Writing Projects
Listings
-Women’s Prize for Playwriting Shortlist (2021)
– Finborough Theatre ETPEP Award Finalist (2021)
– BBC Alfred Bradley Bursary Award Longlist (2021)
– Traverse Theatre Shortlist (2021)
– Royal Court Shortlist (2020)
– Sphinx Theatre Shortlist (2020)
Nicole is a script writer who works across theatre, radio and screen. She loves to connect and care for communities through stories and often writes playing with genre and centring women-led, rich and truthful stories where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, exploring the body and soul of under and mis-represented characters and places. Nicole’s first full length play Blessed Spirits was anonymously selected into the finalists for the ETPEP Award (Finborough Theatre, 2021), was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting (2021) and was anonymously selected from the Royal Exchange Theatre’s script window.
She has recently completed year-long attachments with Tamasha Theatre as a Tamasha Playwright and with Sheffield Theatres as part of their Bank Writers Cohort where she wrote two new plays. Over the year she received dramaturgical and other support, professional workshops, paid writing time and her work was performed at Tamasha’s Come Through Festival and received an R&D with Sheffield Theatres. Other previous training includes being selected for The Hustle writing programme with the Royal Exchange Manchester an Emerging Playwright at Cast Theatre (2021), Box of Tricks’ Pen Pals scheme (2020-21) and an MA in Writing for Performance and Publication at the University of Leeds (2018). She is currently unrepresented and available for writing commissions.
Photo: Leah Francis, Adeline Pitu and Shreya Patel performing an extract of Blessed Spirits at Furnace Scratch (Leeds Playhouse, 2020) Image by: Ant Robling.
Mixed Monologues
English Touring Theatre x Sheffield Theatres (2023)
Nicole is a commissioned writer for the inaugral Mixed Monologues book by English Touring Theatre partnering with Sheffield Theatres.
‘Mixed race monologues for mixed race characters by mixed race writers. Curated by Ben Quashie’.
Nicole’s monologue explores mixed race identity and misunderstandings between parents that don’t belong to your race. Her monologue explores a child’s perspective, racial blindness and the niche experience of being mixed race in a northern voice.
My Big Cousin R&D
Sheffield Theatres (2023)
My Big Cousin written by Nicole Joseph. Directed by Deborah Pakkar-Hull. Performed by Eve Midgely and Rachel Morris. Composer: Tommi Bryson, Musical Director: Tom Crathorne, Puppetry: Kathleen Yore.
Nicole’s new play My Big Cousin, received a two-day development period while Nicole was on attachment as a Bank Cohort Writer at Sheffield Theatres.
My Big Cousin explores the relationship between two cousins with a generational gap who try to find common ground while going on a special adventure which doesn’t quite go to plan. For ages 5+, with music and puppetry.
Come Through Festival
Tamasha Theatre x Birmingham Hippodrome (2022)
Butterfly written by Nicole Joseph. Directed by Amelia Thornber. Performed by Issy Adedeji and Jemma Angell. Dramaturgy: Iman Qureshi and Satinder Chohan.
An extract of Nicole’s new play Butterfly, written on attachment as a Tamasha Playwright, was produced for the Come Through Festival at Tamasha’s venue Theatro Technis in London and Birmingham Hippodrome.
Butterfly explores the dark and turbulent journey of teen to adult years, where two friends try keep together whilst their traumatic first romances threaten to tear them apart.
Photo by Korey Ryan: Issy Adedeji and Jemma Angell performing Butterfly at Theatro Technis, London.
Fight for your right to write workshop
Bronte Parsonage Festival of Women’s Writing (2022)
Nicole was commissioned and programmed as part of the 2022 Festival of Women’s Writing at the Bronte Parsonage Museum.
Her workshop ‘Fight for your right to write’ featured a range of exercises and provocations to support, inspire and motivate writers to keep their pen moving. The workshop was delivered online and in-person to a paying local and international audience.
Hear Me Now Volume 2
Tamasha Theatre, Titilola Dawudu and Leeds Playhouse (2021)
Nicole was commissioned to write two monologues which were published in the Hear Me Now Volume 2: audition monologues for actors of colour with Tamasha Theatre and Leeds Playhouse. She co-created initial concepts for characters with actor Shreya Patel and received dramaturgy from Natasha Kathi-Chandra.
Nicole’s monologues Oceans Apart and Slutty School Teacher are featured in the publication by Bloomsbury.
Crips with Chips at Home
Graeae Theatre (2021)
Nicole was commissioned to write a short play for Zoom for Graeae’s first digital Crips with Chips scratch night. The brief was to write in the style of a TV genre. Supa Shero was directed by Cheryl Martin, performed by Evelyn Oyedokun, Rachael Tse and Amelia Cavallo. Dramaturgy: Josh Elliot and Nickie Miles-Wildin.
Supa Shero looks at a hero and her sidekick who use their super strength and intellect to fight crime in a former industrial city overwrought with corruption. Nicole would like to develop the short piece into a full play.
Blessed Spirits
Finalist: ETPEP Award
Shortlisted: Women’s Prize for Playwriting & Traverse Theatre (2021); Royal Court & Sphinx Theatre (2020).
Longlisted: BBC Alfred Bradley Award (2021)
An early extract of the play was written and directed by Nicole and showcased at Furnace Scratch (Leeds Playhouse, 2020) to an audience who gave developmental feedback on the piece.
The 90-minute black, queer play focuses on a present-day couple who become connected to their ancestors, who guide them on their journey to find peace in love. The play aims to integrate creative access of British Sign Language and Audio Description.
Photo: Adeline Pitu and Shreya Patel performing an extract of Blessed Spirits at Furnace Scratch (Leeds Playhouse, 2020) Image by: Ant Robling