Anthony Nikolchev's life journey began in California's Bay Area, where he was raised. He had the privilege of studying at Wesleyan University under the guidance of his longtime friend and mentor, Yuri Kordonsky, who was a direct descendant of Konstantin Stanislavsky's training lineage.
Anthony's professional theatre career started in Chicago, where he worked with renowned companies such as Lookingglass and XIII Pocket Theatre. He formed a lasting friendship with actor Stephen Louis Grush, the artistic director of XIII Pocket Theatre, and was an ensemble member of the company.
The success of his first self-written solo performance, "Look, What I Don't Understand," about his Bulgarian father's escape from communism, earned him an invitation to tour his performance at a theatre festival in Yerevan, Armenia. This experience had a profound impact on his life, and he subsequently left Chicago to embark on a five-year odyssey to explore the theatre and art scene in Central Europe and beyond.
Anthony has since performed his original solo performances and other plays on stages in Moscow, Warsaw, London, and throughout the UK, Germany, Poland, Armenia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. His two one-man shows, which have won several awards, including the Best Actor award at the NYC's United Solo Festival, have been performed in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
His performances have been praised by critics around the world, with the LA Times describing his work as a "tour de force." Anthony has also written several professionally produced plays for the stage and regularly collaborates with Vivien Wood, a dancer and choreographer trained at the Royal Ballet in London, as well as with members of the Polish theatre ensemble, Studio Matejka.
Throughout his career, Anthony has been awarded three Best Actor awards in various theatre and film festivals and has worked on screen and stage in the US and Europe. He currently teaches at the California Institute for the Arts School of Theater.
