Eve Nicol on Her Vision for Aberdeen Arts Centre: A Home for Creativity, Connection, and Bold Ideas
The newly appointed creative director shares her plans to build on the momentum and turn the venue into a hub for storytelling.
Aberdeen Arts Centre is at a turning point. After a period of growth and renewed energy, the much-loved venue has welcomed a new creative director, Eve Nicol. A Glasgow-born theatre director and playwright, Eve brings a passion for grassroots creativity and a hands-on approach to making things happen. Stepping into the role at a time when Aberdeen’s performing arts scene is brimming with potential, she has bold ideas for how the Arts Centre can support local artists, foster new talent, and connect the city’s creative community to wider audiences.
In this interview, Eve shares her first impressions of Aberdeen, what excites her most about the local arts scene, and how she plans to build on the Arts Centre’s momentum. From her love of fresh, high-impact storytelling to her commitment to making creative spaces accessible, her vision is clear: this is a place where artists can experiment, take risks, and thrive. And, in true Eve fashion, she’s already got some unexpected ideas brewing—including a personal roller-skating challenge in the empty rehearsal rooms.
We chatted with Eve to hear more about her plans, her creative philosophy, and why she believes Aberdeen is the perfect city to shape the next chapter of her career.
Welcome to Aberdeen, Eve! We’re so thrilled to have you in this exciting new role and can’t wait to see how your creativity and passion will shape the future of the city’s arts scene. What drew you to Aberdeen Arts Centre and made you feel this was the next step in your creative journey?
I toured to Aberdeen a few times last year with shows, and every visit left an impression. I loved poking around the independent shops, cafés, and bars. There’s a sense of people pouring their passion into what they do in these small businesses. I remember thinking, this would be a great place to live. So when the opportunity at Aberdeen Arts Centre came up, it felt like it was calling me.
The Arts Centre has become a known hub for emerging theatre makers. What excites you most about building on that momentum?
The Arts Centre is becoming more and more known amongst emerging and early career theatre makers as an open, supportive place that is genuinely keen to help however it can. I’m excited to build on this momentum.
A place to play, experiment, and dream
The Children’s Theatre has a rich history. I even remember my sisters attending workshops there with the great Annie Inglis. How do you plan to bring new life into that space while honouring its legacy?
That history is still so present when you walk into 31 King Street! You can feel the energy of all the young people whose imaginations expanded there. Theatres feel sad when they’re not being used to tell stories, they’re in a perpetual state of waiting. My aim is to fill that space with as many first plays, first performances, and first creative breakthroughs as possible.
What are some of the ways you’d like to work with local artists and performers to help them grow and share their talents?
Aberdeen Arts Centre is a big building with lots of space. That means we can offer artists somewhere away from nosy flatmates, the pram in the hall, and the ever-growing pile of dishes. In here is a place to play, experiment, and dream. I’m even planning to learn how to roller-skate in the empty rooms after hours. We’ve recently seen how the Arts Centre can bring local artists together like at Scottish Youth Theatre’s Scratch That night, where the bar was buzzing with people sharing ideas. I want to build on that, making sure the Arts Centre is not just a venue but a hub for artistic connection.
Your background is in small, high-impact theatre productions—how do you think that experience will shape what audiences can expect at the Arts Centre?
In future Aberdeen Arts Centre produced shows, audiences can expect exceptional quality storytelling that quickens their heart and catches their breath, all featuring local talent. A big focus of my work here will be fundraising so we can pay creatives fair rates and give them security to do their best work and thrive close to home.
How do you see the Arts Centre becoming an even bigger part of the Aberdeen community? Are there any specific ideas or projects you’re excited about?
It’s not all about getting people in through the Arts Centre’s doors. I’m really looking forward to connecting with existing producing groups in Aberdeen as an ambassador for Aberdeen Arts Centre. Studio Theatre Group programmes brilliant titles, 10 Feet Tall Theatre’s LAB is fizzing with ideas and talent, What Moves You is making gorgeous touring theatre, I’ve got WayWORD and Light the Blue marked out in my diary, and I’ve still got to pick which of Citymoves’ dance classes to try out!
The second performance space sounds like an exciting opportunity for experimentation. How do you imagine it being used by local creatives?
I don’t even want to begin to start prescribing the kind of things that can happen in the space. The best idea has still yet to be discovered – and there’ll probably be some exciting failures along the way. My passion is in new plays and modernisations of classic titles so I’d personally be pleased to see some of these coming through. But 31 King Street is a blank canvas, waiting for your ideas. It could host almost anything for a select audience of 60 people – that’s what excites me most!
Experiment, carve out new paths, and build something fresh
As both a playwright and director, how does your creative experience influence how you approach programming and supporting new talent?
The hustle of being a freelancer is still fresh in my mind. What drives you through it all is that unstoppable urge to share what’s in your head with an audience. I’m not one for long, drawn-out research and development periods—you learn the most by getting work on its feet in front of people. I’ll be using my experience and networks to help new talent gather the resources they need to make that happen.
What are your top priorities as you settle into this role?
My first priority is to connect with the many local performing companies that call the Arts Centre home, finding ways we can swap skills in fundraising, marketing, and production to make even more brilliant work for their loyal audiences.
I also want to expand our freelance pool to better support our existing Creative Learning practitioners. They already do incredible work delivering weekly classes in drama, arts, and writing for all ages. By bringing in more freelancers, we can supercharge our offer for participants, while also providing flexible income for local creatives.
What excites you most about being part of Aberdeen’s arts scene at this moment in time?
There’s a real sense of something bubbling up. Because there are gaps in opportunity – especially for performers trying to establish themselves in the north east – there’s also freedom. There’s no one way of doing things here. We get to experiment, carve out new paths, and build something fresh that the city can really shout about and be proud of.
A huge thank you to Eve for her time sharing her thoughts and ambitions for Aberdeen Arts Centre. She brings an infectious energy, a deep passion for storytelling, and a genuine commitment to supporting local artists. Her vision for the Arts Centre as a space for creativity, connection, and experimentation is exciting.
It feels like a new chapter is unfolding—one full of fresh ideas, bold productions, and opportunities for artists to thrive. We can’t wait to see how Eve’s leadership shapes the future of Aberdeen’s arts scene.
Watch this space!
