Nicole Malcolm
Director of Marketing & Communications
Nicole Malcolm is an arts administrator, storyteller, and creativity facilitator whose work now takes place primarily on the traditional lands of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations in Victoria, BC. Part of the administrative leadership for Pacific Opera Victoria since 2014, she first arrived as apprentice stage manager in 2009. After three seasons in stage management, two as Box Office Manager, four leading the fundraising department, and one year away working at the Canadian College of Performing Arts, Nicole is honoured to lead the opera’s sales, communications, and audience development teams as Director of Marketing & Communication since September 2019.
A wearer of many hats, her passion is creating spaces and opportunities for artists, audiences, and community to find joy and good health through the shared moments of learning, exploration, and understanding that storytelling sparks. She was recently announced as the University of Regina Theatre Department’s Distinguished Alumni for 2021.
When not administrating, Nicole is an interdisciplinary artist who has performed and taught improv for over 20 years (Canadian Improv Games, Anoetic Improv, VEC’s Improv Cabaret, Paper Street Theatre Improv Festival, Vancouver Improv Festival, Seattle Improv Festival). These last ten years her focus has been teaching improvisation as an everyday tool for non-performers, developing a unique perspective on tools and techniques for building intentionally creative collaboration in leadership and administrative work. This has lead to speaking and teaching engagements across Canada, including with the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Vancouver Island & Toronto chapters, Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, John Howard Society, Flip the Switch: Women in Tech Mastermind Intensive, and the University of Victoria’s Peter B. Gustavson School of Business.
Born and raised in Saskatchewan, the lands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dene, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, Ojibwe, Saulteaux, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation, in Saskatoon and Regina, Nicole completed her BFA in Stage Management & Technical Theatre with a focus in lighting design from the University of Regina in 2007.
In 2005, she co-founded Hectik Theatre, an indie company with a mandate to create opportunities for emerging prairie artists and to present edge-pushing experiences that challenged audiences and artists to explore the boundaries of theatre. Her commitment to creating bridges for artists – from training to working, as well as moving between disciplines – was recognized in 2008 when she was nominated for both the Regina Mayor’s Business Awards Innovation in the Arts Award as well as YWCA Regina’s Women of Distinction Young Woman of Distinction Award.
Until 2014, she worked in stage management, festival coordination, lighting design, and technical direction with companies including Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan, New Dance Horizons, Nightwind Theatre’s Aboriginal Youth Playwrights Festival, Saskatchewan Playwrights Festival, Ballet Victoria, City of Victoria, Intrepid Theatre, TedX Victoria, the Victoria Spoken Word Festival, Theatre Calgary, Citadel Theatre, Banff Centre, and Pacific Opera Victoria.
One of two invited Canadian participants in OPERA AMERICA’s 2017 Leadership Intensive in NYC, Nicole currently serves as Vice President on Intrepid Theatre’s Board of Directors, as well as sitting on the Executive Committee and Regional Awards Committee for Pro Art Alliance of Greater Victoria. She is proud to be a queer, 2nd generation Canadian/Métis woman, and honoured to be a mentor, and life-longer learner, in the arts.
Living through the current pandemic, this last year has been focused on enhancing her personal artistic practice’s capacity to hold space for grief and trauma. Last year, Nicole completed End of Life Doula training through Douglas College and she is now studying at the Canadian International Institute of Art Therapy to become a Therapeutic Arts Practitioner.
Active artistic projects in 21/22 include:
- Storyteller & Improv / Public Speaking Teacher with Paper Street Theatre co. (Victoria Fringe Festival pick of the Fringe: Audience Favourite 2013, Best Ensemble 2016 & 2017);
- Lighting Designer on Isaiah Bell & Sean Guist’s The Book of My Shames, a new queer opera. (Recent performances at Opera Kelowna and UNO Fest with upcoming 2022 engagements);
- Dramaturge for Dave Morris’ in-development improvised play 52 Stories (supported by the BC Arts Council);
- Performer as Drag King, Justin Fever;
- Playwright of an in-development fanciful folklore collection for city kids, featuring the storytelling/movement/puppetry piece When Lightening Strikes. (Originally conceived as part of Story Theatre and Impulse Theatre’s 2021 Wee Peeks showcase of new works).