Nicole Joseph

Nicole Joseph is a Creative Instigator at Bradford Producing Hub. She provides support to artists in Bradford through one-to-one advice and the development of larger support programmes. Nicole has led the Empowered programme for training future leaders from marginalised identities, the Series of Care sessions for wellbeing and training around artistic development and careers, and project-managed the Make The Change event, which included commissioning multi-artform projects and artists and delivering a large-scale event which celebrated the Empowered programme and artists.

“I wanted to work for BPH because they encouraged me to see my hometown through a new lens and to offer my creativity to the place that made me. I’m proud to be an advocate for my local community and bring my practice, experience and community care to the wonderful artists in this city. Plus the team is so great and inspiring, I feel very lucky to be a part of it!”

Nicole is a Bradford-based writer and theatre-maker whose practice is based in a holistic and spiritual human-centred community care focused way. She writes women-led stories that connect and care for communities by exploring under and misrepresented characters and places while playing with genre, where often, the ordinary meets the extraordinary thematically and atmospherically. Her first play, Blessed Spirits, was a Finborough Theatre ETPEP Award Finalist and was selected for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting shortlist (2021). She recently completed year-long writing attachments with Tamasha Theatre and the Crucible Theatre where she wrote two new plays that were developed with the Royal Exchange Theatre (2021-22) after Blessed Spirits was anonymously selected from their script submission window. She was commissioned by the Crucible Theatre and English Touring Theatre (2023) and delivered a writing workshop at the Bronte Parsonages Festival of Women’s Writing (2022). She is currently under commission with a large regional theatre and is Arts Council England supported with a Developing Your Creative Practice grant to take her playwriting practice to the next stage.

As a Theatre-Maker, Nicole has extensive experience in directing/dramaturgy, facilitation and producing, working with professionals and communities. Nicole is a Creative Associate on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s First Encounters production of Romeo and Juliet, where she’s assisting rehearsals in Stratford-Upon-Avon and will direct the young ensembles in schools and associate theatres in the northern region of the tour. Nicole recently directed two short plays for Graeae Theatre’s Crips With Chips new writing showcase presented with Theatre by The Lake on their mainstage (2023). Nicole was selected for training with Almeida Theatre and as a JMK Trust Mentored Director (2021). She has been trained by the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme and worked as a script-reader for Sheffield Theatres (2022). Nicole has completed varied work facilitating freelance workshops as a lead and support facilitator with theatre companies such as Sheffield Theatres, Freedom Studios, Leeds Playhouse and Cast. As a Producer, Nicole worked at Freedom Studios as their Associate Producer (2020-22) and supported the delivery of productions, artist development and workshops for young people.

“I hope that Bradford can step up to the plate and take on all of the ambition conjured by the Bradford 2025 bid and work that’s been going on for a long time in the arts and cultural sector and community. I hope Bradford artists get the platform and longevity they need to put the city on the map as a firm cultural place.”