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
editRachael 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
editStage
editMaza 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[update], 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
editMaza'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
editIn 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
editIn 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
edit| 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
editFilmography
editFilm
edit| 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
edit| 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
editActor
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| ABC Radio National | Narrator |
References
edit- ^ a b "Australian Honours List, Australia Day 2020". Loud Mouth - The Music Trust Ezine. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Rachael Maza Long". AusStage. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Rachael Maza". RGM. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Scott-Norman., Fiona (18 May 2007). "Outside in, life of difference". The Age. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Staff & board". Ilbijerri. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Big Name, No Blankets". Ilbijerri. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Inaugural First Nations Board for the arts". Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Holmes, Dan (11 September 2024). "First Nations Arts Board members revealed". The Mandarin. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "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.