Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nic Sommerfeld. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nic, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

My mom had been a professional actress in Southern California for about 10 years before she decided to move back to Montana and start a family. She took a break from all theater until I was about 3 years old, when she decided to audition for a local community theater production of Guys and Dolls. She had to change her hairstyle for the production and consequently it took some convincing from my dad that it was the same lady. (Once I realized it was my mom up on stage, however ,I wouldn’t stop pointing her out every time she came on.) Going backstage and seeing the behind the scenes theater magic cemented my love for the craft; when my mom did Chicago, she took my brother and I backstage to see the mannequin they used for the hanging so that we wouldn’t be scared when that scene happened and think that it was really happening. At 8 years old, I did my first show, The Music Man– and although I was only one of the little kids in the band at the end of the show, it solidified in me that theater was what I was going to do, what I was meant to do and what I would proceed to do forever.

Nic, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I sometimes joke that I’m good at what I do because I’ve really never done anything else. I started performing in theater when I was 8 years old–choir led to dance lessons, which led to acting lessons, which led to voice lessons, and ultimately a degree in theater with an acting and playwriting emphasis. While life has taught me that I am good at many things besides theatre, for the first two decades, it honestly didn’t occur to me,

I label myself primarily as a performer and playwright, as well as a decade long career as a drag performer. I feel what I bring to the industry is, of course my own unique life experience, as a seasoned performer, a lover of text and poetry and the craft of theater, as well as a trans person and voice for the queer community.
It all flows together– my years of musical theater growing up inform my drag persona, who is known as the show tunes. King of San Francisco. My journey of finding my own trans identity informs my playwriting as well as my acting. My work in sketch comedy informs my playwriting. My work in drag informs my acting, they all can work in support of each other, to elevate different aspects.

I think my brand is creativity whether that’s writing, crocheting, singing, dancing, acting, playing ukulele, puppetry, clowning, you name it. I have the spirit of a storyteller or a bard, and try to use that energy to fill my time with creative pursuits.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The biggest pivot of my career was (perhaps unsurprisingly) coming out as trans. The hardest thing in my coming out journey was that, at the time, I thought it would be the end of my acting career. There were so few opportunities for trans actors, especially non-binary actors, that by choosing to be my authentic self, I was risking my career. Thankfully, I was able to put more of my attentions into drag performance and my drag persona– I thought that would be my only avenue for performance for the foreseeable future. I’m grateful that it I was forced to pivot into the world of drag to find a performance outlet, until the world caught up with the gender conversation.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It may seem simple, but the easiest thing that anyone can do to support an artist is to show up for their work, to attend whatever they’re doing– to follow their creative ventures. It’s not necessarily about writing a check. It’s about telling your friends. It’s about coming to the shows. It’s about showing up and showing support, more than anything else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicasommerfeld.com/
• Instagram: @chestervanderbox

Image Credits

Kayleigh Shawn Photography
Craig Isaacs of BlueGoo Photography