Nikolai Foster

Foster was born in Copenhagen and brought up in North Yorkshire.^[1] He trained at Drama Centre London and at Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. He has directed a wide range of touring and local productions in both the UK and across the world.^[2]

He has appeared multiple times on the Stage 100, a list of the top 100 most influential people in the UK, most recently placing joint 14th in 2026.^[3] Critics have noted Foster's ability to balance large scale commercial musical theatre with regional producing, Billy Elliot the Musical directed by Foster received strong national reviews during its post West End life and touring productions.^[4]

Foster has had a career directing musicals in the UK, both at Curve Theatre and touring productions.

After his second year of drama school at Drama Centre London, and at risk of being thrown out, he asked to train as a director alongside Christopher Fettes. During this he undertook work experience at Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, where he applied for the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme. He trained under Michael Grandage at the Crucible theatre.^[5] During this time, he began as a freelance director, continuing this for 20 years until he joined Curve Theatre as artistic director.