

Born the same week that Tootsie, Gandhi and ET earned top spots at the box
office, it’s no coincidence that Nicki Clyne finds ongoing inspiration
in Mahatma Gandhi’s life, that she’s convinced life exists outside
our current definition, and that she’s never felt quite right about
Dustin Hoffman. Nicki later grew to be directly influenced by the enchanting
talents of Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz and by the unparalleled independence
and cool expressed through her favorite orphan, Punky Brewster. Nicki can
still be seen clicking the heels of her mismatched Converse when she finds
herself in regrettable situations.
Since childhood, and with the same intensity she has since employed fighting Cylons
in all out space-battle, Nicki attempted to fit the square shape in the square
hole, the circle shape in the circle hole and, on occasion, the square shape in
the circle hole. It was this diligence and focus that taught her to never give
up on her dreams, to believe in herself, and that, if it came to it, she could
always solve the Rubik’s cube by simply peeling off the stickers.
Nicki’s first brush with success came after winning top prize at her Kindergarten
Pet Show, where she proudly demonstrated her lop eared bunny’s uncanny ability
to “skateboard” - in other words, be pulled, unamused, by a little
neon harness. But the showmanship didn’t stop there: there were school plays,
backyard dance performances, dress-up days, and impromptu postmodern performance
art (a unique craft her mother never fully appreciated and often confused for
temper tantrums). Along with her love of performing, her love of winning has blossomed
into a healthy competitive spirit that comes out mostly at dance parties and in
discussions about anything she thinks she knows anything about.
Growing up, Nicki pursued her myriad interests – from horseback riding to
the bass guitar, from photography to boys’ ice hockey – with an equally
short attention span. As soon as one sports season ended, another quickly took
its place, and if Physics was too hard, there was always Musical Theater. But
her curiosity and exuberant nature never failed to keep her engaged as she explored
different areas of study, including philosophy, psychology, religion, ethics,
art, media, and more. Eventually she achieved the awareness that how she lived
her life was more important that what she knew or managed to accomplish.
Ultimately, Nicki found her true passion lay in understanding and upholding the
human experience - in every medium. Acting is one such venue - a means to explore
the nature of our common struggles, while hopefully inspiring critical thought
and compassion in the process. As well, Nicki is highly involved in humanitarian
endeavors and community initiatives. Instead of feeling there is “no place
like home,” she now feels like there is “no place like now.”