The primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral history Project

Celebrating the visionaries who created New York's vibrant Off- and Off-Off-Broadway theater.

James C. Nicola

James C. Nicola

Director, Artistic Director, New York Theatre Workshop

Location: at Casey Childs' Home
Interviewed by: Casey Childs
Interview #213
"That’s what I wanted it to be (New York Theatre Workshop). I wanted it to feel like an adventure, be unpredictable, yet something holds it together... and it’s wide ranging. Most of the time people come together to make war. In theater people come together to make beauty."
James C. Nicola Highlights
Video Length: 12 Minutes, 6 Seconds
James C. Nicola Interview Part One
Video Length: 3 Hours, 38 Minutes
James C. Nicola Interview Part Two
Video Length: 3 Hours, 6 Minutes

Part One Conducted on November 26, 2024

Part Two Conducted on January 22, 2025

James C. Nicola is a director and was the Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) from 1988 to 2022.  During his tenure, as the title indicates, the ‘workshop’ of New York Theatre Workshop became a place where directors and playwrights were given opportunities and financial support to create their work.  The initial focus on support for directors made it a rare organization when many others concentrated on new works by playwrights.  An inclusive early career one-year Fellowship gathered over time a rare community of playwrights, directors, designers and administrators with a multiplicity of perspectives who enriched the world of theater expanding its definition and audience.  Thirty years ago Nicola also created a New York Theatre Workshop Summer Residencies program in conjunction with the Hotchkiss School and then later Dartmouth College.  The summer residency allows artists to collaborate amongst themselves while involving students as observers, researchers and assistants in the rehearsal process.  Works developed at Dartmouth include: Jonathan Larson’s RENT, Anais Mitchell’s HADESTOWN, Dael Orlandersmith’s FOREVER, and Mfoniso Udofia’s HER PORTMANTEAU.  Nicola and NYTW also established later a residency at Adelphi University focusing on director-generated and devised works.  Adelphi will also be the home to NYTW’s 2025 Fellows Annual Retreat.  Under Nicola’s leadership NYTW also created Companies-in-Residence, the Mondays@3 Reading Series, the 2025 Administrative Fellowship program, Mind-the-Gap, Learning Workshop, the Next Door at NYTW series and many more public programs and community partnerships.  In 1988 Nicola received a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Director Resident Production for FILTHY RICH, and in 2019 a Lifetime Achievement Obie Award, and in 2022 a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 75th Tony Award ceremony.

James C. Nicola grew up in Manchester, Connecticut, a silk milltown once a major textiles center.  Mary Cheney, whose family owned the mills hired immigrants from Piedmont, Italy and Northern Ireland, both with non-drinking populations, insuring a sober work force in the mills.  Like many residents in Manchester, Nicola is half Irish and half Italian.  Nicola started out as a newsboy for the Hartford Current and read about the new theater to be built in town, the Hartford Stage Company, which later became a leading organization in the not-for-profit regional theater movement.  His exposure to theater there and his senior high school productions led him to win the ‘Young Columbus Award’ for performance sending him on a two week trip to Spain and Portugal.  He was the first person in his family to have been on a plane.  It changed his life.  He then joined the Little Theatre of Manchester, Children’s Division, where he found himself and knew a life in theater was possible.  While at Tufts University he explored Broadway and Off-Broadway seeing the original Cabaret, shows at Circle Rep, and Hair at The Public.  His junior year sent him to London where he worked at the Royal Court Theatre as an Assistant Stage Manager, and at The Young Vic as an assistant to the director.  A seminar with Theater Communications  Group (TCG) got him an interview and acceptance with Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., where he worked for many years.  He then worked at The New York Shakespeare Festival/The Public.  In 1988 he joined New York Theatre Workshop where all his experiences could be used to guide it to what it has become.  The list of shows during Nicola’s tenure are:  1987/1988 SEASON: DOMINO, THE BIG LOVE, THE LOVE SUICIDES AT AMIJIMA, COYOTE UGLY, BLOOD SPORTS; 1988/1989 SEASON: BUZZSAW BERKELEY, THE INVESTIGATION OF THE MURDER IN EL SALVADOR, NERO’S LAST FOLLY, EMERALD CITY, THE NEST, MERCEDES, L’ILLUSION; 1989/1990 SEASON: THE NATURE OF THINGS, MY CHILDREN!  MY AFRICA!, A FOREST IN ARDEN, THE WAVES; 1990/1991 SEASON: JEFFREY ESSMANN’S ARTIFICIAL REALITY, LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, LOVE AND ANGER;  1990/1992 SEASON: PUNCH ME IN THE STOMACH, LYPSINKA! A DAY IN THE LIFE, TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE ALIVE, MAD FOREST; 1992/1993 SEASON: TRAPS, OWNERS, C. COLOMBO INC., NERO’S LAST FOLLY; 1993/1994 SEASON: 101 HUMILIATING STORIES, UNFINISHED STORIES, MY VIRGINIA, THE REZ SISTERS, BLOWN SIDEWAYS THROUGH LIFE, THE MEDIUM; 1994/1995 SEASON:THE SECRETARIES, SLAVS!, NOBODY’S NEIGHBOR, THE FAMILY BUSINESS, PRISONER OF LOVE; 1995/1996 SEASON: RENT, A PARK IN OUR HOUSE, QUILLS; 1996/1997 SEASON: THE DEVILS, A QUESTION OF MERCY, VIEW OF THE DOME; 1997/1998 SEASON: LOVE’S FOWL, BOB, SHOPPING AND FUCKING, BRIDES OF THE MOON, MORE STATELY MANSIONS; 1998/1999 SEASON: THE TRESTLE AT POPE LICK CREEK, THE GIMMICK, BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY, THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD, CULTURE OF DESIRE; 1999/2000 SEASON: WISE GUYS, LYDIE BREEZE, WHAT YOU GET AND WHAT YOU EXPECT, DIRTY BLONDE, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE; 2000/2001 SEASON: ALICE IN BED, SLANGUAGE, NOCTURNE, UP AGAINST THE WIND, RESIDENT ALIEN, BREAD AND ROSES, STREET OF BLOOD; 2001/2002 SEASON: PLAY YOURSELF, VIENNA: LUSTHAUS, THROW PITCHFORK, HOMEBODY/KABUL, FINALLY FLANNERY, EVERYTHING THAT RISES MUST CONVERGE, FIRST LOVE; 2002/2003 SEASON: FLESH AND BLOOD, FLOW, CAVEDWELLER, BEXLEY, OH (!), OR, TWO TALES OF ONE CITY, VIENNA: LUSTHAUS (REVISITED) (ON TOUR), FAR AWAY; 2003/2004 SEASON: PATRIOT ACT, LIGHT RAISE THE ROOF, VALHALLA, THE ARCHITECTURE OF LOSS, THE BEARD OF AVON; 2004/2005 SESAON: SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED, SCORE, EYEWITNESS BLUES, A NUMBER, HEDDA GABLER; 2005/2006 SEASON: COLUMBINUS, THE SEVEN, BACH AT LEIPZIG, SPIRIT, OEDIPUS AT PALM SPRINGS; 2006/2007 SEASON: ALL THE WRONG REASONS, ALL THAT I WILL EVER BE, KAOS, !EL CONQUISTADOR!; 2007/2008 SEASON:THE SOUND AND THE FURY (APRIL SEVENTH, 1928), LIBERTY CITY, BECKETT SHORTS, THE MISANTHROPE, THE BLACK EYED, HORIZON; 2008/2009 SEASON: THINGS OF DRY HOURS, THE GRAND INQUISITOR, BEAST; 2009/2010 SEASON: RESTORATION, TOP SECRET: THE BATTLE FOR THE PENTAGON PAPERS, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, I GOT SICK THEN I GOT BETTER, AFTERMATH; 2010/2011 SEASON: THE SHAGGS: PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, THREE PIANOS, THE LITTLE FOXES; 2011/2012 SEASON: FOOD AND FADWA, AN ILIAD, ONCE, THE SELECT (THE SUN ALSO RISES); 2012/2013 SEASON: SONTAG:REBORN, BELLEVILLE, A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS, RED DOG HOWLS; 2013/2014 SEASON: RED-EYE TO HAVRE DE GRACE, LOVE AND INFORMATION, WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?, FETCH CLAY, MAKE MAN; 2014/2015 SEASON: SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, THE INVISIBLE HAND, THE EVENTS, FOREVER; 2015/2016 SEASON: FONDLY, COLLETTE RICHLAND, LAZARUS, RED SPEEDO, HADESTOWN; 2016/2017 SEASON: NAT TURNER IN JERUSALEM, OTHELLO, THE OBJECT LESSON, SOJOURNERS & HER PORTMANTEAU; 2017/2018 SEASON: MARY JANE, HUNDRED DAYS, AN ORDINARY MUSLIM, LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND; 2018/2019 SEASON: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, MANDY PATINKIN IN CONCERT: DIARIES 2018, SLAVE PLAY, HURRICANE DIANE, 17 BORDER CROSSINGS, PROOF OF LOVE; 2019/2020 SEASON: RUNBOYRUN & IN OLD AGE, SING STREET, ENDLINGS; 2020/2021 SEASON: BORN 100 TIMES, BROTHER, BROTHER, KRISTINA WONG, SWEATSHOP OVERLORD AI PROJECT, TAXLANDIA, HILTON ALS PRESENTS, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, REFLECTIONS OF NATIVE VOICES 2021, THE WRIGHT STUFF, TALKING CIRCLES, THE COOKING PROJECT, REMNANT, THE SEAGULL ON THE SIMS 4, PINCHING PENNIES WITH PENNY MARSHALL: DEATH RITUALS FOR PENNY MARSHALL, WHAT THE HELL IS A REPUBLIC, ANYWAY?; 2021/2022 SEASON: SEMBLANCE, SANCTUARY CITY, KRISTINA WONG, SWEATSHOP OVERLORD, ON SUGARLAND, DREAMING ZENZILE; 2022/2023 SEASON: AMERICAN (TELE)VISIONS, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF, THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL; 2023/2024 SEASON: THE REFUGE PLAYS, MERRY ME, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE, HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES.

Mentioned in Interview

Florence Aadland, Leroy Aarons, Christopher Akerlind, Ayad Akhtar, Joanne Akalaitis, Brooke Allen, Jenny Allen, Dorothy Allison, Hilton Als, Rosemary K. Andress, Moe Angelos, Massiel Armengot, Christopher Ashley, Arlene Audergon, Burt Bacharach, Alan Ball, Bill Barnes, Alex Barron, Dave Barry, Debra Barsha, Borna Barzin, Leo Bassi, Adam Ben-David, The Bengsons, Mark Bennett, Leonard Bernstein, Jean-Marie Besset, Lileana Blain-Cruz, Jessica Blank, Gemma Bodinetz, Anne Bogart, Will Bond, Jo Bonney, Sophie Bortolussi, David Bowie, Mike Bradwell, Thomas Brasch, Peter Brook, John Browne, David Bucknam, Becke Buffalo, Rick Burkhardt, Ronnie Burkett, Oliver Butler, Jorge Cacheiro, David Cale, Mark Campbell, Sammi Cannold, John Carney, Jade King Carroll, Sean Carvajal, Victor I. Cazares, Lenora Champagne, Linda Chapman, Hammaad Chaudry, Rachel Chavkin, Chikamatsu, Julia Cho, Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Caryl Churchill, Gary Clark, Jocelyn Clarke, Martha Clarke, Charles Coes, Chris Coleman, John Collins, Lee Edward Colston II, Karin Coonrod, Kia Corthron, Geoffrey Cowan, Melissa Crespo, Julian Crouch, Bob Crowley, Nilo Cruz, Steve Cuiffo, Chris Cunningham, Michael Cunningham, R. J. Cutler, Stephen Daldry, Mark-Wing Davey, Hal David, Gordon Davidson, Nathan Alan Davis, Judy Dennis, Alexander Dinelaris, Declan Donnellan, Roger Downey, Martin Duberman, Steven Dufala, Alec Duffy, Antoine Drye, Rinde Eckert, David Edgar, Elizabeth Egloff, Rick Elice, Inua Ellams, David Esbjornson, John Epperson, Jeffrey Essmann, Marie-Helene Estienne, Robert Fagles, Cheryl Faver, Deb Filler, The Five Lesbian Brothers, Yohanna Florentino, Peter Foley, Marjani Forte-Saunders, Tim Fountain, Rebecca Frecknall, Maria Friedman, Dan Froot, Robert Fryer, Athol Fugard, John Fugelsang, George Furth, Peter Gaitens, Sarah Gancher, Michael John Garces, Gineiris Garcia, Marcus Gardley, Katherine George, Madeleine George, Jenny Giering, Karl Ragnar Gierow, Rebecca Gilman, Sam Gold, Shana Gold, Peter Golub, Paul Scott Goodman, Ain Gordon, David Gordon, Christopher Grabowski, Lord Grade, Amin Gray, Loretta Greco, Helen Gregory, Joy Gregory, Michael Greif, David Greig, Kimberly Grigsby, Amanda Gronich, John Guare, Howard Haines, Christopher Hampton, Glen Hansard, Aleshea Harris, Jeremy O. Harris, Tony Harrison, Jake Heggie, Dilson Hernandez, Maribel Martinez, Patricia Hersch, Amy Herzog, Tomson Highway, Lucas Hnath, Danny Hoch, Stephen Hoffman, Steven Hoggett, Prudence Wright Holmes, Lance Horne, Douglas Hughes, Chisa Hutchinson, Marketa Irglova, Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, Lameece Issaq, Tim Jackson, Erik Jensen, Modesto Flako Jimenez, Bianca LaVerne Jones, Bill T. Jones, Hansol Jung, Jacob Kader, Somi Kakoma, Stephen Karam, Darren Katz, Anne Kauffman, Moises Kaufman, Donald Keene, Gregory Keller, Neel Keller, Raja Feather Kelly, Sibyl Kempson, Mirjam Koen, Harry Kondoleon, Franz Xaver Kroetz, Henry Krieger, Lisa Kron, Itamar Kubovy, Brian Kulick, Enrico Kuklafraninalli (Puppets), Tony Kushner, Michael John LaChiusa, Mark Lamos, Tina Landau, John Langs, James Lapine, Jonathan Larson, Gihieh Lee, Michael Leeds, Gyorgy Ligeti, Paul Linke, Robert Litz, Martin Lowe, Craig Lucas, Ton Lutgernik, Steven Lutvak, James Macdonald, Pam MacKinnon, Gunnar Madsen, Taibi Magar, Martyna Majok, Matthew Maguire, Miriam Makeba, Tatiana Mallarino, Victor Mallarino, Dave Malloy, Emily Mann, Steve Marzullo, Michael Mayer, Des McAnuff, Patricia McGregor, Jay McInerney, Charles L. Mee, Erin Mee, Sam Mendes, Jr., Muriel Miguel, Brendan Milburn, Chris Miller, Mark Crispin Miller, Anais Mitchell, Ruth Mitchell, Itamar Moses, Roy Nathanson, David Neumann, Flannery O’Connor, Robert O’Hara, Denis O’Hare, Dael Orlandersmith, Orlando Pabotoy, Lenora Pace, Liliana Padilla, PJ Paparelli, Giovanni Papotto, Mandy Patinkin, Steph Paul, Ridley Pearson, Sybille Pearson, Richard Peaslee, Lisa Peterson, Thaddeus Phillips, Darci Picoult, Andres Pina, Mona Pirnot, Greg Pliska, Ruben Polendo, Will Power, Hal Prince, Frank Pugliese, David Rabe, Adam Rapp, Mark Ravenhill, Theresa Rebeck, Martha Redbone, Roger Rees, Kyle Riabko, David Rieff, Marc Ribot, John Rubinstein, Paul Rudnick, Mildred Ruiz, Kate Moira Ryan, Herve Samb, Megan Sandberg-Zakian, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Steven Sapp, Ken Rus Schmoll, Heidi Schreck, Rich Schwarz, David Schweizer, Richard Selzer, Michael Sexton, Howard Shalwitz, Betty Shamieh, Claudia Shear, Ean Sheehy, Duncan Sheik, Suzanne Shepard, Bartlett Sher, Kim D. Sherman, Lynn Siefert, Leigh Silverman, Molly D. Smith, Geoff Sobelle, Stephen Sondheim, Celine Song, Paola Alexandra Soto, Susan Sontag, Kate Stafford, Max Stafford-Clark, Martin Starger, Marcus Stern, Jeffrey Stock, Alison Summers, Barbara Suter, Rebecca Taichman, The Taviani Brothers, Sonya Tayeh, Walter Tevis, Joseph Thalken, Alexander Thomas, Tedd Thomey, April Yvette Thompson, Paul Jonathan Thompson, John Tiffany, John Tillinger, Alex Timbers, Awoye Timpo, Onafhankelijk Toneel, Mark W. Travis, Jonathan Tunick, Mfoniso Udofia, Ivo van Hove, Merlixse Ventura, Little Veras, Susan J. Vitucci, Paula Vogel, Enda Walsh, George F. Walker, Naomi Wallace, David Warren, Marianne Weems, John Weidman, Michael Weller, Darron L. West, Aaron Whitby, Whitney White, David Wilhelm, Jeremy Wilhelm, Talvin Wilks, David Williamson, Michael Develle Winn, Hal J. Witt, Stan Wojewodski, Jr., Kristina Wong, Robert Woodruff, Doug Wright, Garland Wright, Chay Yew, The Acting Company, The Builders Association, The Bushwick Starr, The Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum, Dominican Artists Collective, Elevator Repair Service, 4th Street Theatre, L.A. Theatre Works and Affinity Collaborative Theater, La MaMa Indigenous Initiative, National Black Theatre, NOOR Theatre, Oye Group, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Roundabout Theatre Company, Safe Harbors NYC, The Siti Company, The Tank, Tectonic Theater Project, Theater Mitu, Truck and Warehouse Theatre, The United States Theatre Project, William Bros. & Co., The Wooster Group, WP Theater, AFTERMATH, ALICE IN BED, ALL THAT I WILL EVER BE, ALL THE WRONG REASONS, AMERICAN (TELE)VISIONS, THE ARCHITECTURE OF LOSS, BACH AT LEIPZIG, BECKETT SHORTS, THE BEARD OF AVON, BEAST, BELLEVILLE, BEXLEY, OH (!), OR, TWO TALES OF ONE CITY, THE BIG LOVE, THE LOVE SUICIDES AT AMIJIMA, THE BLACK EYED, BLOOD SPORTS, BLOWN SIDEWAYS THROUGH LIFE, BOB, BREAD AND ROSES, BORN 100 TIMES, BRIDES OF THE MOON, BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY, BROTHER, BROTHER, BUZZSAW BERKELEY, C. COLOMBO, THE COOKING PROJECT, CAVEDWELLER, INC., A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS, COLUMBINUS, COYOTE UGLY, CULTURE OF DESIRE, THE DEVILS, DIRTY BLONDE, DOMINO, DREAMING ZENZILE, !EL CONQUISTADOR!, EMERALD CITY, ENDLINGS, THE EVENTS, EVERYTHING THAT RISES MUST CONVERGE, EYEWITNESS BLUES, THE FAMILY BUSINESS, FAR AWAY, FETCH CLAY, MAKE MAN, FINALLY FLANNERY, FIRST LOVE, FLESH AND BLOOD, FLOW, FONDLY, COLLETTE RICHLAND, FOOD AND FADWA, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, A FOREST IN ARDEN, FOREVER, GARDENIA, THE GIMMICK, THE GRAND INQUISITOR, HADESTOWN, THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, HEDDA GABLER, HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES, HILTON ALS PRESENTS, HOMEBODY/KABUL, HORIZON, THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND, HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF, HUNDRED DAYS, HURRICANE DIANE, I GOT SICK THEN I GOT BETTER, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD DIE, AN ILIAD, THE INVISIBLE HAND, L’ILLUSION, JEFFREY ESSMANN’S ARTIFICIAL REALITY, KAOS, KRISTINA WONG, SWEATSHOP OVERLORD, LAZARUS, LIBERTY CITY LIGHT RAISE THE ROOF, LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, THE LITTLE FOXES, LOVE AND ANGER, LOVE AND INFORMATION, LOVE’S FOWL, LYDIE BREEZE, LYPSINKA! A DAY IN THE LIFE, MAD FOREST, MANDY PATINKIN IN CONCERT: DIARIES 2018, MARY JANE, THE MEDIUM, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, MERRY ME, MORE STATELY MANSIONS, THE MISANTHROPE, THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD, MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA!, MY VIRGINIA, NAT TURNER IN JERUSALEM, THE NATURE OF THINGS, NOBODY’S NEIGHBOR, NOCTURNE, A NUMBER, THE OBJECT LESSON, OEDIPUS AT PALM SPRINGS, ON SUGARLAND, ONCE, 101 HUMILIATING STORIES, AN ORDINARY MUSLIM, OTHELLO, OWNERS, A PARK IN OUR HOUSE, PATRIOT ACT, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, PINCHING PENNIES WITH PENNY MARSHALL: DEATH RITUALS FOR PENNY MARSHALL, PLAY YOURSELF, PRISONER OF LOVE, PROOF OF LOVE, PUNCH ME IN THE STOMACH, A QUESTION OF LIBERTY CITY MERCY, QUILLS, RED DOG HOWLS, RED-EYE TO HAVRE DE GRACE, RED SPEEDO, THE REFUGE PLAYS, RENT, RESIDENT ALIEN, REFLECTIONS OF NATIVE VOICES 2021, REMNANT, RESTORATION, THE REZ SISTERS, RUNBOYRUN & OLD AGE, SANCTUARY CITY, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, SCORE, THE SEAGULL ON THE SIMS 4, THE SECRETARIES, THE SELECT (THE SUN ALSO RISES), SEMBLANCE, THE SEVEN, 17 BORDER CROSSINGS, THE SHAGGS: PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD, SHOPPING AND FUCKING, SING STREET, SLANGUAGE, SLAVE PLAY, SLAVS!, SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED, SONTAG:REBORN, THE SOUND AND THE FURY (APRIL SEVENTH, 1928), SOJOURNERS & HER PORTMANTEAU, SPIRIT, STREET OF BLOOD, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, TALKING CIRCLES, TAXILANDIA, THINGS OF DRY HOURS, THREE PIANOS, THROW PITCHFORK, TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE ALIVE, TOP SECRET: THE BATTLE FOR THE PENTAGON PAPERS, TRAPS, THE TRESTLE AT POPE LICK CREEK, UNFINISHED STORIES, UP AGAINST THE WIND, VALHALLA, VIENNA: LUSTHAUS, VIENNA: LUSTHAUS (REVISITED) (ON TOUR), A VIEW OF THE DOME, WAVES, WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, WHAT THE HELL IS A REPUBLIC, ANYWAY?, WHAT YOU GET AND WHAT YOU EXPECT, WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?, WISE GUYS, THE WRIGHT STUFF.

SEARCH THE DATABASE