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, theater maker, and projections designer. Born and raised in New England, he now splits his time between New York and Seattle, WA.
Working across regional theater, opera, and immersive experiences, Nick has directed everything from world premiere new plays to explosively reimagined classics. He has developed new work that has gone on to tour internationally including Bill’s 44th and Dungeons and Dragons: The Twenty Sided Tavern. As a creator of original participatory experiences, he has devised grand immersive spectacles and intimate participatory events including (F)unfair and Knock Once for Yes. Recent design credits include Elegy for a Former Best Friend (Swim Pony), You Will Get Sick (Sound Theatre), House of Joy (Pratidhwani/Seattle Public), Everybody (UW Drama), and Champagne and Sodomy: Gross Indecency (The Feast).
He is a founding board member of Playable Theatre International, a non-profit that supports, promotes, and advocates for live performances and experiences that center meaningful participation and audience agency. Nick studied Directing and Scenic Design at Dartmouth College and holds an MFA in Directing from the UW School of Drama.