Jackie Nichols lives on the edge.

Never let it be said that Jackie Nichols, executive producer of Memphis’s only professional theater company, plays it safe. This summer, he staged the over-the-top offensive (and hilarious) Jerry Springer: The Opera at Playhouse on the Square at the same time he was launching the final fundraising push for what will be a brand-new, multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art theater complex at the corner of Cooper and Union. The guy who’s rarely seen in anything but jeans is also a stickler for detail; everything from sweeping the sidewalk outside the theater to booking the next season falls under his watchful eye. Did he ever expect to see his passion—he began his theater career as an Overton High student, and founded the current company nearly forty years ago—turn into such a high-profile anchor of the community? “(Hell) no!” he says.

The best thing about wearing a skirt: “The air…I can feel the breeze!”
His favorite thing about reading skirt!: “It’s hip and readable, and even though it’s for women, the stories are valuable for everybody.”