About My Work
I believe that shared presence and active participation are the magic ingredients of live performance.
I make live events that tell stories. In other words, I use something very real (a collective experience in a shared space and time) to explore something totally imaginary. I repurpose familiar, participatory forms — like carnivals, karaoke nights, game shows, séances, wedding receptions, and house parties — to place audiences at the center of my work, helping them find their way into a new world that blends the real and the imaginary. In this way, they are empowered to actually engage with fresh ideas and new perspectives. It is just as visceral as it is playful.
In our daily lives, we are constantly distracted by technology and isolated from community with our neighbors. In the process, we are implicitly trained to be passive citizens of the world. Practicing intentional presence and participation in something bigger than ourselves is the antidote. We cannot address the systemic problems that plague our increasingly distrustful, unempathetic, systematically unjust world on our own. To make a change, we need to build empathy, collaboration, and understanding. I believe that presence and participation are the first steps.
Making work that celebrates and centers audiences is an honor and privilege. I hold that responsibility as a north star in my rehearsal process, working with performers, designers, and writers to take our imaginary worlds and make them real for those we invite in.
Bio
Nick O’Leary is a director of theater and live events. Born and raised in New England, he now splits his time between New York and Seattle, WA. Nick has developed new work with The American Repertory Theater (MA), Guerilla Opera (MA), Actors Theatre of Louisville (KY), The Flea Theater (NY), The Museum of the Moving Image (NY), Exquisite Corpse Company (NY), The 24 Hour Plays (NY), Dacha Theatre (WA), Sinking Ship Creations (NY), as a guest artist at Dartmouth College (NH), and more. Nick is also a designer and creator of games and interactive experiences. His work with Tiltfactor Laboratory has focused on developing games and live interactive experiences designed to effect social change, combat gender bias, and facilitate the sourcing and organization of archival images for public institutions.