Making Theatre has always been a central part of Nina’s practice.
She has created a number of original works as well as collaborating with other artists.
Original Works
Nina has long been fascinated with aliens, outsiders, and Afrofuturism, her original works are intensely visual often surreal and center around themes of isolation and identity.
Values
Nina’s first original work, created in 2017 and performed at Camden Peoples Theatre Nina Talks about Her Values was a fast paced, rant/poem/dance, delivered by a high-glamour-alien. The show centered around themes hypocrisy and narcissism.
Following an initial scratch of the show as part of the Sprint Festival, Nina was invited to perform her work at the Camden Peoples Theatres’ annual gala alongside companies and makers including: SH!T Theatre, Milk Presents, and Chris Thorpe.
Mantis
An Evening with The Mantis from Atlantis told the story of a mysterious underwater creature, who had been rejected by the ocean. Mantis centered themes of loneliness, isolation and belonging. It was initially performed at Battersea Arts Centre as part of Freshly Scratched.
In early 2020 (before the pandemic) it was performed at Camden Peoples Theatre in Collaboration with Dirty Rascals where Nina is an Associate artist.
Jelly
Continuing on with the watery landscape Nina discovered with Mantis, Jelly Atlantis and Her Ocean of Pain was created as part of Carneskys’ Racial Cabaret School in 2020 at The Tramshed Online.
This piece sought to examine the nature of allyship in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the mainstream resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement during the pandemic.
Through an elaborate handwashing ritual and immersive audio this piece encouraged viewers to think about the small acts we take to protect each other, and the cycles of pain we perpetuate daily.
Collaborations
Fog Everywhere
After performing Nina Talks about Her Values 2017, Nina was asked to be part of the initial development of Fog Everywhere an original show about air pollution in London.
During the RnD period Nina worked alongside theatre makers Haley McGee, Dominic Garfield (HighRise), Josie Dale-Jones (ThisEgg) and Director Brian Logan.
The Letters Project
Started from and idea of Nina’s The Letters Project was a series of Zoom performances and The Gate Theatre in which actors read letters they had written to each other live for the first time . The project was directed and devised by Ellen Macdougall, Hannah Ringham, Yasmin Hafesji, Moi Tran and Nina Bowers.
You can read more about The Letters Project here
On and Off Henry
On and Off Henry is a exploration of nationalism from the perspective of children and foreigners. The project is a collaboration between Nina and fellow Globe Ensemble member Philip Arditti.
Partly autobiographical and partly taken from Shakepeares’ Histories this project seeks to unpick the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.