Theatre for the 21st Century
“To tell stories effectively is to be articulate in the face of uncertainty.”
– Anne Bogart, Humana Festival of New American Plays, 2015.
– Anne Bogart, Humana Festival of New American Plays, 2015.
The Pastisserie
World premiere September 28 - October 15, 2023!
“… evocative, laugh-outright, dreamlike show…” Lisa Kennedy, THE DENVER POST (Full article here)
A lone soldier finds himself in a surreal chocolate factory that has perfected the taste of nostalgia - by extracting the memories of its workers. A dark (chocolate) comedy that delves into the depths of memory, mayhem, and the profound influence of nostalgia on our heartstrings.
Creators: Buba Basishvili, Nicole Dietze, Meghan Frank, Tiffany Ogburn, David Rynhart.
Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
A lone soldier finds himself in a surreal chocolate factory that has perfected the taste of nostalgia - by extracting the memories of its workers. A dark (chocolate) comedy that delves into the depths of memory, mayhem, and the profound influence of nostalgia on our heartstrings.
Creators: Buba Basishvili, Nicole Dietze, Meghan Frank, Tiffany Ogburn, David Rynhart.
Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Michael Ensminger Photography.
ZOTTO
"...with a dancer's grace, [Dietze] impresses with her feline suppleness and amuses with her cat-kooky curiosity."
- The Denver Post
"A top-notch production"
- Westword
Devised by a cohort of multidisciplinary artists, ZOTTO transformed a suite of offices in Downtown Denver and introduced audiences to three generations of Japanese Americans. Guided by Dr. Kitsu into a maze of memory, audiences explored Denver’s recent history and asked "What kind of ancestor do I want to be?"
Nicole originated the role of Kaibyo and devised movement & text. ZOTTO was produced by Japanese Arts Network in collaboration with Theatre Artibus, Control Group Productions, and Luster Productions.
- The Denver Post
"A top-notch production"
- Westword
Devised by a cohort of multidisciplinary artists, ZOTTO transformed a suite of offices in Downtown Denver and introduced audiences to three generations of Japanese Americans. Guided by Dr. Kitsu into a maze of memory, audiences explored Denver’s recent history and asked "What kind of ancestor do I want to be?"
Nicole originated the role of Kaibyo and devised movement & text. ZOTTO was produced by Japanese Arts Network in collaboration with Theatre Artibus, Control Group Productions, and Luster Productions.
World Premiere November 18 - December 18, 2022.
Summer Revival July 6 - July 30 , 2023!
Summer Revival July 6 - July 30 , 2023!
Photographs by Martha Wirth Photography.
Recipe Shared
Recipe Shared is a digital ‘docu-memory’ series inspired by the real-life interviews of seniors living in Denver’s eastside neighborhoods. Each story explores, in different ways, recipes for community. The short films combine interview transcripts, audio recordings, historical research, satire, movement, dance, and theatre to honor neighborhood histories through the personal stories of its residents."
"To create Recipe Shared, Artibus met with seniors (through digital platforms) who were particularly isolated by Covid-19. The team conducted interviews and offered creative companionship. As originally envisioned, the goal was to produce a live theatrical performance together. Due to ongoing COVID restrictions, the project pivoted to film, which you can access HERE!"
Core Cooks: Buba Basishvili, James Brunt, Nicole Dietze, Meghan Frank, Lynde Rosario.
"To create Recipe Shared, Artibus met with seniors (through digital platforms) who were particularly isolated by Covid-19. The team conducted interviews and offered creative companionship. As originally envisioned, the goal was to produce a live theatrical performance together. Due to ongoing COVID restrictions, the project pivoted to film, which you can access HERE!"
Core Cooks: Buba Basishvili, James Brunt, Nicole Dietze, Meghan Frank, Lynde Rosario.
INBox
"A tribute to the silent film era wrapped in a science fiction premise, INbox is an apocalyptic silent comedy that explores serious themes about humanity’s legacy in the wake of climate inaction." - Theater Artibus.
"Physical theatre offers a new way to “talk” about climate change, to approach the difficult subject in a different way...What are we not doing about climate change right now? We’re really having a struggle to talk about it... why can’t we just talk to each other?” Creator Meghan Frank in The Denverite.
INBox was created by Meghan Frank and Buba Basishvili. Creative and Movement Consultation by Nicole Dietze.
"Physical theatre offers a new way to “talk” about climate change, to approach the difficult subject in a different way...What are we not doing about climate change right now? We’re really having a struggle to talk about it... why can’t we just talk to each other?” Creator Meghan Frank in The Denverite.
INBox was created by Meghan Frank and Buba Basishvili. Creative and Movement Consultation by Nicole Dietze.
Michael Ensminger Photography.
Sisrahtac 1: American Character
Taking audiences on a gondola ride through Sandraudiga's waterlogged insides, this solo piece dances with the surreal to diagnose the effects of social and political forces on an individual human heart.
Performed as an element in Three Hysterical Women: Explorations of Feminine Rage in Blacksburg, VA on January 24-25, 2019 and at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, VA on April 25, 2019.
Written and directed by Nicole Dietze.
Performed as an element in Three Hysterical Women: Explorations of Feminine Rage in Blacksburg, VA on January 24-25, 2019 and at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, VA on April 25, 2019.
Written and directed by Nicole Dietze.
Three Hysterical Women
This curation of three original solo shows challenged the archetypes of woman as harpy, victim and servant. Premiered in Blacksburg, VA in January 2019 and performed at the Gender, Bodies and Technology Conference in Roanoke, VA on April 26, 2019.
Co-directed & co-produced by Nicole Dietze, Brittney S. Harris, and Devair Jefferies.
Co-directed & co-produced by Nicole Dietze, Brittney S. Harris, and Devair Jefferies.
Soil : Science+Art Collaboration
Soil asks audiences to rethink their linguistic and behavioral relationships to dirt and the earth. Developed in collaboration with biologist Dr. Brian Badgley and supported by the Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech, Soil was performed at the Advancing the Human Condition Symposium in Blacksburg, VA in November, 2018.
"I work in a world - microbiology - that is largely invisible to most humans. As a result, we face an additional barrier in outreach and education efforts... What impressed me most about Nicole, in addition to her artistic skills, is how quickly she identified the kernel of the message that I was trying to convey and how accurately she captured that. In fact, working with her even opened my own eyes to new ways of thinking about the work that I do, and I think about these concepts every day."- Dr. Brian Badgley.
Stock photo by Gabriel Jimenez.
"I work in a world - microbiology - that is largely invisible to most humans. As a result, we face an additional barrier in outreach and education efforts... What impressed me most about Nicole, in addition to her artistic skills, is how quickly she identified the kernel of the message that I was trying to convey and how accurately she captured that. In fact, working with her even opened my own eyes to new ways of thinking about the work that I do, and I think about these concepts every day."- Dr. Brian Badgley.
Stock photo by Gabriel Jimenez.
Ghost Town
During Cornerstone Theater Company's Institute Summer Residency in Venice, CA, Nicole served as Movement Associate for the original play Ghost Town, written by Juliette Carrillo and directed by Rebecca Novick. Nicole also studied Cornerstone's community engagement model through community canvasing, auditions, ensemble-building, rehearsals and performance.
Movement by Nicole Dietze.
Ghost Town was reviewed in the Los Angeles Times.
Movement by Nicole Dietze.
Ghost Town was reviewed in the Los Angeles Times.
Unmarked Boxes
Examining American perspectives on grief and dying, Unmarked Boxes follows a young woman as she plans a sky burial in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. This original solo show premiered along with seven others during the showcase "Light Through a Pinhole" at the Center for Performance Experiment in Columbia, SC, December 2, 2015.