Actress and writer Michelle Nickens will never forget the story of a woman who had been stalked so intensely that she was forced to move, change her name, and start her life over again. This character lived inside the world of Rebecca Gilman’s play “Boy Gets Girl.” 
 
Nickens recalls how the director invited the Tallahassee Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office Victim Advocates to speak with audience members about stalking before the curtain opened. Weeks later, the cast was informed that a few audience members had reached out to the victim advocates after seeing the show and realized they needed help. 
 
“I think the greatest gift an actor can give is to make a positive impact like that on someone else’s life,” says Nickens, who has been involved with Theatre Tallahassee for 20 years.
 
She has had the roles of actress, board member, and at one point, board president, but Nickens will be making her directorial debut for Theatre Tallahassee’s “Barefoot in the Park,” now playing. When the solicitation for directors went out a few months back, she decided it was time to try her hand at being on the other side of the table as she had a distinct vision for the show.

Her ability to get into characters’ heads comes fairly easily and has given her decades of experience acting and her passion for writing. Nickens is a contributor to Tallahassee Woman’s Magazine, and her first book, “Precious Little Secrets,” was named one of Tallahassee’s best beach reads. While much of her writing takes place on planes or at airports during delays, she also visits family near the water to write outside. 
 
“Precious Little Secrets” encompasses the paranormal, romance, identity, and family dynamics, in a setting where dreams and fantasy begin to overtake reality. Nickens is not bound to any one genre or audience though, and enjoys having “no rules” when it comes to getting the story out.
 
For inspiration, Nickens looks to her parents, who she considers her greatest mentors. Her father served in the military, which gave her the opportunity to see the world and grow up in diverse environments. These travels sparked a desire to record her experiences, as well as to capture characters and settings. A stream-of-consciousness approach gives Nickens the freedom to write with fluidity even as it elongates the editing process. 
 
“I feel very fortunate I can write thousands of words about a fork and bring that fork to life,” jokes Nickens. “I’m always taking pictures, writing notes down, and documenting anything interesting that I see because you never know when you might need it.” 

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