I grew up in Kansas City and came to New York to attend the Drama division of the Julliard School. Although it was an intense environment, I received an invaluable level of training as an actor there. Voice, speech, and text interpretation were very strong at school and that knowledge has served me well in my professional career.
One of my early dreams was to work with Harold Prince and Stephen Sondheim and I realized this in my first two New York jobs: the original Broadway productions of Evita and Sunday in the Park with George. In Evita, I was pretty much fresh out of school and began learning the ropes of the professional musical theater scene working with the best of the business at the top of their form. I’ve done a number of musicals since then (you can look at my resume page if you want to see the whole shebang) and I’ve done a fair amount of plays as well. Most notable would be my relationship with the playwright David Ives, whose work I have premiered many times and, recently, my collaboration with John Epperson on his adaptation of Euripides, My Deah.
I have begun working with other actors in a singing/ acting coach capacity and have discovered another aspect of my career that I find exciting and gratifying on both a professional and a personal level: working with other actors as an acting and a singing coach, helping clients find a vibrancy and self-confidence in their work that gives them a distinct advantage in their lives as professional actors.
I am right in the heart of Manhattan and would be available to work with you on songs, plays, audition material for episodic TV, pilots, soaps, and film.
If you are interested in meeting with me, please contact me through my e-mail and we will discuss your particular needs and goals. My rates are reasonable and I can, if you wish, provide a pianist at a modest charge to accompany you if want to sing with me. I am also committed to helping people new at the “biz” get started on the right foot, so if you just have a question or two and you’d like some advice, feel free to send them along.
For more info on private coaching sessions with Nancy,
please e-mail her at:
Nancy@NancyOpel.com
Here’s what some of my clients have said…
“Nancy is a fantastic coach!!! Her own talents and experiences mean she can quickly identify what is standing in your way and then has the gift for helping you change it. Nancy has taught me that auditioning is not about making the right choice, but about making choices that allow you to live within the circumstances of the material so that ultimately you bring truth, creativity and spontaneity to your audition.”
- Kimesia Hartz
“Working with Nancy has given me a greater confidence when I walk into an audition. Whether it is television or stage, comedy or drama, Nancy knows exactly how to bring the best of your abilities to the table to book the job”.
- Nick Verina Follies (Broadway), Grease (National Tour), Altar Boyz (Chicago Company)