Nick Cearley Discusses The Skivvies & Leading with Kindness!
I am so excited to introduce you to the oh-so-talented Nick Cearley. Nick is an Actor, Musician, Singer, and Dancer who is mostly known for being one-half of the Indie-Pop Duo The Skivvies alongside Lauren Molina (Johanna in the 2005 Revival of Sweeney Todd). Currently working on their first studio album, The Skivvies have been featured in the New York Times, People, and The New York Post among many others. Nick and Lauren (and only them!) also conceived an amazing new production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown which was seen at the Cincinnati Playhouse in 2019, where Nick also performed the role of Linus and served as Dance Captain. Other credits for Nick include the first National Tour of All Shook Up as well as regional with companies such as The Bucks County Playhouse and the Cincinnati Playhouse just to name a few.
I have admired Nick for many years and am so thankful to have the chance to interview such a versatile artist who would easily excel at whatever challenge is put in front of him.
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer on the stage?
Since I was two years old. My parents put me in dance classes, and I never wanted to leave. My aunts all had a dance studio, my sister had one, my cousin has one in Chicago. My grandma used to play the piano for the classes. It is in my blood. I also don’t know how to do anything else. HAHA.
Are there any mentors in your life who truly helped you become the fantastic performer you are today?
Anyone who encouraged me to embrace my uniqueness and authenticity as a person and as a performer. I feel like colleagues I have worked with that encouraged me were people who took chances on me and gave me opportunities.
The late Eric Weinberger was a huge inspiration in my life challenging me to conquer a one-person play for the first time, something I'd never done up until then. What I learned from that experience paved a lot of the way for other one-person play opportunities as I became more and more comfortable tackling them.
Bill Russell (Tony-nominated for the book and lyrics of Side Show) gave me my first job out of school, and I remember learning how collaborative the experience was from him. That collaboration led to many other collaborations with him, and I love how flexible and supportive he has been by helping to tailor things to my strengths. That job actually was playing Alice Ripley’s son in a workshop of a musical he had written the book and lyrics for, and I remember connecting with her in such a unique way that it pushed me to march to my own drum as an actor.
As far as a musician, my co-creator of The Skivvies, Lauren Molina, has always pushed me to go further with playing instruments and collaboration. I learn the most from my friends.
The Skivvies (Photo by Jacqueline Patton Photography)
We are living in some unprecedented times in the world. For all artists (especially actors) it is definitely a time of uncertainty. What has your everyday routine been like during Quarantine and what are some things you do to keep your spirits up?
It definitely has taken some time to get used to this for all of us, right? When this began, it was unclear how long this would go on. And now it seems it has an indefinite ending. I have learned that what I had during the “before” were many boxes to check a day to feel productive.
So, in the now, I make sure I create my own boxes to check from tasks to chores to creative projects to even the mundane like reading a book or spending time on a jigsaw puzzle. My husband has not stopped working since the shutdown, and that has been a fun new household activity to navigate as he works from home now. SO MANY ZOOMS.
I have loved following your amazing career which has been so wonderful and I LOVE yours and Lauren Molina's group "The Skivvies"! Tell me about your partnership with Lauren and what makes it so unique and special?
Sometimes, I have to remind myself how lucky I am to have created something with my best friend of nearly 17 years. We have a brother/sister relationship that has carried over to our onstage personas as well as our offstage friendship. We met getting our Equity cards in a TheatreWorksUSA show driving a van full of costumes and sets and other actors across the country to put on shows in the grandest cafetoriums of the land for Kindergarteners through 3rd graders. We have been there for each other ever since.
Are there any shows, performances, or experiences in your wonderful career that will always stick out and be near and dear to your heart?
Any time I get to work in NYC and go home to my own bed afterward is always a treat. I would say All Shook Up was a highlight getting to sing and dance in one of the happiest and most fun musicals. It was also very special as it was my first production contract. and I cherished all 382 performances I did of it. In more recent history, I have gotten to check off a couple of dream shows. Little Shop of Horrors will always be treasured as that role (Seymour) is and will always be a childhood dream of mine to play. The production I did had a very long run in regional time as it was a co-production between Portland Center Stage and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. So, it was exciting to get to continue fine-tuning, tweaking, discovering, and exploring.
I also love The Rocky Horror Show. In 2013, Bucks County Playhouse began what is now an annual tradition there for October with the show directed by Hunter Foster and choreographed by Lorin Latarro. So, getting to play Brad Majors and experiencing that wacky show for all those years was something I prioritized and cherished. It was that experience that in fact inspired Lauren and me to develop The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show which is just our take on the classic cult score but putting our Skivvies stamp of mash-ups and medleys built around the songs from the show on it. We do it every year at Joes Pub at The Public Theatre.
This year we had it booked all around the country, but because of the pandemic, all those shows were canceled, so we thought this was the right time to record it as an album as we have always wanted to do. The album is currently being mixed and will be out in time for Halloween this year!
What advice would you give any young aspiring artists in these challenging times?
Live performances will be back! This industry is all about persistency, resistance, proactivity, and patience. We are experiencing this at a heightened level right now and it is okay in this moment to breathe, refocus, and re-center. I would also make sure to embrace what makes you YOU and make sure when we all come back to do what we do, to carry that authenticity back with you. We are very resilient as performers and artists, and I know a lot of us are being tested. It is important to not lose hope. If you lose hope, what else are you going to hang onto?
Oh and also, be nice to everyone. Lead with kindness. You have no idea how many people will circle back in your life to surprise you in new roles, and I have learned that if you leave a bad impression, making a new impression is more difficult than making a first impression.
To learn more about Nick please make sure you visit his official website at - https://www.nickcearley.com
If you would like to donate to help produce The Skivvies debut album please visit -
Check out Nick and Lauren (Skivvies) perform "Beautiful Reflection Medley" featuring Theatre World Award Recipient Bonnie Milligan (Broadway's Head Over Heels)