Michelle McNichol: Seven Questions for ‘7 Stories’
Content warning: This interview discusses the topic of suicide. Telephone Aid Line Kingston has representatives trained to provide support and resources to those in Kingston and the surrounding area.
With a background as a musician, a Logistics Officer in the Navy, a sound designer, and more recently, a director, Michelle McNichol has lived a versatile and fulfilling life. Now she is tackling her second play as a director, 7 Stories, at Domino Theatre. In this interview, she shares her directorial approach and the inspirations that influence her work, revealing how her multifaceted background continues to shape her vision.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you first get involved in theatre?
I’ve been an appreciator of theatre for my entire life. I love going and seeing live performances of just about any type. When we moved back to Kingston from Chile, we caught the end of the Domino season. Domino was advertising a director’s workshop, and I had no idea what a director was when it came to theatre, except that they had something to do with theatre magic. So at the last minute, I signed up for it.
I got into this group of people that were the most amazing, eclectic bunch of individuals, and all of them were there because they loved theatre. I was the only one who had zero experience with being a part of the theatre, and I learned a huge amount. They said that the best way to become a director was to get involved with the theatre and start learning how to do things. So I started as a sound operator and I just loved it, so I just kept learning how to do things.
I auditioned for a couple of shows and got a small part in one show. Two whole lines. Needless to say, I was off-book before we even started rehearsals, but it was a wonderful experience. Then, a couple of years ago, a show came up that I thought looked interesting, so I applied to direct it, and I got chosen. It was called Over the River and Through the Woods. Then this year, a show came up that I thought, “Hey, that sounds like a lot of fun!” And that’s this one, 7 Stories.
The play is simultaneously dark and comedic. As a director, what themes did you want to show most through this story?
This show is about death, dying, and suicide. I want to show that death is 100% natural. It’s one of the full truths of life. We die—we all do—and it’s really amazing to me how many people are afraid of it. I don’t think that there’s a reason to be afraid of death. It’s going to happen. So you’re better off prepared and ready to enjoy it.
I’m ready to die tomorrow. I’ve had an amazing full life, and if it were to end, I’d be okay with it. It’s such a natural thing, I don’t see why we have to make it so dark. Why can’t we make it an enjoyable experience? This play lets you think about death in a more fun way.
What drew you to 7 Stories as a director? Was there something about the play that immediately clicked with you?
Sometimes you read a script and you have to really think about it. This one just made perfect sense to me. As soon as I read it, I immediately knew what the set would look like. I started looking, googling what other people have done, and I realized that my set is completely different from what everybody else has done.
Because the show is about a man on a ledge, thinking about jumping, I wanted to have the man in the air. Most of the shows have the man standing at stage level, and I thought, “There’s no peril in that.” I mean, how can you believe that he’s going to jump when he’s on what looks like the ground floor? So, I asked my set designer to build a two-story building so that the man is up on the second story. There’s a bit more peril involved there.
The play does not specify where or when the show is set. It immediately got me thinking, “What if we put the show in Kingston?” So the set is a limestone building in Kingston with scaffolding in front of it because they’re doing maintenance or renovations, and the man is standing in a scaffolding cage. That gives us the peril because he’s ten feet off the ground.
What’s your process for working with designers so their ideas shape the production while still staying true to your vision?
It was actually quite easy because I decided the location was Kingston. A lot of the limestone buildings have green trim around the windows. So I said to Wayne Orr, our set designer and chief carpenter, that’s what I want and I just let him do that.
It’s his first time designing a set, but he’s done an amazing job. He’s very experienced at set dressing. All the windows have some kind of different window dressing, which again is different from what I’ve seen in other shows, where they all look the same.
Additionally, the way the script read made me think of the mid-1960s. I just knew this couldn’t be black and white. So we set it in 1968, and that gives you bright, colorful costumes. You think indie and bohemian with these bright, colorful costumes popping out on a white background.
What do you hope audiences leave thinking or feeling after seeing your version of 7 Stories?
I hope that everybody goes home with a smile on their heart. There are seven windows, which gives you the part of the name 7 Stories, plus the fact that he’s on the seventh story of a building, which is the other 7 Stories. I hope that everybody goes home and has a favorite story because each one is completely different. There’s really something for everyone in this show.
When you’re not directing, what kinds of plays or performances do you enjoy watching or performing in for yourself?
I’m a sucker for a good comedy, but I’m also a musician, so I enjoy a lot of musical performances. When I was a kid in school, I played the oboe, but there wasn’t always music for it so sometimes I would run around to the back of the band and play the xylophone because all of our drummers couldn’t read music. They could read the rhythm, but they didn’t know what notes were. As a piano player, I knew music, and I could read notes.
Normally, I play the double bass in Orchestra Kingston, and they just recently did some fundraising, and they’ve got a brand new xylophone, so they’ve asked if I would switch instruments. I’m going to be playing the xylophone for the next season at Orchestra Kingston.
Is there anything I haven’t asked that you wish I had or something you’d like to share?
I just wanted to note that without even trying, half of [our cast and crew] are new to Domino Theater. We’ve got 15 actors, seven of whom have never played at the Domino stage, and one of them has never been on stage at all. Same thing with our crew. Some of these people have experience in the theater, but it’s a new role for them. My sound designer shadowed me in a previous production, so I asked her if she’d like to try doing one on her own, because this sound design is fairly simple.
Having all these new people shows what I said at the beginning: theater is an eclectic mix of individuals who are all there because they love theater, and it is such a wonderful environment to be a part of.
Michelle is elated to be directing her second full-length play at Domino Theatre (Over The River and Through The Woods). With such an incredible cast and crew, this production is a dream realized. Beyond the theatre, she finds joy in volunteering and has traded her double bass for a fresh experience as the xylophonist for Orchestra Kingston.
‘7 Stories’ runs from September 11-27, 2025, at Domino Theatre. More information about the program and tickets can be found here.
