Nikolai Foster is Artistic Director at Curve Theater, Leicester. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, he grew up in North Yorkshire. Nikolai trained at Drama Centre London and at the Crucible, Sheffield.
Since taking up his post in January 2015, Nikolai has directed Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (also at Birmingham Rep) the Broadway musicals Spring Awakening (with National Youth Music Theatre) & Legally Blonde (& at Daegu International Festival, South Korea - Winner Best Musical), Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s (& Haymarket Theatre, London & national tour), Roald Dahl’s The Witches, adapted by David Wood (with the Rose Theatre Kingston, Lyric Theatre Hong Kong, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds & on tour), Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Shakespeare’s Richard III, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good, a performance to celebrate the reveal of the tomb of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral and Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing (with Nottingham Playhouse & on tour).
1) What is your current position?
Artistic Director at Curve
2) What are your proudest achievements?
I think my proudest achievements so far have to be around the work we do with our communities here in Leicester and Leicestershire. Whether it's working with young people through our Curve Young Company or Curve Community Productions, or seeing young people engaging with a piece of theatre for the first time, watching people's lives transformed by theatre is when I feel the greatest sense of pride. Theatre should be accessible to everybody regardless of background, ethnicity or education. When people engage with theatre and recognise that it is for them and take ownership of it, this makes me feel very proud. Therefore it is hard to identify just one thing or another as a proudest achievement; it is more the ongoing commitment to our communities, which makes me feel proud.
3) What inspires you?
I think I have always been inspired by people - watching people and interacting with people. I was badly bullied at school and this forced me to the periphery of social groups and meant I was often observing things, rather than being in the heart of them. As an adult, this interest in people and social dynamics has remained and I continue to enjoy watching people, learning about new cultures and travelling.
I spend most of my time working in the theatre, but I also enjoy watching plays and seeing as much work as possible. Seeing young people in youth theatre and in community productions also really inspires me.
Along with live music and art, I enjoy walking, the natural world and learning more about the world around me, which feeds my creativity and imagination.
4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?
The biggest obstacle in my career has been trying to break through the glass ceiling which exists in the arts and theatre, specifically because I didn't go to university or Oxbridge and my background is humble. I was brought up in a rural community in Yorkshire and the leap from this to attending drama school in London was enormous. Once I started working in theatre it became clear I didn't belong to the “in crowd” or the fashionable club. I have always been interested in creating creative work which serves audiences and puts communities and their interests at the heart of the experience and not necessarily creating work which furthers my career or pleases colleagues. I acknowledge this path has made things harder, because one isn't so interested in networking or climbing up a London-centric ladder.
Furthermore, I feel passionately about musical theatre and there is still snobbery towards musicals in our industry. This is changing, but perception around my work on musicals has been an obstacle in my career, as people have labelled me as only a director of this genre. I know this has held me back at times when being considered for Shakespeare or plays, for example. Looking at the diversity and ambition of a place like Leicester, it feels right I should come and work here and create theatre in this city. There don't seem to be obstacles in Leicester, only opportunities and open minds.
5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
There are many people and theatre companies who have influenced me over the last few years. I was very lucky to go to a comprehensive school where Drama and English were very important parts of the syllabus. My English and Drama teachers nurtured and facilitated furthered my interest in theatre and supported me in many different ways. I am forever grateful to them for giving me such a firm foundation and understanding of theatre. After school I attended Drama Centre London, a fantastic drama school which nurtures and encourages young people from diverse backgrounds, with a particular emphasis on working class actors and practitioners. The founding directors of Drama Centre London, Yat Malmgren and Christopher Fettes were incredibly influential when I was training and I'm forever grateful to them too. Along the way I have been very fortunate to see productions by incredible directors including Howard Davies, Katie Mitchell, Stephen Daldry, Marianne Elliott and Matthew Warchus. These directors have all influenced me and my work.
6) What is the best aspect about your current role?
No day is ever the same and I really welcome the exhilaration of bouncing from one challenge to the next. At the moment we have SISTER ACT and BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S on tour, THE WITCHES rehearsing at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, FANTASTIC MR. FOX rehearsing in Southampton, and GREASE and THE TWITS both rehearsing here in Leicester. I love the various aspects of the role and being at the heart of such a vibrant and creative arts organisation.
7) And the worst?
There aren't any negative aspects to my role and I feel incredibly blessed to be doing what I am doing. Occasionally it would be nice to have a day off and a bit of time to recharge the batteries!
8) What are your long term goals?
Our long-term goals are to continue to strive, and ensure, this is not only the best theatre in the country, but one of the best in the world. We wish to continue developing the diversity of the work we present on all stages, but also our Participation, Learning and community engagement work. The more ownership our communities feel of Curve, the more they come into the building and engage with the work we are doing, and the more they are at the heart of our organisation, the better. These are long-term goals and the things we feel passionately about here at Curve.
9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
If I were a Prime Minister, I would continue to work for equality for all people regardless of ethnicity, social background or sexuality. We have made great leaps forward over the last couple of decades, however, there is still much work to be done in ensuring we all live in an equal and fair society.
10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
On my desert island I would most like to be marooned with Nelson Mandela. I will never forget visiting Robben Island and seeing the tiny prison cell Mr Mandela was incarcerated in for so many years. It is incredible during his time in such a desolate and desperate situation, he was able to dream of a better future for his country and its entire people. His wisdom, generosity of spirit, and intellect are all things I imagine would make him an incredible person to be marooned on a desert island with.
