Nick Monu
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Nick Monu (born 25 March 1965) is a Nigerian dramatist, actor and director.


Life

Nicholas Monu was born as the fourth child and second son of the Monu prince of
Asaba Asaba is the capital city of Delta State, Nigeria. It is located at the western bank of the Niger River, in the Oshimili South Local Government Area. Asaba had a population of 149,603 as at the 2006 census, and a metropolitan population of o ...
, Obiora Monu, accountant and CEO of Obiora Monu & Co. in
Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
, and Mrs. Florence Monu (née Oluwo), teacher at the Corona School in Lagos. He spent his first childhood years in Nigeria, until he and his family left the country owing to the
Biafran War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence ...
. For a short while, the family lived with an uncle who was at that time the designated Nigerian ambassador to Germany and thereafter Italy. Later he attended St. Andrew's School in
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
and Millfield Senior School in Somerset. Besides an elite European education, he was educated in singing, sport and arts. After having attended American University in Washington, D.C., and
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: *Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...
in London from 1987 to 1989, he was chosen together with another 11 English-speaking drama students to play the lead part in
Anton Tschechow Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
’s theatre play " Uncle wanja" at the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia. Thereafter he started his career in the UK as a freelance actor, appearing in productions like ''
The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...
'' 1990 to 2011 at the Royal National Theatre, ''Talking in Tongues'' 1991 to 1992 at the
Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...
and ''Blues for Mr. Charlie'' 1992 to 1993 at the
Manchester Royal Exchange The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...
. Between 1994 and 1997 he became a member of the Berlin Schaubühne Ensemble and played leadparts, for example in "Hotel Orpheu", "Orestes", "Symposium" and "Die Sprache der Vögel". 1998 he returned for a short while to London and played lead parts in the theatre productions "Oroonoko" at the Royal Shakespeare Company, ''The honest whore'' and ''
Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a ...
'' at the Globe Theatre and started his film and television career. He starred in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's EastEnders, Holby City, T.L.C.,
The Whistle Blower ''The Whistle Blower'' is a 1986 British spy thriller film directed by Simon Langton and starring Michael Caine, James Fox, Nigel Havers, Felicity Dean, John Gielgud, Kenneth Colley, Gordon Jackson, David Langton, and Barry Foster. It is b ...
and the films ''Stigma'' and White Hawk. 2001 he started with a series of performances in the opera '' Entführung aus dem Serail'' at the Wiener Volksoper as “Bassa Selim”. In 2002 he moved between
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and London, starring as " Othello" and "King Headley" at the
Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...
. In 2003 he joined the Ensemble of the Wiener Burgtheater and starred in productions like "Was Ihr wollt", "7 Sekunden oder in God we Trust", "Die Ziege", "Don Carlos", "Die Katze auf dem heißen Blechdach" and "Sofasurfin". 2006 he appeared once again as "Bassa Selim" at the Opera de Marseille, marking his first stage début in France. Since 2004 Monu has appeared in many German-speaking cinema and film productions, for example in 2004 in "
Vier Frauen und ein Todesfall ''Vier Frauen und ein Todesfall '' is an Austrian crime television series, first aired on the Austrian television channel "ORF eins" in 2005. The show also aired in Switzerland on SRF1, in Germany on RTL Crime and on the Franco-German TV networ ...
", in 2005 in "Gefangene", 2006 in the
Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed b ...
-series "Schattenspiele" and "Tod aus Afrika" as well as in " Kommissarin Lucas – German Angst", in 2007 in " – " and " KDD – Scham" and in 2010 in " The Unintentional Kidnapping of Mrs. Elfriede Ott". 2007 he starred as Othello at the Salisbury Playhouse. Between 2008 and 2013 he travelled to Lagos in order to work on several productions, educating and training people working in these areas. The Austrian base NGO "Friends of Monu & Monu" is the European counterpart, providing support for the artistic projects in Africa. Nick Monu is the chairman of this NGO, with Roman Bönsch as secretary and Simone Monu as treasurer. As a producer and director he was involved in "Sonette XCIV" by William Shakespeare, starring Sir Alan Bates in 1999, shortfilm "Split Ends" – Cruzon Cinema, Soho, 2002, as well as the short "Wienerin betet" for the Festival Mythos Modern, Vienna, 2008; in 2009 he directed "Swamp Dwellers" by
Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...
, National Theatre of Nigeria, and started producing music videos and held training workshops together with the Goethe-Institut Lagos called "Bauprobe" based on Wole Soyinka's "A dance of the Forest". 2010 he starred as the lead part in
Christian Kracht Christian Kracht (; born 29 December 1966) is a Swiss author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. Personal life Kracht was born in Saanen in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. He attended Schule Schloss Salem in Baden-Wür ...
's " Ich werde hier sein im Sonnenschein und im Schatten" at the
Theater Basel Theater Basel is the municipal theatre of the city of Basel, Switzerland, which is home to the city's opera and ballet companies. The theatre also presents plays and musicals in addition to operas and operettas. Because the theatre does not ha ...
, and appeared in the Alexanderfest at
Augusta Raurica Augusta Raurica is a Roman archaeological site and an open-air museum in Switzerland located on the south bank of the Rhine river about 20 km east of Basel near the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst. It is the site of the oldest known ...
as Zeus. 2011 he directed "The Cost of Living" by
Sefi Atta Sefi Atta (born January 1964) is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian-American novelist, short-story writer, playwright and screenwriter. Her books have been translated into many languages, radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC, and her stage play ...
as a world première at Terra Kulture / Lagos, which was invited by
Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...
to showcase at the Black Heritage Festival in April of the same year. In October 2011 he directed the world premier of "Hagel auf Zamfara" (English: The Sentence) by the same author,
Sefi Atta Sefi Atta (born January 1964) is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian-American novelist, short-story writer, playwright and screenwriter. Her books have been translated into many languages, radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC, and her stage play ...
, a Nigerian play translated into German, at the
Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach gGmbH is a daughter company of the German cities Krefeld and Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway betwee ...
. In spring 2013 he directed another play in Germany, "
Happy days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...
" by Samuel Beckett, at the
Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach gGmbH is a daughter company of the German cities Krefeld and Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway betwee ...
, with its opening in April 2013. Thereafter he became the curator of the established African Art Gallery matombo in the old town of Salzburg, where he has curated shows of traditional and modern African Art. 2015 he held a reading based on Opera Wonyosi of Wole Soyinka as part of the opening of the Salzburger Festspiele within the gallery. In 2019 the African Art Gallery was redesigned and transferred into an online Gallery www.matombo.at In January 2016 he had his debut at the Thalia Theatre in Hamburg, playing Father Joad in the stage adaption of John Steinbeck's novel Grapes of Wrath, directed by
Luk Perceval Luk or LUK may refer to: Surname Luk or Loke is the Cantonese romanization of several (but not all) Chinese surnames that are romanized as Lu in Mandarin. It may refer to: *Lu (surname 陆) * Lu (surname 禄) *Lu (surname 逯) *Lu (surname 鹿) O ...
. From 2017 to 2020 he starred in several Austrian, Swiss and German Cinema and TV Films and played a supporting lead character in the first Austrian CiFi Movie RUBINKON in 2020, which was released in 2022. Since 2017 he has supported Actors as an Acting Coach in Nigeria, with the Film Eyimofe winning several international film prices and a showcase at the Berlinale in 2020. In 2021 he starred as Othello at the Landestheater Niederösterreich and played Iason in Medea at the Grand Theatre in Luxemburg in early 2022. Since 2005 he is married to the Austrian designer Simone Monu and has three children.


Filmography

* '' The Unintentional Kidnapping of Mrs. Elfriede Ott'' (Dor Film, 2010), as Malou * '': "t"'' (Network Movie, 2007) * '' KDD: "Scham"'' (Hofmann & Voges / ZDF, 2008), as David Kwahne * '' Kommissarin Lucas: "German Angst"'' (Olga Film / ZDF, 2007), as Chris Arano * ''
Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed b ...
: "Schattenspiele"'' (Studio Hamburg, 2006), as Jonathan Waputo * ''
Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed b ...
: "Ein Tod aus Afrika"'' (Satel Film / ORF, 2006), as Farah * ''Gefangene'' (Tagtraum / ZDF, 2005), as Moussa * ''
Vier Frauen und ein Todesfall ''Vier Frauen und ein Todesfall '' is an Austrian crime television series, first aired on the Austrian television channel "ORF eins" in 2005. The show also aired in Switzerland on SRF1, in Germany on RTL Crime and on the Franco-German TV networ ...
: "Künstlerpech"'' (Dor Film / ORF, 2004), as Maurice Videre * ''
Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...
: "Shattered Dreams"'' (BBC, 2003), as Simon Dunning * '' EastEnders'' (BBC, 2003), as Dr. Murray * '' Holby City: "Facing Facts"'' (BBC, 2002), as Howard Lewis * '' Monarch of the Glen'' (2001), as D.C. West * ''The Glass'' – 4 Episodes (2001), as Ray Collins * ''
Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama television series, series about a General Practice, GP surgery in Cardale—a small List of fictional towns in television, fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the Physician, doctors who wor ...
: "Walls of Jericho"'' (Central Television (2000), as Tyrone Wells * ''
The Whistle-Blower ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (BBC, 2000), as Tony Shiner * ''Stigma'' (Maverick Films, 1998, short), as Thierry Masart * ''All Our Sins Remembered…'' (Polite Films, 1997, short), as Jack Whitehawk * ''After The Wax'' (dir. Chaz Maviyane-Davies, 1992, short) * Lead parts in different TV series like ''
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...
'', '' EastEnders'', ''
Screen One ''Screen One'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and distributed by BBC Worldwide, that was transmitted on BBC One from 1989 to 1998. A total of six series were broadcast, incorporating sixty individual fil ...
(Black and Blue)'', ''The Professionals'', ''
Boon Boon may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Boon (game), a trick-taking card game * ''Boon'' (novel), a 1915 satirical work by H. G. Wells * ''Boon'' (TV series), a British television series starring Michael Elphick * The Ultimate Boo ...
'' 1989–97


Awards

*2011 Lagos Heritage Festival - Best Nigerian Theatre Play - THE COST OF LIVING *1990 he won the Evening Standard Award for the play ''Talking in Tongues'' at the Royal Court Theatre and was nominated as best actor in a supporting role. *1993 the film ''After the Wax'' won at the South African Film Festivals in Harare prices for best director and best short film.


References


External links

* *
Thalia Theater Hamburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monu, Nick 1965 births Living people Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Nigerian artists Nigerian theatre directors People educated at Millfield