Nick Sandys is an award-winning actor, director, and fight choreographer, as well as an educator. He is a Resident Fight Director at Lyric Opera of Chicago where he has designed violence for over 70 productions (recent credits include Fidelio, Carmen, Ernani, Macbeth, Tosca, West Side Story and Jesus Christ Superstar). He also directed the 2019 revival of Strauss’ Elektra (also at Dallas Opera 2024 and Houston Grand Opera 2018). His Jeff-award-winning fight direction has been seen all over Chicagoland, including over 30 productions at Goodman Theatre (most recently Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, Gem of the Ocean, Clyde’s, Cherry Orchard, Swing State), as well as on Broadway (Steppenwolf’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), at The Metropolitan Opera (Prince Igor, Giulio Cesare, Il Trovatore), and regionally. Nick is a member of the College of Fight Masters (the highest rank) with The Society of American Fight Directors and has been adjunct faculty at The Theatre School at DePaul University since 1995.
Nick was the Producing Artistic Director of Remy Bumppo Theatre Company from 2012-2021 and a founding member of the ensemble, where he appeared in 17 productions and directed numerous others, including Howards End, Great Expectations, Life of Galileo, Travesties, Our Class, and Seascape. Nick has also directed shows for First Folio (Merry Wives, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth) where he was an Artistic Associate, and for Noble Fool Theatricals, Chamber Opera Chicago, Fort Worth Shakespeare in the Park, Stage West, Circle Theatre (TX), among others.
Nick has also performed in over 150 theatrical productions nationwide including productions at the Remy Bumppo, First Folio, Northlight, Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman, Writers’ Theatre, Mercury Theatre, Next Theatre, Lookingglass, Marriott Lincolnshire, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Light Opera Works, and Chamber Opera Chicago, as well as regionally and Off Broadway. He has received 22 Joseph Jefferson Nominations (10 as an actor, 5 as a producer, 4 as a fight choreographer, and 3 as a director), as well as an After Dark Award, a Dallas/Ft.Worth Critics Circle Award, and he was a 2019 Audie Finalist for his audiobook narration of Stoker’s Dracula.
Nick holds MAs in English Literature from both Cambridge University and Loyola University Chicago (as well as a PhD [abd] from Loyola), and he is the proud recipient of a 2011 Achievement Award from The Helen Coburn Meier and Tim Meier Charitable Foundation For The Arts.
