Profile | John B. Nicol: Lanesboro’s “Jack of All Arts”

LANESBORO — Calling someone a “Jack of all trades,” a phrase dating back to the 1600s, was originally meant to compliment someone who could do many things well. (Three words added later—“master of none”—turned it a bit sarcastic). That first meaning certainly fits John B. Nicol of Lanesboro, a young man who does many things well and enjoys all of them.

“I’m more artist than tradesman,” Nicol, 28, says with a smile. “Maybe ‘Jack of arts’ fits better!” 

Nicol is an actor and full-time resident ensemble member of the Commonweal Theatre; a serious photographer currently at work on a project funded by a Minnesota State Arts Board grant; and is part-time Museum Director for the Lanesboro Historic Preservation Association. John also loves music and writes poetry. “Jack of arts” fits very well!

John B. Nicol, the actor

Growing up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, John discovered the arts early. “My family was very involved in community theater,” he says. “My parents met while both were auditioning for a play called The Nerd at the Waterloo Community Playhouse.

“When I was eight, all of us (including my younger brother, Albie) auditioned for and got parts in a production of ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.’ My mother remembers having to scold me for correcting her when she dropped a line in rehearsal!

“In high school,” Nicol continues, “I was in plays and musicals and later enrolled at Minnesota State University-Mankato. They were doing 17 shows every year. In addition to classwork, I knew there would be good theater experience.” 

Music also entered Nicol’s life early. He played piano, sang in choirs, was a percussionist in his high school band, and even began writing music.

After college his role in a production of Footloose in Bemidji, Minn., led to him being named musical director for Legally Blonde—The Musical at Bemidji High School. He enjoyed that, but acting remained his main artistic pursuit.

“Acting is the closest you can ever get to experiencing someone else’s life,” he says. “People like telling their own stories; acting lets you put yourself into someone else’s life. I love that feeling.”

Actor John B. Nicol was part of the Commonweal Theatre’s 2023 Apprentice production of The Pillowman. (Commonweal Theater photo)

In 2020 John went to the Twin Cities Unified Theater auditions where he met Hal Cropp, producing artistic director of Lanesboro’s Commonweal Theatre. “I applied for and was accepted as an apprentice at the Commonweal,” Nicol explains, but then COVID created complications; “I eventually arrived in Lanesboro in 2022 and got to work that year on plays like Leading Ladies, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and our apprentice capstone production of The Pillowman.”

Nicol is happy to be part of the Commonweal, a unique, small-town, professional theater company now in its 37th season (learn more about the Commonweal — read In Rural Minnesota, this Resident Ensemble Model Thrives). Its resident ensemble members play many roles, in front of the curtain and behind it. 

That’s certainly been true for Nicol. “I’ve been an actor, a scenic painter, a production associate and assistant to the director of administration,” he says. “I enjoy the variety.

“The Commonweal consistently delivers a quality experience for its audience. Our plays offer a bit of everything. We make you laugh. We make you cry. We make you think. It’s awesome to be part of all that.” 

John Nicol loves theater and sees himself staying involved in it for a long time. “Whatever I do in the rest of my life, theater will always be present. It’s a major part of who I am.”

John B. Nicol’s photo of fellow Commonweal actor, Alex Schlesinger.

John B. Nicol, the photographer

The influence Nicol’s parents had on him went beyond acting. “My dad is also a great photographer,” he says. “Throughout my life I’ve seen a lot of his photos that he took for community theatre productions, live concerts, and many other performances.

“I started taking pictures, too, and grew to love the sound and feeling of the click of a camera. In the last few years, I’ve begun to seriously explore photography as an art form.”

He started by purchasing his favorite camera – an Olympus OM 2N – and making a commitment to film rather than digital as his preferred medium.

“There’s something about working with film in terms of its physicality that’s important to me. When I take a picture, I have the negative. I can recreate that photograph. Film provides total ownership of a photo.”

What are his favorite subjects to capture? “I’m a huge fan of street photography, taking spontaneous shots of people in natural settings,” he says. “I also enjoy landscapes.”

His current grant-supported project involves photographing weathered and weathering buildings in rural Minnesota.

In December, John will host a capstone event featuring an exhibition of his works. The event, open to the public, will be held December 15 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Commonweal Theatre – it will include an artist talk taking place between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m.

“I could see compiling these photographs into a book someday,” he says. 

John B. Nicol is now Museum Director for the Lanesboro Historic Preservation Association, celebrating 50 years in 2026. (Submitted photo)

John B. Nicol, the museum director

Still another one of Nicol’s interests is history, one he’s currently enjoying as the part-time Museum Director for the Lanesboro Historic Preservation Association.

“I love history and museums,” he says. “During COVID I worked at the Grout Museum District in Waterloo, a collection of museums that highlight history and science along with the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum. I enjoyed that very much.”

Earlier this year, a transition in leadership at the Lanesboro Historic Preservation Association opened an additional door for him. “Lanesboro has a fascinating history and a wonderful museum,” John says.

“When then-director Val Tindall relocated, I applied for and got that position. I’m excited to be there and to explore the Museum’s future programming opportunities.”

John B. Nicol…

Actor. Photographer. Museum Director. A “Jack of arts,” and a busy young man.

“Creativity runs all through me,” he says. “I’m thankful I can express and share that in many different ways.”

 

Root River Current’s coverage of the arts is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.