Melbourne actress Nicole Nabout stars in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Australian Shakespeare Company which is on now at Royal Botanic Gardens.
Best known for her roles in The Librarians and The Lost World, this time she steps into the world of lovers, fairies and fools playing Tatiana under the stars.
“This new version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is more contemporary and includes current themes,” says Nicole Nabout.
“There is more magic, lots of extraordinary special effects and we are starting it later at 8.30pm – that’s due to the lovely layering of things that happen in the forest after dark,” she says.
Performing strong female roles, this time under the stars, is a dream gig as the year unwinds.
“I have always been able to tap into strong female roles,” says Nabout. “There’s a strength that comes with experience as we get older. I still love stepping into these types of roles, there’s a vulnerability you feel and an aspect you can bring to the stage that definitely has to do with lived experiences.”
Nabout talks to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series about growing up in Melbourne, why she fell in love with drinking Beaujolais in Paris and where she heads for Lebanese food in Melbourne.
Her food memories date back to eating at her family’s Lebanese restaurant in Malvern in the 1980s and she still loves to channel a wild side at a famous backbar in St Kilda.
MY CITY
I live in Melbourne but did my theatre training in Paris. I love the diversity and colour of Melbourne, from the graffiti in the laneways to the rooftop bars. A hole in the wall somewhere turns into a venue. Our ability to create spaces and life is really special here. We are constantly quoted as being a liveable city – you can walk everywhere, it’s creative and alive. It’s busy and buzzy in the evenings when you go to the CBD which is a good feeling. Thai restaurant Soi 38 that’s popped up in the carpark of Melbourne near Meyers Lane is very Melbourne. Anything is possible.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
My Dad is Lebanese and I grew up with my parents running their own restaurant. It was one of the early ones of its kind in Malvern – especially on that side of the Yarra in the 1980s. Dad cooked his mother’s food and came to Australia in the 1950s, one of 13 children. He ran nightclubs with Mum and then opened a restaurant. I remember him standing in the kitchen and preparing tabbouleh – watching him washing and chopping the parsley, squeezing the lemon. It was methodical and delicious. Dad is no longer with us, and that dish always reminds me of him. There is a place called Rumi East Brunswick I love to go to when I want that nostalgic feeling.
FAVOURITE BAR MEMORY
I love the backbar at Ciccolina. I live in Elwood and would often end up at here, where there would be music, one too many Negronis, dancing on table tops. It’s an extraordinary culinary venue, but has this wild dark bar with drinks and fun times. It’s a winning combination.
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
Negroni. I love the strength and bitterness.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
I roll into hot Pilates and it does work. I sweat it all out.
FAVOURITE WINE
When in Paris I like to drink beaujolais. I have vivid memories of a new Beaujolais season coming in and all the bars open and invite everybody in to try it with small morsels of food. It’s a city-wide celebration that brings people together.
FAVOURITE WINERY
There is a gorgeous winery on the Bellarine Peninsula called Jack Rabbit is set up with a restaurant that overlooks the vineyard. They also have early morning yoga. You can have a glass of wine afterwards if that helps. It’s a little secret this part of Victoria I love visiting; you could spend days here. I also went to a gin distillery called The Whiskery.
