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.
His most notable recent Theatre productions have included:
2024 — The Most Precious of Goods
by Jean-Claude Grumberg, translator: Nicolas Kent
Marylebone Theatre, London
2023 — Grenfell: System Failure (also on The Guardian Big Listen 8.09.24)
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
Also filmed as 2 episodes for Channel 4
2019 — Happy New Year
by David Greig, adapted by David Kramer
Fugard Theatre, Cape Town
2018 — Mark Thomas: Check-up Our NHS @70
Traverse Edinburgh (Fringe First) and tour
London: Arcola Theatre & BAC
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 a Command Performance for the Admiralty
2012 — The Riots
by Gillian Slovo
Bernie Grant Theatre, Tottenham (Time Out Award)
Notable productions in London and Internationally apart from those at the Tricycle Theatre before 2012:
2010/11 — The Great Game * (Olivier Award nomination)
A 7-hour trilogy 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
Tours: Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis), Berkeley Rep, Shakespeare Theater (Washington), Public Theater (New York), and a Command Performance for Pentagon staff (Feb 2011)
2004–06 — Guantanamo (Olivier Award nomination)
by Victoria Brittain & Gillian Slovo
Ambassadors Theatre (London), Culture Project (New York), Brava Theatre (San Francisco).
Special performance at the US House of Congress, Capitol Hill
2005 — Blood Sunday * (Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement)
by Richard Norton-Taylor
Belfast Opera House & Abbey Theatre, Dublin Theatre Festival
1999–2000 — Colour of Justice – The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry *
by Richard Norton-Taylor
Victoria Palace Theatre, National Theatre & UK tour
1996 — Srebrenica *
by Nicolas Kent
Belfast Festival, Tricycle Theatre & National Theatre
1995 — Ain’t Misbehavin
by Richard Maltby Jr
Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London
1994 — Half the Picture – The Scott Arms to Iraq Inquiry *
by Richard Norton-Taylor & John McGrath
The Tricycle & Freeway Films for the BBC
First play ever 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); 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)
Notable productions in London before he became Director of the Tricycle Theatre.
Class Enemy (1978) & Trial Run (1980) — Nigel Williams
Young Vic, London
Love of a Good Man (1979) & No End of Blame (1981) — Howard Barker
Royal Court, London
The Workshop * (1981)
by Jean-Claude Grumberg, translated by Tom Kempinski
Hampstead Theatre, London; American Jewish Theatre, New York (1993)
You Are My Heart’s Delight (1975)
by C.P. Taylor
Soho Poly Theatre, London
*Later broadcast by the BBC
**Available on The Guardian Big Listen 8.09.24
Television Productions as Director include:
GRENFELL: Scenes from the Inquiry (2022)
by Richard Norton-Taylor
Channel 4 — 2 × 1-hour+ episodes
Justifying War: Scenes from the Hutton Inquiry (2004)
by Richard Norton-Taylor
BBC Three
The Colour of Justice: Scenes from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (1998)
by Richard Norton-Taylor
BBC Two
Half the Picture: Scenes from the Arms to Iraq Inquiry (1993)
by Richard Norton-Taylor & John McGrath
BBC Two
Pentecost (1993)
by Stewart Parker
BBC Two — Play of the Week
Playboy of the West Indies (1984)
by Mustapha Matura
BBC Two — Play of the Week
Oceans Apart (Olwen Wymark) & The Prodigal Grandfather (Donald Churchill) (1983)
BBC Two — Sharing Time series (2 × 50 min episodes)
The Workshop (1983)
by Jean-Claude Grumberg
BBC Two — Play of the Week
As Co-Producer
Born in the RSA (1985) — Barney Simon — Channel 4
Macbeth (1974) — Iraq State TV (London Shakespeare Group; recorded in Baghdad)
Radio Productions as Director include:
Sunrise (2022)
by Amit Gupta
BBC Radio 4 (repeated 2022)
This Is Your Country Too (2019)
Series of 5 plays about child refugees
Deviser for BBC Radio 4
The Price of Oil (2015)
Week-long series of 7 plays — Deviser for BBC Radio 4 (repeated 2023)
As Director:
– Stand Firm, You Cads — Jonathan Myerson
– Baby Oil — Jonathan Myerson
– Looking for Billy — Nigel Williams
– No Two Days — 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
Nuremberg (1997)
by Richard Norton-Taylor
BBC World Service (from the original Tricycle production)
As writer:
Srebrenica (1997) — 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
Publications available to buy on Bloomsbury.com - Click on cover to go to website.
