NICOLAS KENT is a freelance theatre, television and radio director. He started his career at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1967 as a ABC TV trainee Theatre director going on to be Artistic Director of the Watermill Theatre in Newbury in 1970. He was then Associate Director of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh before becoming a co-director of the Oxford Playhouse Company 1976 – 1981.

He was appointed Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre in London in 1984 and was there for almost 30 years. In 2006 he was the recipient of an Evening Standard Special Theatre Award for “Pioneering Political Theatre” for his work there. Whilst working at the Tricycle his production of Bloody Sunday won an Olivier Award, and his productions of Guantanamo (which later transferred to the West End and off-Broadway) and the 7 hour trilogy The Great Game (which later toured the USA) were both nominated for Olivier Awards. On leaving the Tricycle Theatre in 2012 he was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Brent, and a Lifetime Achievement award from the Theatre Managers’ Association as well as the Peter Brook Empty Space Lifetime Achievement Award.

Whilst at the Tricycle Theatre he co-produced in the West End: Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones, The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow, The Price and Broken Glass by Arthur Miller and Ain’t Misbehavin and later in 2013 Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing with Vanessa Redgrave & James Earl Jones directed by Mark Rylance at the Old Vic.

He has directed plays in well over 150 theatres around the world including Japan, East Africa, the Far East, Bangladesh, Iraq, Egypt, Seoul, Hong Kong and the USA.

Recent Theatre Productions (2024–2012)

2024
The Most Precious of Goods
By Jean-Claude Grumberg, translated by Nicolas Kent
Marylebone Theatre, London

2023
Grenfell: System Failure
By Richard Norton-Taylor & Nicolas Kent
Playground, Tabernacle, and Marylebone Theatres, London

2022
Playboy of the West Indies – the Musical
By Mustapha Matura
Birmingham Rep

2021
Grenfell: Value Engineering
By Richard Norton-Taylor
Tabernacle Theatre & Birmingham Rep, and as 2 episodes for Channel 4.

2019
Happy New Year
By David Greig, adapted by David Kramer
Fugard Theatre, Cape Town – Review

2018
Mark Thomas Check-up: Our NHS @70
Traverse Edinburgh (Fringe First) and on tour.
London: Arcola Theatre & BAC and Command Performance for the Chief Medical Officer for England – Department of Health

2017
All the President’s Men?
By Nicolas Kent
National Theatre at the Vaudeville Theatre & The Public Theater, New York

2016
Another World: Losing Our Children to Islamic State
By Gillian Slovo
National Theatre

2016
Drones Baby Drones
By Ron Hutchinson, Christina Lamb & David Greig
Arcola Theatre

2014
The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes
By Rashid Razaq
Arcola Theatre

2012
The Letter of Last Resort
By David Greig
Traverse Theatre, also Command Performance for the Admiralty.

2012
The Riots
By Gillian Slovo
Bernie Grant Theatre, Tottenham (Time Out Award)

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Notable Productions in London and Internationally (Apart from Those at the Tricycle Theatre Before 2012)

2010/11
The Great Game – A 7-hour trilogy (Olivier Award Nomination)
By Richard Bean, Lee Blessing, David Edgar, David Greig, Amit Gupta, Ron Hutchinson, Stephen Jeffreys, Abi Morgan, Ben Ockrent, Simon Stephens, Colin Teevan, Joy Wilkinson
Toured to the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Berkeley Rep, Shakespeare Theater, Washington, Public Theater, as well as a Command performance for Pentagon staff in February 2011

2004-6
Guantanamo
By Victoria Brittain & Gillian Slovo (Olivier Award Nomination)
Ambassadors Theatre – London, Culture Project – New York, Brava Theatre – San Francisco.
Special performance in the US House of Congress, Capitol Hill

2005
Blood Sunday
By Richard Norton-Taylor (Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement)
Belfast Opera House & Abbey Theatre – Dublin Theatre Festival

1999-2000
Colour of Justice – The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry
By Richard Norton-Taylor
Victoria Palace Theatre and National Theatre, London, and UK tour

1996
Srebrenica
By Nicolas Kent
Belfast Festival, Tricycle Theatre & National Theatre

1995
Ain’t Misbehavin
By Richard Maltby Jnr
Lyric Theatre – Shaftesbury Avenue, London

1994
Half the Picture – The Scott Arms to Iraq Inquiry
By Richard Norton-Taylor & John McGrath
The Tricycle and Freeway Films for the BBC – the first play ever to be performed in the Houses of Parliament

1989
Pentecost
By Stewart Parker
Lyric Hammersmith & BBC2 TV

1988
Trinidad Sisters
By Mustapha Matura
Donmar Warehouse, London

1986
The Great White Hope
By Howard Sackler
The Tricycle Theatre 1986 and The Royal Shakespeare Company 1987
Mermaid Theatre, London

1985
The Playboy of the West Indies
By Mustapha Matura
Oxford Playhouse, Tricycle Theatre (1984, 1994, 2004)
Chicago International Theatre Festival (1988) & BBC2 TV (1985)

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Television Productions (as Director)

GRENFELL: Scenes from the Inquiry (2022)
By Richard Norton-Taylor
Channel 4 — 2 x 1 hour+ episodes

JUSTIFYING WAR: Scenes from the Hutton Inquiry (2004)
By Richard Norton-Taylor
BBC 3 TV

THE COLOUR OF JUSTICE: Scenes from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (1998)
By Richard Norton-Taylor
BBC 2 TV

HALF THE PICTURE: Scenes from the Arms to Iraq Inquiry (1993)
By Richard Norton-Taylor & John McGrath
BBC 2 TV

PENTECOST (1993)
By Stewart Parker
Play of the Week, BBC 2 TV

PLAYBOY OF THE WEST INDIES (1984)
By Mustapha Matura
Play of the Week, BBC 2 TV

OCEANS APART by Olwen Wymark &
THE PRODIGAL GRANDFATHER by Donald Churchill (1983)
Sharing Time series: 2 x 50-minute episodes
BBC 2 TV

THE WORKSHOP by Jean-Claude Grumberg, translated by Tom Kempinski
Play of the Week (1983)
BBC 2 TV

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As Co-Producer:

BORN IN THE RSA by Barney Simon (1985)
Channel 4 TV Play

MACBETH by Shakespeare (1974)
Iraq State TV — London Shakespeare Group production
Recorded in the studio in Baghdad

Radio Productions (as Director)

SUNRISE (2022)
By Amit Gupta
BBC Radio 4 (repeated 2022)

THIS IS YOUR COUNTRY TOO (2019)
Series of 5 plays about child refugees, devised for BBC Radio 4

THE PRICE OF OIL (2015)
Week-long series of 7 plays, devised for BBC Radio 4 (repeated 2023)
As Director:

• STAND FIRM, YOU CADS and BABY OIL by Jonathan Myerson

• LOOKING FOR BILLY by Nigel Williams

• NO TWO DAYS by Joy Wilkinson

LETTER OF LAST RESORT (2013)
By David Greig
BBC Radio 4

THE CONFLICT IS OVER (2010)
By Michael Eaton
BBC Radio 4

CALLED TO ACCOUNT (2007)
By Richard Norton-Taylor
BBC Radio 4

BLOODY SUNDAY (2006)
By Richard Norton-Taylor
BBC Radio 4 — Irish Radio Drama Award winner

NUREMBERG (1997)
By Richard Norton-Taylor
From the original Tricycle Theatre stage production
BBC World Service

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As Writer:

SREBRENICA (1997)
By Nicolas Kent
BBC World Service

Awards

The Great White Hope
by Howard Sackler
– TIME OUT Best Fringe production

Guantanamo
by Victoria Brittain & Gillian Slovo
– Nomination OLIVIER Award Special Achievement

Bloody Sunday 
by Richard Norton-Taylor
– OLIVIER Award for Special Achievement

Tricycle Theatre 
Evening Standard Drama Awards
– Special award for pioneering political theatre

The Great Game – Afghanistan
– Nomination: OLIVIER Award Special Achievement

The Riots 
– TIME OUT What’s on Stage Best Off-West End Production 2012

Mark Thomas Check up:Our NHS@70
– The Scotsman FRINGE FIRST Edinburgh Festival 

Personal Awards

Honorary Doctorate of Letters
– Westminster University 2008

Theatre Managers’ Association Special Achievement Award 2008

Liberty Human Rights Arts Award 2011

Peter Brook Empty Space Special Achievement Award 2012

Granted the Freedom of the London Borough of Brent 2012

List of boards served on

British Actors’ Equity:
Directors’ Committee & Afro-Asian Committee

Arts Council of Great Britain:
Drama Panel

Council Member:
Arts Council of England – London Office

Founder member:
Mayor of London’s Cultural Strategy Group

Governing Body:
Central School of Speech and Drama

Council Member:
Architectural Association

Shakespeare’s Globe:
Artistic Directorate + Governing Body

Board Member:
Waterman’s Arts Centre – Brentford

Board Member:
English Pen

External Assessor:
for the Irish Arts Council for the Irish National Theatre,
The Abbey Theatre, Dublin

Currently

Patron:
Muslim/Jewish Youth Theatre

UK Friends of Healing Focus
(An orphanage school in Uganda of 250 pupils)

Regent Street Cinema Management Advisory Board

Civil Liberties Trust, the parent board of LIBERTY

Visitors’ Arts Foundation, which he co-founded