From Stage to Success: Ron Nicol’s Creative Journey

My family moved to Northern Ireland when my father became Belfast City Architect. I’d
missed the Junior Certificate examination but the then Headteacher, Mr Frost, entered me for
the College of Preceptors Certificate which I successfully passed. This helped my acceptance
at Sullivan Upper, and I attended between 1954 and 1961. My initial interest in theatre and
acting was influenced by being taught English by Mr Grime, who read Shakespeare’s plays
with pupils on their feet and moving around, rather than simply sitting at their desks. My first
tentative steps on stage were in school productions of Shakespeare.

On leaving Sullivan I became a student at Queen’s University, appearing at the Whitla Hall
with the Queen’s Dramatic Society. Then I became a member of the Lyric Players Theatre,
the height of my achievement being an appearance as Edmund in Eugene O’Neill’s “Long
Day’s Journey Into Night” – with my name incorrectly spelled in the programme as Ron
Nichol! A review in the Irish Times said I’d played the part with “a white hurt look and a
heart-rending resignation” - but I was probably just desperately trying to remember my lines!
However, the reviewer went on to say that "emotionally and intellectually his performance
will be remembered by everyone who saw it.". This production led to a review in The Times
newspaper plus a mention and photograph in E L Shaughnessy’s book “Eugene O’Neill in
Ireland”.

This prompted my academic downfall, because it fed my ambition to act professionally. My
family moved again - to Perth in Scotland. While visiting them I passed Perth Repertory
Theatre, and on impulse went in and asked for a job. I was auditioned a few days later and
offered a post as Assistant Stage Manager, making my first professional stage appearance in
the opening show of the 1965 repertory season. I never went back to Queen’s. Throughout
that season I had an occasional substantial role, but as Technical ASM I was often the
nameless policeman standing at the back during a scene. I eventually became Stage Manager
and in 1967 was appointed Stage Director. At this time I met my wife Norma, who was also
making her professional debut at Perth and with a series of memorable performances was
establishing a reputation as an outstanding actress. When we announced our engagement the
whole company held an on-stage party to celebrate. I joined the British Actors’ Equity
Association and moved on from Perth to become Stage and Company Manager at Lincoln
Theatre Royal, Stage Manager at Harrogate Theatre, Production Manager at Chelmsford
Civic Theatre, and eventually Stage Director at York Theatre Royal, gaining first-hand
experience of repertory, pantomime, music hall, variety and touring productions.
Norma had been making appearances in leading roles at a number of theatres, but both our
professional theatre careers ended in York with the birth of our first child. I tentatively
approached Queen’s University, and to my amazement was given permission to return to
Belfast – but simply to sit my Bachelor of Arts examination. I passed! Naturally, I’ve since
had queries about how it was possible for me to attend Queen’s from 1961 to 1965 but not
gain my degree until 1971!

With a growing family, the likelihood of a return to professional theatre was slight, so from
1971 to 1972 I attended Moray House College of Education in Edinburgh, gained a Scottish
Teaching Qualification, a Postgraduate Certificate in Primary Education, and became a
primary teacher with Edinburgh Corporation. I studied as an external student at Guildhall
School of Music and Drama and gained a Licentiateship Teaching Diploma, becoming a
Lecturer in Drama at Fife Regional Council’s Glenrothes College, designing and developing
the college’s radio courses, while teaching presentation techniques for lecturers at the
University of St Andrews Adult Education Department. I also became part-time drama
adviser to the Scottish Community Drama Association, and as a member of the Guild of  Drama Adjudicators was adjudicating drama festivals in Scotland and Northern Ireland and
as far afield as Hong Kong.

My theatrical ambitions were still bubbling away. In 1978 Norma started an evening drama
class with adult, youth and children’s sections, and this eventually became Glenrothes
Theatre Company. With the need to put on two or three shows a year for local audiences, but
with little money to pay for performance licences, I began to write and direct most of the
group's plays and pantomimes with Norma in overall charge. Acting receded into the
background, although I played an occasional role in productions. My career as a writer had
begun. Folk tales and children’s stories were the source of several plays. Incidents at my
college suggested at least four. A friend let me read her husband’s diary about his battle with
schizophrenia, and the result was “Accident of Circumstance”, which the group performed at
the 2021 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. My comedy “Flushed” was sparked by the song about
ladies locked in a lavatory. I became a people watcher – not in ladies toilets, I hasten to add! I
listened to how people spoke. I once went past my stop on a bus because I was eaves-
dropping on a conversation and wanted to hear how it would end. Other ideas came out of the
blue. During this time Glenrothes Theatre Company were mounting regular productions
throughout Fife, for which I wrote about fifty scripts. Our work with the company over these
43 years was recognised in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours when Norma and I were both
awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Amateur Drama.

My breakthrough as a playwright came in 1996. I’d adapted ‘The Snow Queen’ from Hans
Christian Andersen’s story. Glenrothes Theatre Company performed it to excellent reviews
and I tentatively submitted the script to publishers Samuel French. After three nail-biting
months I heard it had been accepted. It was published the following year, and there have
since been 170 productions world-wide. Another breakthrough came in 2006. My adaptation
of ‘Beware the Jabberwock’ was shortlisted in the One Act Youth Play Competitions run by
the Scottish Community Drama Association and the Drama Association of Wales. Samuel
French declined to publish it but considered it might do well in America. They forwarded it
to Bakers Plays, who took it on board, and it had its United States premiere soon afterwards.
Playwriting had become rewarding - but more challenging. My acting and directing
experience, plus my first-hand knowledge of directing my plays and seeing how audiences
reacted, worked in my favour as a writer. Publishers took my scripts on board, with
subsequent productions throughout the UK. I visited as many productions as I could
throughout the country, seeing how other groups tackled and performed my work. I’m now
published by Stagescripts Ltd in the UK, by Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French
in the UK and the USA, and by Toneeluitgeverij Vink in the Netherlands - in Dutch. There
have been over 600 productions of my work in the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, Holland, Germany, Spain, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, China and Pakistan.
My advice to aspiring writers is to read, listen and watch. Start writing a dialogue between
two people and see where it leads. Forget about being grammatically correct. Write the way
your characters would speak. Stand up and read it aloud. Introduce other characters. If it’s not
working, put it aside, start something else, and come back to it later. Get someone you trust to
read and comment on your work. My most valuable asset is my wife. Norma reads what I’ve
written, points out snags and glitches, and makes suggestions for alterations. In the final stage
we read the script aloud, playing all the characters between us. Once we’re both satisfied, I
can consider the play completed.

At the grand old age of 82 I still submit the occasional script for consideration, and it’s great
to receive notifications from my publishers of forthcoming productions and see royalty
payments appearing in my bank account.

Sit down and get writing!

Ron Nicol Plays