International icon to share expertise with local artists

A YOUNG Durban international performing artist says she is looking forward to sharing her expertise with other artists who wish to flourish in their craft one day.

Nicole Louise Snell, aged 27, was born and raised in Durban and attended Maris Stella from preschool to matric.

She said that she has always had a love for the arts, from a young age.

“I grew up singing along to the classic musicals at home, and a solo in the school chapel in Grade Four terrified me and hooked me in the same moment. Maris Stella’s House Plays, the KZN Youth Choir and then AFDA Durban turned that into something I could not imagine not doing.

“I have always loved performing as it is a way of connecting with people and making them feel something, and I believe that that is what I have been put on this earth to do.”

Snell goes by the stage name Nicole Monroe. This was a decision she took after learning of another individual who used a similar name to her real name, internationally.

“I have loved and admired Marilyn Monroe all my life, and the name was available for registration with Equity and for use in the UK and globally; it was an easy choice. I use it for all my professional work, and I would love it to be a household name one day.”
Snell said her biggest challenge came at the end of 2019 after graduating from AFDA.

“Within months, the pandemic closed theatres across South Africa. For more than two years there were almost no auditions, so I taught English online, kept training my voice and waited.

“Then came starting again from scratch in a new country: auditioning for UK conservatoires, moving to Leeds for my Master’s degree, and building a career in London where nobody knew me. I have been lucky enough to have met incredible people in the UK and have been exposed to things I never could have dreamed of.”

She said that her biggest achievements were originating roles in two new musicals. She played the role of Ratette in Basilitrix – a family folk-rock musical based on a Polish legend, conceived by Ida Wrona. Reviewing this production, Milly Jolliffe, entertainment editor at Sail Away Magazine, said that Nicole captivated the audience as Ratette, the cheeky and charming young Rat sibling. “She bounced from soaring soprano to rap battle queen with ease throughout the musical. Nicole’s performance was a standout amongst the ensemble.”

Wrona said Nicole was one of the first people she turned to when she began producing the show.

“I knew immediately that she had to be my Ratette, our mischievous, fourth-wall-breaking storyteller. She became an incredibly important part of the development of Basilitrix. Some of the choices and ideas she brought into the rehearsal room were so strong that they influenced the way Ratette developed and even shaped elements of the wider story.”

This year, she also originated the role of Audrey Walsingham in Kit the Musical, which won the Spirit of the Fringe Award at the Medway Fringe.

Snell will be back in the country from mid-October and will run a free workshop for young KZN performers before the end of November, in association with The International School of Performing Arts on Florida Road. It covers drama school auditions and what working professionally in London is really like. Space is limited.

Snell shared a message with those who wished to follow a similar path.

“Start where you are. The House Plays, the school choir and local productions all count, and they are where I learned the most. Train properly, audition even when you expect a no, and do not read a quiet period at the end. If you want it badly enough, you will do everything you can to make it happen. Believe in yourself and get out of your comfort zone.”

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