Hello, I’m Nicola. I’ve been performing in amateur theatre since 1994: I did my first show that year, stepped away in 2000, and came back in 2023. These days I perform in musicals and plays with Erewash Musical Society and Arcade Players in Long Eaton.
Theatre and Chardonnay is written from the rehearsal room, not the press night. It’s for anyone who performs in am dram, is thinking about joining, or just loves musicals and plays and wants to understand them properly.

Where would you like to start?
Thinking of joining?
How to find a society, what happens at auditions, and who does what in a production.
Choosing a show?
A committee checklist, where to check UK licensing, and guides to the shows worth considering.
Learning to sing?
A free singing lessons series for performers: voice types, audition songs and more.
In a show right now?
Plot, songs and characters for the musicals societies love to stage, plus the types of musical explained.
Latest from the blog
- Christmas Songs for Choirs and Societies: Carols, Show Tunes, Readings and a Running Order

- Musical Theatre Audition Songs: How to Choose by Voice Type

- British Playwrights Every Am Dram Society Knows: Coward, Ayckbourn, Priestley, Russell and More

- What Does a Musical Director Do in Amateur Theatre?

- What Does a Stage Manager Do? The Am Dram Guide to Running the Show

- Best Mezzo-Soprano Audition Songs for Every Level

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About me
Since coming back to the stage I’ve played Trish in Boogie Nights and Yum-Yum in Hot Mikado with Erewash Musical Society, and Vera Claythorne in And Then There Were None with Arcade Players. Read more about me, or get in touch.