Inspired by the go-getting attitude of her American teachers, actress Charlotte Nice tells MARION SAUVEBOIS how she set up her own theatre company to cater for the lack of women-led productions and roles

WESTLEA Primary School circa 1999: the play was Alice in Wonderland.

A timid Charlotte Nice tentatively took centre stage. Within seconds her jitters had vanished; she was no longer a hesitant pupil reciting her lines to a crowd of parents but the little girl sucked down the rabbit hole bewildered at every turn by the fantasy world's coterie of raving natives.

Now a professional actress on the cusp of debuting her first play as artistic director of her own theatre company, she is lightening years away from the shy schoolgirl handpicked for the lead by a cunning teacher determined to make her come out of her shell.

And yet her story begins with those brief moments as Alice.

"I remember the feeling really vividly coming off stage and thinking 'I want to do that again'," says the 27-year-old fondly. "My teacher actually gave me the role because I was shy and she thought it would improve my confidence. Every class did a bit of the production so it was a small role but this is what started everything for me. I went to a part-time stage school. It's been a constant part of my life since I about 13."

Pragmatic even at a relatively young age, Charlotte was under no illusion getting noticed in an already saturated industry would be anything but gruelling work.

And the grind of auditions, knockbacks and prohibitive cost of drama schools soon brought home the extent of the challenge ahead.

Undeterred and practical as ever, when she completed a BTEC in performing arts at New College in 2005, Charlotte made up her mind to enter the industry through the back door; whatever would allow her to gain insider knowledge between auditions and edge closer to the stage - even if it meant biding her time in the wings, or as it turned out, the Wyvern's cafe.

After a spell behind the theatre bar, she joined the wardrobe crew before working her way up to press and marketing officer.

"You can't come out thinking you're going to work every single day because it's not realistic unless you're in the 0.01 per cent," she says without a hint of defeatism. "But every experience is invaluable in this industry and you can take something away from every job you do. I think every actor should work in one other aspect of the entertainment industry at least," adds Charlotte, who now lives in London. "It gives you more appreciation of what other people do in theatre. But going to drama school was still something I wanted to do. It was just a case of saving money to do it."

In 2011, she enrolled in evening classes at the Central School of Speech and Drama, commuting to London two days a week after work. Tired of waiting patiently on the fringes, she eventually moved to the capital to give her career the best possible chance.

"I was involved with a couple of local productions and some short films, but I didn't have time to be pursuing it that much - which is why I knew working at the theatre was only going to be a temporary thing. But I loved it it was the best job I could have been doing at that time and I met the most incredible people."

During her brief training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, she was cast as a dancer in a Britain's Got Talent commercial fronted by Ant and Dec, featured in Scouting for Girls' Summertime in the City music video and cast in the opening and closing ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic Games, as a placard bearer for China.

In among Olympics fever, luck finally smiled on her and she was accepted to The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York for an intensive training course.

Summer 2012, she recalls, was a "blur of excitement and visa applications."

"2012 was a great year for me - it really was all happening, finally," she adds, with disarming humility.

"Several weeks after arriving at Strasberg I was lucky enough to be cast in my first off Broadway production. It was really inspiring and affirming. It definitely confirmed to me it was something I could do. It was a method acting school and method acting requires you to be in tune with yourself and your emotions. Putting yourself in a foreign environment your emotions are automatically heightened so it was very helpful to undergo that very intense training in New York."

Back in the UK, she got stuck in auditions again but was immediately struck by the dearth of strong female roles available. Deflated by the lack of women-led productions, she took her cue from her American teachers' slightly brasher go-getting approach, and created her own opportunities by launching a theatre company, What A Nice Production, in January.

"I thought no-one is going to give me that chance so I have to give myself the chance instead of sitting around waiting for things to happen," she says firmly. "The teachers at Strasberg really couldn't emphasise the importance of taking control of your career and creating your own work enough to us. After returning to London I watched my New York peers go on to create work for themselves in film and theatre and was inspired to do the same. No day like today and all that," she chuckles.

Charlotte initially set her sights on acquiring the rights of In Love and Warcraft, an award-winning American comedy she had previously used in an audition. But she immediately hit her first hurdle. The rights had already been bought by another British troupe and she was forced to go back to the drawing board. By a stroke of sheer luck the company in question cancelled the play's run at the eleventh hour, leaving Charlotte free to swoop in and secure it for What a Nice Production in May.

"And then it was all a bit manic," she laughs. "I had to interview for directors, we had to cast it. I had never been the one making the final decisions so it was very interesting. It was a nice break being on the other side, not to be the person putting yourself on the line - or at least on the line in a different way," she confesses. "And it's great to see people work, see the characters come to life."

After a marathon rehearsal, the play will premiere at Theatre N16 in London's trendy Balham on November 6.

As well as a fledgling artistic director and producer, Charlotte will take the lead as Evie, a gamer, college senior, and confirmed virgin only too happy to retreat in the virtual world of Warcraft. Not only does she command a top-ranked guild in the game with her online boyfriend, she also makes money on the side writing love letters for people who have bungled their relationships.

"It feels like it's come full circle and I can use all the skills I've learnt into the production company. And we've got a great team behind the production. I hope it's the next stage in my career but with everything in this industry, you never know how long things are going to last. I'm really thinking in the present and not too far down the line," she adds coolly.

Behind her seemingly calm and serene exterior, she admits to feeling under growing pressure as opening night looms . But she is relishing every moment of her producing debut.

"Most people are at their best under pressure," she says matter-of-fact. "It's good to be taken outside your comfort zone. It's really empowering to be able to take control of your career or a portion of your career. Whatever happens I can say I've tried. I really want to give this the best run we can. It's a process that's only begun."

In Love and Warcraft runs at N16 Balham between November 6 and 10 and again from November 13 to 17. To book visit whataniceproduction.co.uk. Alternative for more details go to the company's Facebook or Twitter pages.