Finding Her Voice

At 38, when many settle into routine, Nakita Thomas was quietly wrestling with a feeling she could no longer ignore. “I had reached a point where I felt like I was merely existing and surviving and I wanted more,” she said. Animated, expressive and long drawn to music, poetry and performance, she found herself stuck — until her young daughter asked the simplest question with the greatest impact. 

“I told my daughter Brooke I felt stuck… like I needed to be doing something and she simply asked, ‘Well mommy what do you like to do?’” Thomas recalled. Her answer — “Act and sing” — prompted a matter-of-fact reply that changed everything: “Ok then go do that!” 

That moment became the catalyst for a year that would transform her life. 

Determined to follow her passion, Thomas began searching for drama programmes and soon joined the NCF’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) drama and storytelling classes. It was the perfect entry point. 

“The ICH programme was pivotal indeed,” she said. Under the guidance of respected theatre practitioners Alicia Edwards and Kenneth ‘Jack’ Lewis, Thomas learned the fundamentals of performance, characterisation and narrative craft. “Those are the tools I still use to this day in how I approach a script or character.” 

From there came small roles, including her appearance as Elizabeth Sobers in The Confession — the second instalment of the NCF’s community theatre project Eunice — and varied characters in short film projects. Every step mattered. 

“I take absolutely nothing for granted,” Thomas explained. “Whether the project is small or large I commit to putting my best foot forward. I love the challenge… in most instances, I had to get out of my comfort zone.” 

Thomas brings Lana to life at the Theatre Arts Finals.

All of that preparation led to her breakout performance in Wrong and Strong, where Thomas portrays “Lana”, a woman recounting a traumatic bus experience with striking irony — calling out the faults of others while remaining blind to her own. 

“I want the audience to be completely entertained by the irony of the story and the character,” she said. 

But embodying Lana required emotional excavation. “It was uncomfortable at times,” she admitted. To capture the truth in the character’s reactions, Thomas drew from her own past. “I had to draw on my own traumas… how it would look saying the name of it in my face and my body.” She also studied her family’s expressions when recalling painful memories and leaned on guidance from director Alicia Edwards and the appointed coaches. 

On stage, however, there was no separation. “On stage I was Lana,” she said. “I was just telling my story like I lived it 12 years ago.” 
The audience’s response confirmed she had struck the right chord. “I was really appreciative of how interactive the audience was and how they appeared to have enjoyed it. That is always the goal.” 

When the 2025 NIFCA Performing Arts Awards arrived, Thomas walked away with a Silver Medal, Most Promising Presentation (Drama), and the prestigious Alfred Pragnell Challenge Shield for Acting — awarded to the most outstanding actor, along with a scholarship toward further study. 

“To say I was excited would be a gross understatement,” she said. “I felt truly fulfilled that all my hard work and sacrifices paid off.” 
The moment was made even more special by having her daughter, family and friends cheering her on. “It felt almost like a full circle moment, where the woman that decided she is going to pursue her passion was actually doing it.” 

She added heartfelt thanks to the NCF and NIFCA for offering platforms that nurture emerging talent. “I want to thank NIFCA and the NCF for creating a space for our local talent to showcase our craft(s) and for the recognition and awards.” 

Today, Thomas is an active member of the Leggo Theatre Company, fully immersed in rehearsals, workshops and creative development. Just a year after deciding she needed “more,” she is living in that “more” — pushing boundaries, embracing challenging roles and discovering new layers of herself as a performer. 

Her story is proof that reinvention can happen at any age, and that sometimes the simplest questions — asked by those closest to us — can set an entire future in motion. (PR)