As an actor and writer, Nicole has been part of the Irish Theatre and Spoken Word arena for more than three decades.

She has featured with many theatre companies including Theatreworks, Storytellers, Yew Tree and Tmu-Na; and her international appearances include those at the London and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, Glasgow International, Craw Festival Berlin, Singapore Arts Festival, and Konfrontacje Teatraine Poland. Rourke’s one-woman play, Baggage, was a smash hit at the SoloSIRENS festival in Dublin in 2019, and went on to be adapted to film reaching a global audience. Baggage will tour internationally in 2025.

Her other notable success is Raven and the Crone, which premiered at The New Theatre for the First Fortnight Festival. Rourke’s spoken-word projects mark a distinctive originality within the genre. Tea or Gin, Gristle and Meeting Karma powerfully explore themes of sexuality, trauma, and resilience in monologues of extraordinary wit and profundity.

Her latest piece, The Lingerie Queen of Crumlin topped the bill at the James Joyce Centre Bloomsday celebrations in 2024.

Outside of her performance work, Nicole is a seasoned creative workshop facilitator and is co-director of Anna Livia Creative.