Australian actress
Rachael Zoa Maza AM is an Indigenous Australian television and film actress and stage director .
Early life and education
Maza is of Dutch, Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australian heritage, the daughter of Bob Maza , also an actor.[1]
She is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts .[1]
Career
Television and film
Maza's first outing on Australian television was in the ABC Television series Heartland in 1994. She and Lillian Crombie , who also appeared in the series, were fresh out of acting school at that time. The series was written by Aboriginal Australians ans starred many Aboriginal actors, as well as Cate Blanchett in her first screen outing.[2]
She worked as a TV presenter on ABC Television 's weekly show focusing on Indigenous Australians, Message Stick .[3] and SBS 's ICAM in 1997–1998.[4]
She has numerous credits as an actor in television series, including Wentworth , Winners and Losers , Halifax f.p. , Stingers , SeaChange , Heartland (in which her father also had a role), A Country Practice and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries .[1]
She acted in the films Cosi (1996), Radiance (1998), and Lilian's Story (1996).[1] [5]
Stage
Maza worked with Company B and Wesley Enoch for many years, with her performances at the Belvoir St Theatre including leading roles in Conversations with the Dead and The Dreamers . She again worked with Enoch in The Sapphires , staged by the Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Festival .[1]
She has worked as part of The Black Arm Band and as the director of Lou Bennett 's play Show Us Your Tiddas! .[6]
As of November 2021[update] , Maza is artistic director of Ilbijerri Theatre Company .[1]
Filmography
Film
Year
Title
Role
Type
1996
Cosi
Nurse at Concert
Feature film
1996
Lilian's Story
Shade
Feature film
1996
Fistful of Flies
Dr Powers
Feature film
1996
Goblin Market
Short film
1998
Radiance
Cressy
Feature film
1999
Burnout
Short film
2009
My Year Without Sex
Intensive Care Nurse
Feature film
2009
Aunty Maggie and the Womba Wakgun
Aunty Maggie
Short film
2009
Nia’s Melancholy
Nana
Short film
Television
Year
Title
Role
Type
1987
Frontier
Marnie Kennedy
Miniseries, 3 episodes
1993
A Country Practice
Ruth Forbes
TV series, 8 episodes
1994
Heartland
Leila Sutton
Miniseries, 8 episodes
1995-2002
ICAM
Presenter
TV series
1996
Naked: Stories of Men
Jessica
TV series, 1 episode
1999
SeaChange
Mrs Armistead
TV series, 1 episode
1999
Stingers
Meagan Quinn
TV series, 1 episode
2000
Round the Twist
Genevieve
TV series, 1 episode
2000
Halifax f.p.
Church Singer
TV series, 1 episode
2001
The Micallef Program
Vanessa O’Malley
TV series, 1 episode
2002
Marshall Law
Davina
Miniseries, 1 episode
2002
Message Stick
Presenter
TV series
2009-10
Rush
Detective Carroll
TV series, 2 episodes
2013
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Cora Derrimut
TV series, 1 episode
2016
Winners and Losers
Veronica Sewell
TV series, 5 episodes
2016-17
Wentworth
Imogen Fessler
TV series
2017
Newton’s Law
Judge Pauline Evans
Miniseries, 1 episode
2017
The Secret Daughter
Aunty Mim
TV series, 3 episodes
2022
Beep and Mort
Mae (voice)
TV series
2022
Fisk
Bridget
TV series, 1 episode
2022
Looking Black
Self
TV special
2023
Crazy Fun Park
Winnie
TV series, 1 episode
Stage
Actor
Year
Title
Venue
1992
The Grace of Mary Traverse
The Studio Theatre, Subiaco
1993
Made in Spain
La Mama Theatre
1993
Radiance
Belvoir Street Theatre
1994
Ninni
Enmore Theatre
1995
Tongues of Stone
Belvoir Street Theatre
1996
The Commission / The Aboriginal Protesters
The Performance Space Redfern & German tour
1997
The Tempest (Miranda)
Australian tour - Bell Shakespeare Company
2001
Aliwa!
Subiaco Theatre Centre
2001
The Twilight Series
Collins Street Baptist Church
2001
Holy Day (lead role)
Malthouse Theatre , The Playhouse Adelaide
2002
Enuff
Malthouse Theatre
2002
The Dreamers (lead role)
Belvoir Street Theatre
2003
Conversations with the Dead (lead role)
Belvoir Street Theatre
2003
The Bridge
Trades Hall New Ballroom
2003-04
Stolen
Victorian tour
2004
Riverland
Brisbane Powerhouse
2004
Yandy
Octagon Theatre
2005
The Sapphires
MTC , Sydney Festival , Belvoir Street Theatre , Playhouse Melbourne
2005
Riverland
The Curtin Theatre
2007-08
Show Us Your Tiddas!
Australian tour
2008
Jacky Jacky in the Box
Federation Square
2009
A Black Sheep Walks Into A Baa
Melbourne Town Hall
2006-09
Chopped Liver
Australian tour
2009
Sisters Of Gelam
Malthouse Theatre
2010
Black Sheep: Glorious Baastards
Melbourne Town Hall
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Jack Charles V The Crown
Australia/NZ/UK tour
2011, 2012, 2015, 2016
Coranderrk: We Will Show the Country
Sydney Opera House , | La Mama Theatre
2012
Foley
Sydney Opera House , Fairfax Studio
2012, 2015
Beautiful One Day
Belvoir Street Theatre , Cremorne Theatre
2014
20 Questions
Belvoir Street Theatre
2015-16
The Rabbits
Australian tour
2016, 2018, 2020
Jack Charles V The Crown
Fairfax Studio , Canadian tour, NZ tour, Online
2017
Which Way Home
Belvoir Street Theatre
2019
The Honouring
La Mama Theatre
2018-19
My Urrwai
The Butter Factory Theatre, Belvoir Street Theatre
2020
Black Ties
Australia/NZ tour
Director
Radio
Year
Title
Role
ABC Radio National
Narrator
Awards & Accolades
Year
Award
Work
Category
Result
2002
Green Room Awards
Holy Day
Best Female Actor in a Leading Role (Drama)[1]
Won
Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Awards
Radiance
Best Performance[1]
Won
Recognition
Personal life
Maza has a son, Ariel, with actor Tom Long .[8]
References
^ a b c d e f g h "Rachael Maza" . RGM . Retrieved 17 November 2021 .
^ Enoch, Wesley ; Maza, Rachel (4 January 2024). "Tributes to groundbreaking SA actor & performer Lillian Crombie" (audio) . ABC listen (Interview). Interviewed by Denny, Spence. Retrieved 20 January 2024 .
^ "Message Stick" . Australian Screen . NFSA . Retrieved 17 November 2021 .
^ Maza, Rachael (1 January 1998). "She sings, she talks, she acts, she's Rachael Maza" . Deadly Vibe (Interview). Interviewed by Barton, Jacob. Retrieved 20 January 2024 .
^ Rachael Maza at IMDb
^ Scott-Norman., Fiona (18 May 2007). "Outside in, life of difference" . The Age . Retrieved 17 November 2021 .
^ "Rachael Receives Order of Australia Award" . ILBIJERRI Theatre Company . 28 January 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2021 .
^ Coslovich, Gabriella (24 August 2006). "Year of living dangerously" . The Age .
External links
Torres Strait Islands ,islets , and cays
Bellevue group
Aipus
Cap
Kamutnab
Keatinge
Mabuiag
Pulu
Subur
Warakuikul Talab
Widul
Bourke group
Aukane
Aureed
Kabbikane
Layoak
Mimi
Roberts
Yam
Duncan groupInner group Adolphus Channel group
Albany
Bush
Eborac
Ida
Middle Brother
Talbot groupThe Three Sisters groupYorke group
Keats
Marsden
Rennel
Smith
Ungrouped
People, culture, communities and languages
Governance and legal matters
Governance Legal cases and principles
Buildings and structures Other
International National People