Tony Nicholls was born and educated in England, gaining a BA(Hons) in Southampton and an MA in Birmingham. He worked for a couple of years as a professional actor, then took up teaching.
Nicholls began writing for the theatre in the late 1960s and has written a number of pantomimes as well as plays for adults and for youth theatre. A founding member of the Writers and Performers Workshop, and a board member and chair of its successor, the W. A. Playwrights' Consortium (STAGES), he was involved in dramaturgy and script development work in Perth for over twenty years. During this period, he pioneered the use of theatre for business and other conferences. One of these productions, a videorecording entitled The Alzheimer Plays, which he wrote and directed, was produced by Curtain University's Hayman Theatre Company. Commissioned by the Alzheimer's Association of Western Australia, it was first screened at the First National Conference of the Alzheimer's Association, held at the University of Western Sydney.
After thirty years co-ordinating and teaching in the Performance Studies course at Curtin University in Perth, Nicholls moved to Hobart to write full time. He has also collaborated with composer Richard John on a number of projects, including The Centre, an off-beat musical set in a shopping centre.
