Name: Nicola Barber

Birthplace: London, England

Occupations: Actor, Model, Musician, Web Designer (www.TheaterLoop.com)

Hobbies: Photography, reading, dancing, dance-skating, travel, and biking

1978 - Here comes trouble
As soon as she could walk and talk it became apparent that Nicola had an overwhelming aptitude for performance. At the age of four, her name was placed on the waiting list of one of the most prestigious drama schools in London, and at age 6 she was accepted as the youngest student. At the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), she was awarded honors and distinction in all of her examinations. At age eight, Nicola held the lead role in Babes in the Wood with Peter Duncan and Nicholas Parsons at the 1,200 seat Dartford Theatre for a sold out 8-week run, a role she reprised one year later at the Churchill theater with Barbara Windsor. Soon after, she was awarded the role of Janet at an open audition of over 400 other hopefuls to play alongside Jenny Seagrave in The Turn of the Screw.

1991 - Arriving in the USA
In July of 1991, Nicola and her parents emigrated to the United States and settled in Raleigh, NC, where she attended Ravenscroft High School. An active participant of theatre both in and out of school, she was voted "Most Talented" by her high school classmates.

1996 - University of Chapel Hill
Nicola majored in Theatre Arts and Spanish while at UNC and joined St. Anthony Hall, a literary and artistic co-educational fraternity. When she was not helping to organize art shows, fashion shows, or public performances at St. A's she could be found performing various roles in the University Theatre, her favorite of which was Madame in Jean Genet's The Maids.

1999 - Heading to the frozen Midwest
In search of a bigger city with more theatrical opportunity, Nicola moved to Minneapolis to complete her final year of college. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. double-majoring in Theatre Arts and Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature. Soon after graduation, she toured Texas and Oklahoma with the National Theatre for Children. Upon returning to Minneapolis she continued to focus passionately on her career, performing lead roles with Shakespeare in the Park and Theatre in the Round, and modeling for Best Buy. Nicola also began recording voice-overs, including the voice of "Shadow" for Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House east-coast tour.

2003 - Bigger is better
Nicola's latest move was to New York, where she first starred as a conniving dominatrix in the off-off Broadway interactive comedy, 13th Avenue. In the fall of 2003, she co-starred with Andi Hogan in the popular musical, Pyrates the Courtship Chronicles at Theater for the New City. In November 2004, Nicola became a member of "The Bats," the resident company of the Flea Theater in Tribeca. Each year over 1,000 actors audition for a place in this unique company. After performing in JABU, a new musical by renowned Obie award-winning writer/director Elizabeth Swados, Nicola was cast in Work, directed by Jim Simpson, and You're Telling Me This Why, also at the Flea Theater. Please tune back to this web site for updates on her next project. Thank you for visiting!