Interview: Theatre Life with Nickolaus Colón

Today’s subject Nickolaus Colón is currently living his theatre life on tour playing the role of Hades in the North American tour of Hadestown. The show will be here in DC at The National Theatre from November 18th to 23rd.

Nickolaus recently received a CT Circle Critics Award for his performance of Don in Kinky Boots.

His previous tour credits include Fiddler on the Roof and Dirty Dancing. His talents have also been seen at sea on some Norwegian Cruise Line ships in productions of Rock of Ages and Kinky Boots.

Being on tour can be rewarding as well as grueling. Read on to see what a day in the life on the road for Nickolaus is like.

With all the holiday fare that’s about to encompass us, please consider going “Way down under the ground” with a trip to The National Theatre to see Nickolaus and the talented company that make up this current tour of Hadestown.

Nickolaus Colón is truly living his theatre life to the fullest.

When was it apparent to you that performing was going to be your chosen profession?

I had been performing at a regional theatre since about 2nd or 3rd grade and after almost 10 years at that theater, I never really thought I’d do anything else.

Where did you receive your training?

I really knew this was going to be the rest of my life when I got accepted into the high school program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. After which I did four more years in the undergraduate program.

What was your first professional job as a performer?

After graduating I got heavy into doing voice overs, but my first big break was about a year and a half in the city I booked the national tour of Dirty Dancing.

How do you best describe your character of Hades in Hadestown?

The epics describe him the best. King of silver, king of shadows, king of the underworld. A God who for half of the year has to deal with the heartbreak of his wife leaving for the surface world. You get to see what happens when you fear losing something so much you would control and destroy anything to protect it and what happens when a man who has grown so cold is reminded of the man he used to be.

Can you please take us through a typical day starting with when you arrive in a new city?

We start with an early bus call. It’s usually a couple of hours to get us to the hotel. After getting there, we have about an hour to relax before heading to the venue for a sound check and venue safety meeting. Then it’s time to do the show, get changed, and stage door. Hopefully you’re in bed by 11:30-12 after decompressing for a bit. It’s a wild life but I love it.

This particular tour of Hadestown has a fair amount of split week engagements. What would say is the hardest thing for you as a performer as far as changing venues sometimes two or three times a week?

For me the toughest challenge is sound. Our team is incredible and make sit work in every venue, but each house is INCREDIBLY different in their own ways. We had one house where we couldn’t be over a decibel level.

Why do you feel Hadestown connects with audiences all over the country and the world?

No matter your age, race, financial status, or if you’ve experienced loss…we can connect to what it’s like to love, what it’s like to fear losing the thing you love, questioning things when you are dealt a bad hand. Hadestown is very human and that’s why every night we can count on the audience to join this journey with us.

Special thanks to National Theatre's Marketing Manager Abby Berman for her assistance in coordinating this interview.