Nicki LaRue Builds Props- And her Own Community

By Meg Hale Brunton

Assistant Production Manager for Asheville Community Theatre (ACT), Nicki LaRue tried to deny her own creativity in order to find work in a more reliable industry. “I was really hard on myself then,” she admits, thinking back on her early years in theatre. She spent five weeks in cosmetology school to become a hairdresser, and tried working in retail and business development jobs. But her art wouldn’t be denied.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Nicki was always a ‘movie nerd’ and longed to do something creative. At age 24, she enrolled in renowned special effects wizard Tom Savini’s Special Makeup Effects Program at the Douglas Education Center just outside of Pittsburgh, where she earned her Associate’s degree in Specialized Business.

After graduating, she worked doing effects for a few horror plays. “That was so silly and fun,” Nicki says of the corny prosthetics she designed, referencing a two-sided costume piece she designed that made it look like an actress had a hook through her chest. She also did hair and makeup for less gory shows, like ‘Hairspray,’ and apprenticed at a marionette theatre in Lancaster. Nicki knew she would need to relocate in order to enter the film industry, but felt hesitant to make the move. “I was anxiety-ridden. I thought, ‘I don’t know how to succeed in this.’ I just didn’t feel like I had the stuff.”

“I ran away from my own creativity for a good, solid fifteen years,” Nicki says. In 2015, she moved with her partner to Asheville, North Carolina, hoping for a new start. Six weeks after making the move, she lost him to suicide, leaving her traumatized and alone in a new city. Feeling like her entire life had been flipped upside down, Nicki got into an unhealthy relationship, moved to Florida, and began abusing addictive substances. Eventually recognizing the dangerous road she was on, Nicki returned to Asheville in 2019 and got a job in production at Moog Music Inc. 

Nicki moved up quickly at Moog, shifting first into order processing and then, business analytics. Starving creatively, she began to reach out to local theatre companies, volunteering her services. Her first Asheville show was ‘Bloodbath’, a play written by local director Jamie Ridenhour and performed at the Magnetic Theatre. Shortly after, she heard from Jill Summers, ACT Production Manager, offering her a contract job doing makeup, hair, props, and puppets for their production of ‘Fight Girl Battle World.’ Nicki recalls she and Jill had an instant rapport. “Our aesthetics align really well. We’re not afraid to say ‘no’ to one another and push each other,” she says. “I feel so grateful to have someone like Jill to create with.” 

At ACT, Nicki found her community. “I’m building my own family. That’s what it feels like,” she says of working with the staff and volunteers at the theater. “This theater took me in. I’ve been able to point out things that I think could be better. All my creativity is acknowledged. There’s just a feeling of collaboration, growth and compassion in this space. You’re gonna have to offer a lot to get me out of here.” In her role, Nicki does prop fabrication, puppet creation, hair, wigs, and makeup. 

In Fall 2020, she began working part-time in their box office, and the following spring, she moved backstage into the position of Production Coordinator. Last summer, ACT made Nicki Assistant Production Manager. “I’m here with the hot glue, gaff tape, glitter, and the feathers, and the fur,” she says, adding that she can do almost anything with hot glue. “It’s so much better than working in an office.” 

Last year, for ACT’s production of ‘Pippin,’ Nicki took on a new challenge- that of assistant director. She says she was so excited to get the opportunity to learn from the show’s director Bob White, and now aspires to direct her own production in the next few years. She has already discovered an unexpected love of musicals, which she thought she hated until recently. “It’s different when it’s your kids,” Nicki says, comparing theatre to parenthood. She looks back on the first musical she worked on at ACT, and recalls being moved to tears during every performance. “The family is here, and they did such a great job.”

Outside of makeup, hair, and props, Nicki is in charge of coordinating ACT’s volunteers, scheduling auditions, and planning the theater’s semi-annual volunteer events. “I feel pretty much 50/50 between volunteer coordination and artistic production,” she says. “It’s really important that we’re providing opportunities for people to try something new, or develop their skills. There’s just so many talented people, and they don’t always know it.” Nicki says she loves that her job gives her the opportunity to build up other’s confidence in their own abilities. 

While Nicki admits the road that brought her here was far-from-easy, she has learned a valuable life lesson about how to approach the challenges life throws your way. “I’m not always great at living in the moment, but I’ve gotten better at taking each day at a time,” she acknowledges. Nicki also says that she will never try to live without theatre again. “I think theatre probably is my end all; anything else would feel like going backwards.”

For more information on Asheville Community Theatre, or to volunteer with them today, visit their website: https://ashevilletheatre.org/