Barrows Featured Artist of October: Nikki Ready

Westwood High School Class of 2017 graduate Nikki Ready has been putting the ‘community’ in community theater since 2003.
 
“I first started theater when I was about four years old,” Nikki reflected. “There was a church in Westwood that used to run a three-week summer camp program and they would put on a musical at the end. My first full community theater show was The Music Man at the Foxboro Orpheum Theatre, and I was one of the town kids. My mom actually did it with me — she was one of the Pick-a-Little Ladies.”
 
Nikki continued with the performing arts summer camp until eighth grade, but her involvement in theater was only just beginning.
 
“I was in Annie in my final year at Thurston Middle School, and then I did theater all four years at Westwood High,” she said. “I did the plays in the fall and the musicals in the spring, and some of my closest friends from high school came from that experience. Many of us remain in touch to this day.”
 
“Other people had sports or art classes or whatever else they were doing after school, but it was always theater for me,” Nikki continued. “And it’s funny because, you know, in middle school, I did soccer and volleyball, but when it came time to go to high school, I had to choose sports or theater. And I guess from then on, I always chose theater. Jim Howard and Rob Goldman were wonderful mentors, it was awesome to work with them. I feel like Westwood High School was such a safe place where I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes, so I was able to learn and grow in that auditorium after school.”
 
In addition to the plays and musicals, Nikki took drama class in her junior and senior years of high school, where her passion for performing arts continued to thrive.
 
To date, Nikki has participated in nearly 20 productions, not counting all those years of summer camp. Her love for performing has kept her involved in theater post-high school, graduating from UMass Amherst in 2021, with a BA in Media Creation and Marketing, as well as a BA in Journalism and Theater.
 
“I knew I wanted to do theater and something else, and after taking various classes, I found my path,” she explained. “I ultimately created my own major through UMass Amherst’s Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) program, which allowed me to pull from different departments. I took classes in journalism, video production, photography, and more — all skills I still use today.”
 
“Though it may seem like a theater degree wouldn’t be applicable to everyday life, I find I use those onstage and offstage lessons and interpersonal skills just as often. Theater taught me collaboration, how to dive into literature, practical hands-on skills like woodworking, and life lessons like how to deal with rejection. Even today, as I apply for jobs, I’ve found that I have a healthy mindset and don’t take it too personally, just as in casting, I know the opportunities meant for me will not pass me by.”
 
Since graduating, Nikki has worked on productions with The Concord Players, Norwood Theatre, and The Savoyard Light Opera Company.
 
“In community theater, everyone comes from different backgrounds,” Nikki shared. “In high school, it’s all your peers who grew up with you, but in community theater, you meet people of various ages who work different jobs by day and come together at night to perform. There’s something special about everyone working together to make something great.”
 
Though picking a favorite show is akin to choosing your favorite child (nearly impossible!), Nikki fondly remembered her time playing Lady Macbeth in high school.
 
“That was such a wonderful moment,” she said. “I loved every person in that cast, and working on a Shakespeare show for the first time, especially with that character, was an eye-opening and joyful experience.”
 
More recently, Nikki played Annie, the stage manager, in The Play That Goes Wrong with The Concord Players.
 
“It was a fun show with a talented cast and crew. We recently won the DASH (Distinguished Achievement and Special Honors) Award for Best Play from Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres (EMACT) for last season, which was very exciting.”
 
While Nikki’s mom may no longer be acting herself, Nikki reflected on the full-circle moment she experienced a few months ago.
 
“Last spring, I was in The Music Man again with The Concord Players, and I got to be a Pick-a-Little Lady, just like my mom was when I was little. It was one of those moments where I could take a step back and really take a look at how far I’ve come in my theatre journey.”
 
As Nikki Ready continues to pursue her passion, her love for the stage remains as strong as ever.
 
“Theater is just part of who I am,” she said. “It brings me so much joy, and I love being able to share that with others. There’s nothing else like it.”
 
You can see Nikki perform as Niki Harris in Curtains! with Savoyard Light Opera Company at the Corey Auditorium (Carlisle Public Schools) Friday, November 8 & Saturday, November 9 at 7:30pm; Sunday, November 10 at 2:00pm; Friday, November 15 at 7:30pm; and Saturday, November 16 at 4:00pm.
 
Congratulations Nikki for being our October Featured Artist! If you’d like to nominate an artist of any sort to be featured – music, acting, painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. – please email dbezdedeanu@bestversionmedia.com