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Rachael Maza

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Rachael Zoa Maza AM, also credited as Rachael Maza Long, is an Indigenous Australian television and film actress, and stage director. She is known for her role in the 1998 film Radiance, and worked with Company B and Wesley Enoch in Sydney for many years. She has been artistic director and of Ilbijerri Theatre Company since 2008.

Early life and education

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Rachael Zoa Maza[1] is of Dutch, Torres Strait Islander (Meriam Mir[2]) and Aboriginal Australian heritage, the daughter of Bob Maza, also an actor.[3]

She is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.[3]

Career

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Stage

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Maza has numerous stage credits (sometimes credited as Rachael Maza Long), since at least 1992.[2] She has 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.[3]

She has worked as part of The Black Arm Band and as the director of Lou Bennett's play Show Us Your Tiddas!.[4]

Since 2008 and as of August 2023, Maza is artistic director and co-CEO of Ilbijerri Theatre Company.[5][3] In 2024, as a part of this role, she co-directed the musical 'Big names, No blankets' about the formation of the Warumpi Band; her co-director is Anyupa Butcher the daughter of one of the band members Sammy Butcher.[6][7][8]

Television and film

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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.[9]

She worked as a TV presenter on ABC Television's weekly show focusing on Indigenous Australians, Message Stick.[10] and SBS's ICAM in 1997–1998.[11]

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.[3]

She acted in the films Cosi (1996), Radiance (1998), and Lilian's Story (1996).[3][12]

Other activities

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In September 2024, Maza was appointed co-chair, with Philip Watkins (CEO of Desart), of First Nations Arts, a newly-established division of the Australia Council, for a term of four years.[13][14][15]

Recognition and honours

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In 2020 Maza was made a Member of the Order of Australia, for significant service to the performing arts as an artistic director.[16][1]

Awards

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Year Award Work Category Result
2002 Green Room Awards Holy Day Best Female Actor in a Leading Role (Drama)[3] Won
Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Awards Radiance Best Performance[3] Won

Personal life

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Maza has a son, Ariel, with actor Tom Long.[17]

Filmography

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Film

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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

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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

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Actor

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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

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Year Title Venue
Chopped Liver Australian / international tour
2003-04 Stolen Victorian tour
2007-08 Show Us Your Tiddas! Australian tour
2008 Jacky Jacky in the Box Federation Square
2009 Sisters Of Gelam Malthouse Theatre
2009 A Black Sheep Walks Into A Baa Melbourne Town Hall
2010 Black Sheep: Glorious Baastards Melbourne Town Hall
2012 Foley Sydney Opera House, Fairfax Studio

Radio

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Year Title Role
ABC Radio National Narrator

References

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  1. ^ a b "Australian Honours List, Australia Day 2020". Loud Mouth - The Music Trust Ezine. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Rachael Maza Long". AusStage. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rachael Maza". RGM. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  4. ^ Scott-Norman., Fiona (18 May 2007). "Outside in, life of difference". The Age. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Staff & board". Ilbijerri. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Big Name, No Blankets". Ilbijerri. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  7. ^ Tongue, Cassie (12 January 2024). "Big Name No Blankets review – Warumpi Band musical is a joyous, rollicking tribute". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  8. ^ Garrick, Matt (6 August 2024). "Decades after bursting out of the Red Centre, Warumpi Band's story returns to the territory". ABC News. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Message Stick". Australian Screen. NFSA. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Rachael Maza at IMDb
  13. ^ "Inaugural First Nations Board for the arts". Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  14. ^ Torre, Giovanni (13 September 2024). "CIAF chief executive Dennis Stokes appointed to Creative Australia's new First Nations Board". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  15. ^ Holmes, Dan (11 September 2024). "First Nations Arts Board members revealed". The Mandarin. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Rachael Receives Order of Australia Award". ILBIJERRI Theatre Company. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  17. ^ Coslovich, Gabriella (24 August 2006). "Year of living dangerously". The Age.
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