Meet Nicholas (nick) Reynolds | Director, Writer and Producer for stage and screen

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas (nick) Reynolds and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas (Nick), what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
It’s not necessarily advice, but I deeply disagree with the hustle-culture around networking. As someone who works in both the creative and administrative facets of the performing arts industry, it sometimes becomes evident that an overly corporate approach to networking can contradict the attempt to connect with others and develop work. The way that too many people network is often so transactional – and unless you’re talking to one of those corporate ladder-climber types, I find it’s relatively ineffective as people generally see right through it. When you go about it in that way, it feels so disearnest, and people often don’t want to work with disearnest people.

Don’t get me wrong, networking is incredibly important – but it’s about community building! It’s about creating connections that help you engage with and strengthen your industry. I find that the best connections I’ve made have been when I’ve approached artists, performers and producers whose work I respect, and share with them why it is that I’m drawn to their work. It’s important to appreciate and validate the other players in your community, and sometimes someone else’s work just clicks with you and your style in a way that can be meaningful for both of you. When you network, you should be trying to help develop that sense of community.

While sometimes it’s of course important to be tenacious, it is crucial that this tenacity is met or fuelled by the passion you have for what you’re doing and an eagerness to contribute something to the community. I think one of the beautiful things about this approach is that when you community build, you start to realise you’re not alone – you create and foster a network of support. You create opportunities by strengthening your community.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I guess it’s important to specify what I do. I’m a director and producer – predominantly for stage, but increasingly for screen too. I do a little writing, but writing often manifests in the form of long-term passion projects. Directing is definitely my passion, and while producing started off as a way to create work and make opportunities, it’s something I’ve also become quite captivated by. As such, I have become an award winning director, producer and writer with experience spanning both Australia and the United Kingdom.

When I started off, I found it (and honestly still find it) extraordinarily hard to come across working opportunities. The pool of people willing to take a chance on an early-career director is quite small, and I’ve even found that many programs set up for emerging artists often only really take on individuals who already carry sizable clout and richly packed CVs. As challenging as that was, it proved to me that if I wanted the opportunity to work as a director I’d have to make those opportunities myself – so that’s exactly what I set out to do. With some amateur producing experience from my time as a member of my university’s theatre club, I set out to start producing work with my savings and developing independent productions I could direct. As challenging as it has been, I’ve felt really fortunate to have started my career this way as it’s given me an incredible amount of success and creative autonomy which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. By working as an independent artist and producer, I’ve not just created opportunities for myself, but also afforded myself creative liberties and a freeing sense of independence.

If creating my own opportunities has been the first tenement of my career’s success this far, I think the other would have to be tenacity. There have been many times in which I’ve made the effort to reach out to artists and producers operating at higher levels than me in the industry, introduce myself and start to learn from them. This has even led me to developing incredible working relations with some truly incredible artists – such as my collaboration with Dolly Diamond in helping to produce her award-winning UK tour.

The other aspect that has been extremely important has been the opportunity to meet incredible artists at my level and support one another. I won’t go on about it too much because I spoke about community building earlier, but it really has been such an important facet of my career. I’ve absolutely loved working with independent local artists such as Yabba Films, the composer Tom Godbert, and the digital artist Echtoon. All of them have incredible artistic abilities which have been both wonderful to collaborate with, and enriching to the work I’m able to output. In fact, these three particular artists are all part of an upcoming pilot episode I’m putting together – an opportunity I wouldn’t have the chance to put together without their incredible talents.

I suppose if I was to give any advice, it’s that there are plenty of setbacks and gatekept pathways in the arts industry, but there will always be enough space to create your own work and collaborate with your peers. You have the ability to make your own opportunities, and create the art that you want to see out in the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man! Buckle in, because this trip is going to be fun!

Melbourne’s art scene is so incredibly bountiful – especially when it comes to theatre! While we have some strong commercial shows and legacy theatre companies, I think the greatest asset of it is our stunning independent theatre scene! One of my favourite theatre companies in Melbourne hands-down has to be ‘Antipodes Theatre Company’, so if I was showing someone the best time ever I’d HAVE to take them to an Antipodes show! They have some of the most interesting, engaging and inspiring shows!

Depending on whether this was an evening or matinee show, I’d have to follow this up with a trip to one of Melbourne’s iconic restaurants. Hardware Societe is hard to go by, but then so is the newly opened Reed House. They offer slightly different takes on Melbourne cuisine, but each is unforgettable. Alternatively, Melbourne has some incredible Vietnamese bakeries and cafes – so the city’s banh mi are hard to go by. If it’s a little later in the evening and you’re looking for some hilariously charismatic wait staff, I’d have to recommend the awesome Italian restaurant SUD.

Australia also has an incredible First Nations history with one of the oldest living civilisations in the world. If you’re in Victoria, it would be remiss to not go to some of the incredible Indigenous sites and learn a little more about the nation’s living history. Up in central Victoria on Taungurung land is Bunjil’s Shelter, on the Black Range Scenic Reserve. Not only is it a stunning location, but visiting gives you an awe-inspiring sense of Australia’s rich history and the stories of a people whose culture stretches back at least 40,000 years. A sacred site in the Grampians, this cave was said to have once sheltered the great Creator Spirit, Bunjil. It’s really humbling to visit a site like this, and realise that we are a small strand on the tapestry of history.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s so many people I’d love to give a shoutout to, not least of all my parents, my partner, and my friends who have all been so supportive of my sometimes-risky venture into the arts career. However, I have to say that I would not be building the career that I have without the support of my dear friend David Butler. David has been a cornerstone of my career, and I’m so unbelievably grateful for him. He was the first artist I looked up to that adamantly expressed that my dream of working in the performing arts was attainable, and throughout my journey he has constantly offered me meaningful advice, mentorship and opportunities. More than that, he’s made me feel that there’s something important I have to offer as a creative, which has been the primordial fire fuelling my endurance.

Without him, I wouldn’t have worked with some of the incredible people I’ve started working with – including Australian legends Dolly Diamond and Tash York. In fact, without his support I don’t think I would’ve staged my first independent show. When one of the project’s biggest facilitators fell through, it was David that imbued me with the confidence that I could stage it myself.

Beyond that, David is such a talented performer, both in and out of drag. It’s been so incredibly inspiring to see the way he has utilised his talents in order to foster and grow an impressive career.

I really cannot quite express how grateful I am for him and his help.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicholas.rt.reynolds?igsh=MXJnbHJ6am43MWxkOQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Other: Linktree – https://linktr.ee/noonooziro

Image Credits
Headshot: Photographer – Harper Owen (Insta @habitually_harper )

FTN Fest: Poster – Felix Wilkins (Insta @yabbafilms )

Cutting Onions: Photographer – Evan Grosvenor (Insta @epicsnail1996 ), Poster – Sophie (Insta @sophie_sirninger_rankin ) and Nadia (Insta @in.your.face.art ) Sirninger Rankin

Dolly Tour: Posters – Credited Venues, Image – Echtoon (Insta @_echtoon_ )

She Slayed: Photographer – Harper Owen (Insta @habitually_harper ), Poster – Echtoon (Insta @_echtoon_ )