Devin “Nikki” Thomas, Ph.d

On this edition of the Artist Spotlight, we highlight Dr. Devin “Nikki” Thomas an actress, director, producer, writer and public health worker. I spoke with Devin on a wide variety of topics including her work in the film industry as well as a public health worker, her current work, her goals and aspirations in the film industry and so much more.

Devin has been interested in theatre/performing arts since she was nine or 10-years-old when her parents got her involved with the D.C. Youth Ensemble led by Carol Foster and Arla Scott. There she learned different methods of dance including tap, ballet, modern and African, theatre, and vocals. Although she loved dance, she found that she did not connect with dance the same way she did with theatre.

This is what Devin had to say when referencing her connection to theatre, “I saw that I could impact people more directly and there’s something about laughter, and there’s something about gasps, and there’s something about pauses, there’s something about the way the audience reacts when you’re speaking that I dug.”

Surprisingly, Devin’s parents were not thrilled about her love for theatre pleading to her to find something else. This led her to pursue a more traditional education but the love for theatre stayed with her. Devin has a highly decorated educational background graduating with a degree in Psychology with a minor in Theatre from Hampton University, the obtained a degree in Public Health from Emory University, and finally achieved her doctorate in Health Science from Radford University.
Devin described her genre of choice is dark comedy which is highlighted in her sketch comedy Sketchlings. Sketchlings is a sketch comedy series that she describes as “accessible” and “easy to produce” due to each episode being a microfilm. She references shows such as Astronomy Club, Chappelle Show, and In Living Color as inspirations for Sketchlings as well as attending Sundance Film Festival. The majority of the show is live-action but there are some episodes that feature animation.

Devin talked about how her son, who has appeared in three episodes of Sketchlings, came up with the name of the show saying Sketchlings comes from the word “earthlings.” Like how earthlings are creations of the Earth, Sketchlings characters are creations of the sketch. She raved about her son calling him “dope” multiple times, saying that although he is 10-years-old that he is a “grown man” and that he is a “blessing” and that he “shows me what love is.”

Devin spoke candidly about raising her son at a young age saying, “it took me a long time to figure out what it looks like to be a whole person and be a mom.” She also spoke about the difficulty to raise her son in today’s current climate and how he is looked at as a threat simply because of the color of his skin. She dug deeper into how black men and women have been treated in America mentioning the recent hangings, black children disappearing without being found with little sympathy from the media (specifically Relisha Rudd) and black people being pulled over for no reason.

Devin continued to speak candidly about the struggles of the pandemic while also addressing the struggles of being a person of color in any field of work including her own. Specifically, she speaks on how the film industry often subjectify women of color giving the example of a women not being casted in a role because she “is too dark” among other reasons. Devin spoke about a Facebook group she is a part of called Theatre People of Color where they talk about what the industry will look like when the world is more open, how the industry could be more inclusive, diverse and have more equality.

Devin continued to speak candidly about the struggles of the pandemic while also addressing the struggles of being a person of color in any field of work including her own. Specifically, she speaks on how the film industry often subjectify women of color giving the example of a women not being casted in a role because she “is too dark” among other reasons. Devin spoke about a Facebook group she is a part of called Theatre People of Color where they talk about what the industry will look like when the world is more open, how the industry could be more inclusive, diverse and have more equality.

I asked Devin if there was one person, she could work with in the film industry who would it be? Safe to say it was a difficult decision for her. So difficult in fact, that I changed it to three people then changing it to two groups of people. She said she would love to work with the Muppets on Sesame Street because it expounds on her love to perform and her love for dark comedy. She also said she would love to work with Regina Hall, Regina King, Oprah Winfrey and Emma Thompson among many others.

Finally, I concluded by asking Devin what her goal was for the film and television industry beyond herself. She gave a very interesting answer saying, “to tell more complete stories about not just white people and not telling black stories from white perspectives.” She also talked about people of other ethnic groups do not have films that tell stories about them as people beyond just stereotypes about them. She made this point to say she wants more stories told from a realistic point of view.

I would like to thank our Spotlight Artist Dr. Devin “Nikki” Thomas for a fantastic interview, her transparency and her insight. You can catch her sketch comedy series Sketchlings at www.sketchlingscomedy.com and follow her on social media @devinnikki4 on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok and on Facebook @darlingnikki or @devinnikkithomas.