Ep. 16 How Nicolette Transformed Her Book into a Theatre Production |

Nicolette Carter

Guest Name: Nicolette Carter

Episode Description:

In this episode, Nicolette, a professional artist and author based in Reading, shares her fascinating journey of transforming her illustrated children’s book, The Pink Peacock, into a fully-fledged theatre production.

Nicolette discusses the challenges of publishing her book, collaborating with musicians and actors, and the steep learning curve of adapting a story for theatre. She highlights the importance of community, tapping into the expertise of others, and the joy of seeing her vision evolve through teamwork. The episode delves into the creative process, from designing costumes and props to overcoming logistical hurdles like casting and venue selection. Nicolette also offers valuable advice on marketing local productions and reaching new audiences through community engagement.

Nicolette’s website: https://nicolettecarter.com/

Nicolette’s Social Profiles:

Nicolette would like to thank the following people for their part in taking her book from the page to the stage:

Actors: Lizzie Burder, Molly Cheesely, Iona Crampton and Gwithian Evans

Choreographer: Liv Koplick

Musical Director: Richard Cowhig

Check out Nicolette’s Book:

The Pink Peacock

Listen to the episode

Episode time codes

00:24 Welcome

00:45 Introduction to Nicolette

01:26 What Nicolette likes about Reading

02:29 Nicolette’s book & her experience writing, illustrating, and publishing her book.

04:38 How to find an illustrator

06:27 Why and how Nicolette turned her book into a theatre production

09:15 A few challenges translating the book into a theatre production

12:42 Nicolette’s big learning and how she adapted her props and script

16:53 How Nicolette promoted her theatre production

19:48 How Nicolette funded her production and what’s next

21:49 What happened when Nicolette applied for Arts Council funding

23:42 How do you stay focussed when you’re multi-passionate

24:30 Final thoughts/ tips

Download text transcript

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Key takeaways

The Power of Collaboration – Nicolette emphasizes how crucial it is to collaborate with others when turning a creative idea into reality. She reached out to musicians, actors, and theatre professionals who helped her transform her vision from a book into a theatre production. By tapping into their expertise, she was able to enhance her project beyond what she could have achieved alone.

Adaptability in the Creative Process – Nicolette’s journey highlights the importance of flexibility. From adjusting costumes and props to rethinking parts of the script, she had to adapt her initial vision to fit the practicalities of theatre. This adaptability allowed her production to evolve and thrive, teaching others that creative projects often require iteration and openness to change.

Effective Promotion and Community Engagement – To fill seats and build an audience, Nicolette leveraged local networks, notice boards, and platforms like “What’s On Reading” to promote her play. She underscores the importance of using existing community resources and word-of-mouth promotion, offering a model for local creatives looking to market their own events and productions.

Overcoming Rejection and Staying Persistent – Nicolette’s experience with rejection when trying to publish her book traditionally is a powerful reminder that persistence is crucial. She shares how, after a few rejections, she pivoted to self-publishing and eventually expanded her project into a theatre production. This emphasizes the importance of not giving up after initial setbacks.

Balancing Creativity with Practicality – Nicolette had to learn the balance between her artistic vision and the practical constraints of a live production. From dealing with quick costume changes to adjusting the script for a smaller cast, she found ways to make the project work within her budget and resources. This serves as a reminder to creatives that while ambition is important, practicality is key to turning dreams into reality.