Nicole Marie Lado

Hi friends! I’m Nicole Marie Lado, a New York-based theater and film actor, comedian, and Wii Bowling enthusiast (but more on that later). I’ve opened for Jim Gaffigan at the Gotham Comedy Club*, starred in iconic comedic roles such as the Ugly Step-Sister in Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella and Mrs. Harcourt in Anything Goes, and recently made my New York theater debut at The Tank as Girlie Ensemble 1/Rachel Berry in the new instant cult-classic play Archive of My Own, which will also be performed at the Hudson Guild Theater in July as part of the New York Summer Fest 2025. I am currently studying voice with Lisa Rochelle to fulfill my theater kid destiny of belting out Broadway classics in a Denny’s at 3 a.m. to the chagrin of my loved ones.

 

Originally hailing from the D.C. Metropolitan area, which is just a cooler way of saying I’m from Olney, Maryland, I started my illustrious acting career at the ripe old age of 9 years old when I unexpectedly had to swing on for the lead role of the Third Little Pig in my elementary school’s bizarre staged reading of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. To any potential agents or managers out there, I believe this perfectly showcases my lifelong dedication to the art of preparedness, adaptability, and dependability; I’m ready to take on any role at the drop of a hat and save a production from near-cancellation which, in this case, would have cost the school untold dozens of dollars and put at least 15 fourth graders out of work. Swings save more than just shows, they save lives.

 

Since I got bit by the acting bug, I continued to perform in shows all throughout middle and high school before attending Stony Brook University on Long Island. I decided not to study theater in college because I wanted a more stable and lucrative degree, which is why I opted to get my B.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies instead. After graduating Summa Cum Laude in just three years and being the Valedictorian of my class, I moved back home and spent several years doing non-performance related things, like learning new skills; I’m currently in the pre-talent phase of my juggling career, and when I’m not diligently working on my acting craft or writing obscenely long bios, I love to do archery, weightlifting, and badminton. And yes, I also love Wii Bowling. What started as a fun way to bond with my family during the lockdowns turned into an unstoppable obsession and ended with me reaching the height of human achievement: Gaining pro-level status in Wii Sports and receiving the cool, shiny version of the ball. As of today, my personal best is making 5 strikes in a row with a total score of 198, which isn’t the highest amount of points you can get but it also isn’t the lowest, which–to any potential agents or managers out there–shows my humility, room for growth, and hunger for improvement.

 

After accomplishing my lifelong dream of reaching this upper echelon of society and demolishing my family in the process, I knew it was time to move onto bigger and better things, hence my move to NYC in October of 2024. Since then, I’ve had the honor of working with many budding filmmakers, familiarizing myself with the NYC culture and workflow of film and theater sets, and immersing myself in the truly incomparable level of art, talent, and opportunity here. I’m excited to take the next step towards my ultimate goal of landing a role in a comedic ensemble for scripted television, a la Our Flag Means Death or What We Do In The Shadows. I am currently non-union and looking for representation, so if anyone is interested in getting in on the ground floor of the Next Medium Thing With Lots Of Potential To Be Big, I Promise, feel free to check out my socials below and “hit my line” as the kids say.

 

*You may not remember at this point because this “About Me” section is egregiously long, but earlier I mentioned opening for Jim Gaffigan at the Gotham Comedy Club. For legal reasons, I want to clarify this is purely a technicality wherein Jim did a surprise drop-in set at Gotham after I went on and in no way reflects any partnership with or acknowledgement of my existence on Jim's part. Yet.