Trevor Dion Nicholas, a singer, actor, voice actor and stage performer from Morgantown, recently visited the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts and Media for a residency and one-night performance. Rachel Brosky, a communications specialist for the College, sat down with Trevor and talked about his journey from West Virginia to the West End and his advice for aspiring performers.
Rachel Brosky: How did you get into performing?
Trevor Nicholas: I talked too much as a kid. I was loud and would sing and dance and perform all around the house. My parents never tried to snuff that out. They were always very supportive. My dad put me in improv classes when I was seven or eight years old, and that ignited the spark. I always enjoyed going to the theater with my parents. We would go watch musicals whenever anything was touring in Pittsburgh and we would go up to New York and see things on Broadway. I’ve always loved the art form. Once I was about seven or eight years old, I got into improv, and I got on a proper stage, and I didn't want to get back off.
RB: How did your studies at WVU prepare you for your career?
TN: I had a very honest experience with connecting with the text and with communicating with the other actors on stage. I remember there were points where I felt I had genuine moments of awakening with how I want to approach the art form for years to come. I'm someone who encourages everyone else to continue learning after their education finishes, and that's not just in theater. That's not just in the arts. That's in any field. Continue the search for more knowledge and education. The faculty and staff at WVU have always been impeccable and willing to share so much of themselves to give students a real shot at chasing their dreams.
RB: Can you tell me a bit about your journey from growing up in Morgantown to performing in the West End?
TN: Auditions. A lot of auditions. After leaving WVU and moving to New York, I was auditioning like crazy. The one that eventually got me through the door was “Disney’s Aladdin,” which I did on Broadway. I was a standby for the original Genie, Monroe Iglehart, who is a dear friend. Within the first few months of being a standby, they asked me if I wanted to open the show in London company in The West End. It was a resounding “yes.”
RB: What are some of your favorite roles that you’ve played?
TN: My favorite roles that I've done are all of them! Honestly, my top favorite is Dr. Fine/Dr. Manning in “Next to Normal,” which is wonderful, and we made a movie of it and it's airing on PBS in May for the first time, which is really exciting. I loved playing the Genie. I loved playing George Washington. I just played Hades in “Hadestown,” which is really cool, and I'm about to play Phil in “Hercules.” It's cool to keep doing new and interesting roles. It’s been a blast. It's exciting to find out what I'm going to get to do next, and I've been really lucky to get to keep ticking off dream-type roles.
RB: How was working with WVU Theatre and Dance students during your masterclasses?
TN: I will always champion the importance of arts education, but I also think that has to be paired with real-life experience. That's what kind of builds together to give you the idea of who you want to be as an artist and how you want to aim your career. What I tried to do with these masterclasses is impart some of that. We're talking about acting, but we're also talking about what it means to not just go job to job but to build a career. We talked about what it means to find an agent or a manager that works with you and understands how you want to operate as an artist, how to avoid tax pitfalls and manage your money in a business where money is not always consistently coming through the way we would like it to. I'm trying to give a really well-rounded experience of what I've stepped through and hopefully give an easier path for a new generation of artists coming forward.
RB: Is there a specific challenge you anticipate the next generation of performers will face?
TN: Social media. It's tricky because it's become such a part of human existence. It's almost a needed utility at this point. It’s something that we all use and engage with and that’s not that it's inherently bad. I think it can really be a positive thing, but it does get tricky with people who create art. They're competing with these creators who are online creators. Stage performers have to balance that out. How much you should give away on social media versus having someone actually come see the show is a question mark. There’s a constant thing of people in the theaters filming on their phones and engaging with their devices as opposed to engaging in person. It's not the same as taking something in and putting your phone away and looking up and really feeling what's happening. Live performance in general is unlike any other human experience, and it's a way that you get to feel the energy in the room. Live bands, live music and when someone's up there pouring their heart out — if you can put your phone down and engage with it directly, I think that's the best way to take in art always. That challenge is something tricky on the horizon that continues to grow.
RB: What would you tell high school and younger students considering a career in performance?
TN: Chase the dream for sure. Speak to your parent or carer and be honest about what it means to you. Be prepared for a long haul. You get more “no's" than “yes's" and you have to learn to be comfortable with that. You have to learn that the “no” isn't always a reflection of your talents or your abilities — sometimes it's luck and just not being the right person in the right place at the right time. But if you're down for that grind, then dive into it. It's always worth the shot, I think. Chasing any dream is worth the shot.
RB: What was a disappointing “no” you got, and how did you recover?
TN: Just recently there was a production of “The Producers" coming to the West End. I love “The Producers," and I love Mel Brooks and it was all happening at the end of the filming of “Next to Normal.” It was when we were filming the show and I was exhausted. I was going hard on my gig and then also going hard to learn this material to audition. When I got the “no,” I was absolutely heartbroken. I was a whole 42 years old and still had my heart broken by auditions. I had to decide, “Ok, pick yourself. Go for another one. Pick yourself up. Go for another one.”
RB: Your dad, Bobby Nicholas, is also a performer from Morgantown, and was a guest in your one-night show. Do you get to perform together often?
TN: I don’t get to come home very often, so when I am here, it's really nice to spend some time with him. He usually comes to London to visit me every Christmas, but it's always good to come home, and to have my dad still here is really heartwarming and welcoming. Anytime we get to perform together is such a gift.
RB: What's your favorite thing to do while in Morgantown?
TN: My favorite thing to do in Morgantown is eat pepperoni rolls because I can't get them in London. I miss them very much.
Beginning in June, Trevor will play Phil in Disney’s Hercules at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the West End of London. For more information about the College of Creative Arts and Media’s programs, visit creativeartsandmedia.wvu.edu.