job in a real estate office and my journey with anxiety and depression took a turn. I convinced myself that I’d failed as an artist. I started taking panic attack medication and came to the conclusion that high-functioning depression was just my lot in life (my brain likes to horribly misguide me). I continued auditioning and performing in the evening. After getting fired from the real estate position, I started working at an insurance company that saw the value in my creativity and sent me to graphic design school at SMU. Life is such a weird series of crap, isn’t it?
In 2017, by some miracle of timing, I met playwright Sarah Ruhl (In the Next Room, Eurydice) at the opening night of her play, “For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday.” That night, I sat outside of a dollar-pizza place on 42nd Street in NYC and cried because I realized I’d been chasing dreams that weren’t for me. I wanted to write stories for people that made them laugh and consider their lives and the lives of others. I wanted more stories with innovative puppetry. I didn’t want to audition anymore unless I loved the work being done. I started setting playwriting goals for myself on that trip and wrote a rough draft of my short play “Sauced.” It wasn’t perfect, but it was done. The play was accepted into the First Inaugural Season of First Impressions at Imprint Theatreworks and I’ve been writing/producing my own readings ever since.
Oh! And I’ve since seen a therapist and have actively begun working through my depression. Go to therapy, kids.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s difficult finding your way in a place where audiences don’t see the value in new works, especially new works by womxn, POC, and LGBTQ+ playwrights. Newer theatre companies are interested and enthusiastic, something I’m grateful for.
I look forward to a day when one of our larger houses/equity houses takes a chance on me and one of my pieces. I feel like I’m sliding down the side of a glass mountain most of the time, but I still find joy in producing readings and connecting with our community.
My advice is to set deadlines and raise the stakes. Put some money down on a space and hire a director you trust to hold you accountable. It is absolutely mandatory to write a first pancake draft. Just get it down, get it in front of people, and start a conversation. Listen to your audience and find comfort in criticism.
Most importantly, support the people around you doing their darndest to make new art. I’ve become more reclusive this past year while I’ve been seeing a therapist and prioritizing my mental health, and I look forward to better supporting my community soon.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
In this season of my life, all of my plays are in discussion with mental health. I’ve heard them described as tragicomedies and dark comedies. I also try desperately to put puppets in plays where they don’t belong.
This past summer, Lily & Joan produced my play, “Marilyn, Pursued by a Bear.” This is a companion piece to Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Marilyn Monroe wakes up in the Payne-Whitney Mental Institution. Plagued by demons of doubt and depressive thoughts, she must attempt to make peace with her past and battle the darkness in the form of a looming shadow of a bear. Alongside her mother and grandmother, she explores the devastation of thought spirals and false accusations as well as a strong female bond that overcomes the evil surrounding them.
I recently had a second reading of my play, “Three Seconds.” This was a gift play for my grandfather who passed away last winter, my family, and Everly Good.
It’s a story about loss and how we learn to cope with death.
Charlie and Gavin receive a call from their mother. Their father has had a heart attack and is about to go into surgery. Together, and apart, they navigate the devastating aftermath of losing a loved one and what it means to realize that death is always present in their world.
Something really wonderful is happening with this piece in the next year, stay tuned!
Some of my 10-minute plays include:
“Sauced”
“I am Drunk and You are a Sandwich”
“The Art of Reincarnation”
Who have you been inspired by?
Sarah Ruhl and Audrey Cefaly for playwriting. Sarah Ruhl’s writing guided me home and Audrey was a mentor when I badly needed one.
Marilyn Monroe, for her strength despite the circumstances.
Shelli Neely, Doniece Neely, and Sharon O’Neil for strong female role models growing up.
Olivia Grace Murphy, Emily Burgardt, Erika Larsen and Emily Faith for being incredible artists and collaborators that I admire.
Liz Millea Hullett for her patience, organization, and empathy.
Allison Good for her comedy, her strength, and her heart.
Jessie Wallace & Ashley White (Imprint Theatreworks) for their strength and talent.
Samantha Whitbeck, Courtney Mentzel and Cassie Toft for their incredible friendship.
Laura Jefferson for her comedy, her resilience, and her mentorship.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thenicoleneely.com
- Instagram: @oohneely
Image Credit:
Jonathan McInnis Photography, Faye Austin, Jessie Wallace, Clint Gilbert, Erika Larsen, Collin College Theatre
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