Nicole Arends

Sacred Theatre is my exploration of theatre as a transformational practice. Rather than creating performances for audiences alone, I create exploratory environments where embodiment, self-reflection, imagination and performance become pathways to deeper awareness.

At the heart of my work is the belief that we are living through a time that calls for new stories – stories that help us navigate ecological change, spiritual awakening, and the evolving nature of human consciousness. Sacred Theatre offers a space to rehearse those stories before they are fully lived.

I invite participants to encounter the possible human within themselves and the possible world we might co-create together. Through voice, movement, metaphor, intuitive mapping, nature, and cosmic imagination, participants discover new ways of relating to themselves, one another, and the living world.

I see Sacred Theatre not simply as performance, but as a living temple – a space where individuals and communities can experiment with new ways of being, cultivate sacred agency and imaginative courage, and glimpse an emerging future waiting to be embodied.

The phrase Sacred Theatre first found me during a transformative journey through Greece, where I visited ancient temples, sanctuaries, and amphitheatres dedicated to ritual, healing, and communal gathering. While researching these sites, I became fascinated by the historical relationship between theatre and the sacred. Although I continue to explore what those ancient practices may have been, I am even more interested in asking a contemporary question:

What might Sacred Theatre look like today?

This question continues to shape everything I create.

Workshops to be announced.

 I work with people who deliver presentations, speeches, lectures, monologues, or creative work—students, actors, educators, executives, artists, and anyone with something meaningful to express.

Drawing on more than 35 years as a professional voiceover artist, theatre director, and award-winning Toastmasters evaluator, I help people discover not simply how to speak, but what wants to be spoken.

Together, we explore the deeper structure of your message—clarifying its essential meaning, uncovering why it matters, and shaping your words so they unfold with clarity, coherence, and impact. As your confidence grows, so too does your presence, allowing your voice to emerge with greater authenticity, ease, and conviction.

My work goes beyond technique. I listen for what is emerging beneath the surface and help create the conditions for it to be expressed fully. Rather than imposing a style, I guide you toward the voice that is already yours—one that feels embodied, truthful, and unmistakably authentic.

Whether preparing for an important presentation, refining a performance, or finding language for an idea that deeply matters, I work with your unique process so that your expression unfolds with care, precision, and integrity.

I offer a complimentary introductory conversation to explore your goals and discover how I might best support you. Individual one-hour sessions are offered on a sliding scale.

I look forward to meeting you!

Artist-in-Residence
Emmanuel College of Victoria University in The University of Toronto
Sept 2026 – April 2027

Shadows in the Nooks: Spirited Women in Theatre
A celebration of 14 female luminaries of Canadian theatre.
Writer, Dramaturge and Co-Producer with Kristine Greenaway
More information on Shadows in the Nooks >

The Departure Train by Michelle Tocher
An audio play about a life-changing ride into the afterlife.
Director and Dramaturge
WonderLit Productions
More information on The Departure Train >

Theatre has been the foundation of my creative world for more than three decades.

My journey in theatre began as an actor and evolved into directing, where I discovered my passion for shaping stories, guiding artists, and creating meaningful experiences for audiences.

Alongside my theatre work, I have built a long career as a professional voiceover artist, exploring the power of voice, intention, and presence

My work has always been rooted in the belief that creative expression can reveal something essential about being human.

Over the past 35 years, I have explored this through theatre directing, performance, voice, education, and facilitation. After completing my Bachelor of Arts (Special Honours) in Theatre at York University, I began directing for community, independent, and professional theatre companies throughout Toronto and Ottawa. Whether working with established texts or developing new creations, I have always been drawn to projects that invite imagination, transformation, and a deeper engagement with the human experience.

Along the way, my artistic path expanded beyond conventional theatre. I became increasingly interested in the relationship between creativity, embodiment, healing, and personal transformation. This led me to study Expressive Arts Therapy (Intermodal Arts) at The Create Institute, pursue Artist-Educator Professional Training through The Royal Conservatory of Music, and continue exploring theatre techniques including the Michael Chekhov approach, as well as studies through the Transformational Arts College.

For more than 20 years, I worked at The Royal Conservatory of Music, where I helmed the Living Through the Arts Program, training artists to bring creative practices into hospitals and social service organizations. I also initiated and ran the ARTS-REHAB Project, an Ontario-wide research initiative exploring the impact of creative processes on rehabilitation patients. This experience deepened my understanding of the profound ways artistic expression can support healing, connection, and human flourishing.

My journey has also been shaped by years of embodiment practices outside the theatre. Ongoing yoga practices as well as martial arts training in Karate (earning a brown belt), Jiu Jitsu, and Tai Chi has strengthened my appreciation for presence, discipline, awareness, and the intelligence of the body – qualities that continue to inform my work with voice, performance, and personal expression.

As an independent theatre producer and director, I have created eight productions with the Toronto Fringe Festival, while continuing to explore immersive, site-specific, and interdisciplinary approaches to performance. I have always been fascinated by the spaces where theatre meets imagination, where audiences become participants, and where stories can open doorways into new ways of seeing.

Eventually, the deeper questions that had always been present in my work began to move to the foreground. My work today brings together all of these threads: theatre, voice, embodiment, creativity, and consciousness. Sacred Theatre has emerged as the next chapter of a lifelong exploration – a way of creating experiences where individuals and communities can encounter new possibilities within themselves and the world we share.

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