Nicolai was born and raised in Canberra, developing a blood lust for the stage and all mediums of art. Some of his earliest memories were of writing and performing plays in his auntie’s lounge room on Cleveland street, opposite the Seymour Centre. The house was littered with pocket sized black books of all of Shakespeare’s works, and although at that age only able to grasp some of the language, it opened up long conversations about his characters, and fuelled the desire to one day perform them across the road. Nicolai was blessed to have both his high school Drama and English teachers push him hard, knowing there was a fire within, unable to be tamed. After consistently being cast in leads in the final two years of high school, and collaborating on short films with Filmmaker Luke Patterson, Nicolai moved to Sydney to study full time at the Actors Centre Australia, dedicating the following three years to sharpening his craft and developing a broader understanding of the industry. Nicolai has always sought out new people to learn from, believing “Who teaches me for a day, is a father for a lifetime” and is thankful for all the wonderful tutors ACA has enabled him to work with. The Actors Centre has given Nicolai the freedom to learn, play and to grow as an actor and as a person, and is proud of his time studying. Nicolai is looking forward to developing deeper relationships with many actors and directors, as well as creating new bonds with like minded people.
