WW: Hello Nicole, Pleased to meet you!
NH: Very pleased to meet you too!
WW: Where did you grow up?
NH: I was brought up in Connecticut--very suburban,very
family-oriented.
WW: When did you realize you wanted to become a singer
and actress?
NH: Around 4 years old, I remember dancing on the hearth
of our fireplace holding a blue candlestick and belting my
heart out to "Annie." I would put on hour long shows for my
family and they had no other choice but to sit there and
watch. I have always been acting. ..it's always just felt
right.
WW: Has dancing ever been a desire for you?
NH: That's how it all began....I started taking tap and ballet when I was three. I adored every moment of it---I was the chubby little girl in the pink tutu. [Laughing] Those moments are priceless...Then I started jazz as well...starting competing with my dance company in the categories of tap and jazz. I love dancing...I know I could never be competitive with most of the classically trained dancers out there, but I could hold my own. It's hard work....
WW: So you have pursued singing, acting, and dancing your whole life?
NH: Yes. It's been in me before I can remember. It boils down to one thing and that is passion. It just makes sense for me to be doing this. My heart has never let me settle for anything else.
WW: At the age of 20, you landed the lead role as Mary Todd Lincoln in the world premiere of Crazy Mary, how did you feel about that?
NH: I was in my junior year at Hartt...just started a fresh new year and I had no clue I was even right for the role. At our conservatory we choose one to two brand new musicals a year. This show had never been done as a main stage...only work shopped in a few places....and so when I received this role I was working hands on with the writers and the directors. I got their feedback, and gave them fresh new ideas. It was the most wonderful experience of my life. I did research you wouldn't believe on Mary Todd Lincoln. She had such an incredibly difficult life due to her losses and her conflicts with her son and herself. I think this particular experience really opened me up as an actor, because I just went for it. I said, "F**k it." I opened myself up to this character and took risks. I raised the stakes and didn't look back. It was really a blast!
WW: If you don't mind me asking, how old are you now?
NH: I am 22 years old. So young...so much ahead of me...but wow....so much has happened already in my life, I better hold on tight.
WW: You attended the Hartt School of Music, one of the leading conservatories for musical theater. How was your college experience?
NH: An incredible growing and learning experience. Although that sounds somewhat cliche, there is nothing I could say to sum up my four years of conservatory training. The training itself was out of this world spectacular. I would recommend this conservatory to anyone looking into a serious hardcore training program. Across the board, it's tops....and it is finally starting to be recognized...it deserves it! As for my personal life there, let's just say I walked out a completely different person from when I walked in. And that's a beautiful thing....
WW: Where are you residing now?
NH: NYC! It's amazing because I have waited my entire life to be there and now I am...sometimes I will be walking to the subway heading into Manhattan...either to work or to Times Square and it is so surreal. Like, "Is this really happening?" I live with three of my favorite people in the world. It hasn't been all peaches and cream to say the least, but the four of us have stuck together and it's been quite a ride thus far!
WW: You also will be performing a lead in the musical, 'Gospel' in Virgina. How did you learn about this gig?
NH: Backstage. As a non-equity actor, you just need to look around. Get your foot into every door you can. Meet as many people as you can. Get some representation if you feel that is right for you. I just purchase my Backstage newspaper every Thursday morning, look through for any audition that catches my eye, and I happened to go to this open call for Godspell. They dug me. I dug them. I'm really excited to head out there for a couple months, meet amazing and talented people, and be a part of an absolutely beautiful play.
WW: Your voice is amazing. Even though you are great with musical theater, would you ever sing mainstream music?
NH: Of course. I love singing-point blank. I'm just going with the flow. Taking each day as it comes and doing whatever makes me happy.
WW: What do you have planned for the future?
NH: A big Broadway star...no biggie. [laughing] Who knows? To work steadily in my field. To do what I love to do. Broadway eventually....I know it can happen. It's all about faith.
WW: What music are you currently listening to?
NH: Godspell, just to get myself in the mood and ready for rehearsals. I adore and listen to Jack Johnson, Ben Fold's, Ben Harper, Rufus Wainwright, and Alana Davis every chance I get....they know how to make music. No pretenses...they just are. That is what I am all about.
WW: If you could work with any other performer, who would it be?
NH: Soo many....If it came down to it, I would love to work wit... Linda Edder
WW: Well Nicole, good luck to you and in your future endeavors!!
NH: Thank you so much. It was my pleasure!
