Vermont native stages first public preview of one-man show in Burlington

Actor Nicholas Caycedo will present the first public performance of his one-man musical, “Nick Nick Boom,” in Burlington on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The preview takes place at 7 p.m. at Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, located at 1127 North Avenue, Suite 27 in the Ethan Allen Shopping Center. Admission is by donation, and the event is open to the general public. This local showing serves as a developmental step before the production opens at the comedy theater the Pit in New York City on Friday, Nov. 13.

The show explores Caycedo’s identity as a Colombian-American and a Vermonter. He described the piece as an examination of the tension between loving his home state and the desire to reach beyond it. The production includes original music and storytelling from the perspectives of his parents, weaving in their experiences as immigrants in New York and Vermont. Because the work is still in development, Caycedo will host an in-person talkback after the performance to gather feedback from the audience.

Caycedo grew up in Colchester after his parents moved there from Queens, New York. His mother, Jo Caycedo, led the Colchester Middle School theater department for 10 years and organized the town’s Fourth of July parade in one year. Caycedo attended elementary and middle school in Colchester before transferring to Rice High School. He noted that he began to feel more transient about staying in Vermont during his high school years. At the time, Rice High School did not have a theater program, so he participated in choir and performed at the Lyric Theater, which he discovered in eighth grade.

“I felt at home with theater people, people who were completely themselves and so excited to celebrate you for exactly who you are, and they absolutely did,” Caycedo said. He later attended the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, a private arts high school in Massachusetts, and earned a bachelor of fine arts from Ithaca College. His recent professional work includes roles in the “The Great Gatsby Immersive Show” on Broadway and as Usnavi de la Vega in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.”

The central theme of the show is the question, “Where are you from?” Caycedo explained that this question, while often asked out of curiosity, can feel like a label for people of color. He said that when he identifies as being from Vermont, some people press for a different origin. “So they keep digging. ‘But where are you really from?’ And so it feels like rather than a question, it's a label,” he said. He attributed much of this exploration to the Black Lives Matter movement, which prompted him to examine micro-racism and aspects of his identity he had not previously considered.

Caycedo maintains that Vermont is a place with genuine, thoughtful people. “I always feel like the people in Vermont are good-stock people, stand-up, genuine, sincere, thoughtful individuals who I've always looked up to,” he said. He added that these individuals have inspired him and are a part of his character. He also noted that regional theaters, where much of his work has taken place, tend to value intimacy and accessibility over large-scale production elements. “There are some of the best artists and performers out there, putting on amazing shows for audiences who can't necessarily make it to Broadway or a touring house,” he said.

This Wednesday’s performance marks the first time Caycedo has presented the show to an audience of strangers. He described the event as feeling like a workshop presentation where he is performing completely original music while playing the role of himself. He expressed a desire for a fresh gaze on the piece to help shape its development. Following the Burlington preview, the show is scheduled to debut in New York City on Nov. 13. Caycedo also expressed a hope to bring the production to Edinburgh in the future.