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Georgina Naidu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Georgina Naidu
Naidu in 2017
OccupationActress
Years active1990–present

Georgina Naidu is an Australian actress, stage writer and university lecturer from Melbourne.

Early life

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Naidu is from Melbourne and has Anglo-Indian ancestry.[1] Naidu has claimed that her family knew she wanted to act following an impromptu dance piece at the age of three.[2] She took part in amateur acting from 1984 until 1991 with the St Martin's Youth Theatre in South Yarra, Victoria.[3] Naidu went to the Victorian College of the Arts and graduated in 1994.[4] She had also trained at Prahran College of Performing Arts in 1991.[3]

She later studied law at La Trobe University.[5] When she first started attending auditions Naidu was shocked because she felt that casting directors were "pigeon holing" her because of her ethnicity. After her first year of auditioning she became passionate about trying to change things.[6]

Career

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One of Naidu's early roles came in 1990, when she played an extra in the Paul Cox film Golden Braid.[3]

Her television career began with small roles in the children's shows The Gift and Lift Off. Then came a guest role in the Australian drama series G.P.[2][3] She soon gained a supporting role in the 1998 film Dead Letter Office as the office worker Mary.[7][8] The actress also secured other guest roles in the late 1990s in the films Road to Nhill, Mallboy and the television series Blue Heelers.[2]

In 1998, Naidu secured one of her most prominent television roles, playing Phrani Gupta in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation drama SeaChange. The role made her a favourite with viewers.[9][10] Naidu liked the role because Phrani is not a clichéd Indian woman, adding that "[Phrani] is industrious, has good business sense and can turn her hand to anything."[2] At the time Australian actors organised a strike over pay disputes. Her SeaChange co-star Kevin Harrington claimed that Naidu had been underpaid by those in charge of the programme.[11]

Following SeaChange Naidu secured guest roles in Blue Heelers, Stingers, Guinevere Jones and Something in the Air.[3][12]

She continued to pursue on-camera work, taking a role in legal and medical drama MDA and acting the short film Tackle. She secured guest roles on further Australian television series including Tripping Over, Satisfaction, City Homicide, Mr & Mrs Murder, The Time of Our Lives, Winners & Losers and The Beautiful Lie.[13] She also played Paula in the 2009 film The Boys Are Back.[14]

In 2011, she appeared in the ABC1 drama At Home With Julia as Georgina.[3] The show's cast won a 2012 Equity Ensemble Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Television Comedy Series".[15]

In 2016, Naidu guest starred in Offspring, Wentworth and Please Like Me.[13][16] That year in August it was announced that Naidu had secured the main role of Helena Chatterjee in Newton's Law and had begun filming.[17] The series debuted on 9 February 2017 on the ABC network and it was created by Deb Cox, who also created SeaChange.[18] Other ongoing roles included Marla in The Time of Our Lives.

In 2017 she made a guest appearance in the season finale of Rosehaven, playing Jocelyn.[16][19] She also had a part portraying a university lecturer in the film Ali's Wedding[20][3] and secured the supporting role of Toni Chadha in the 2018 Network Ten drama series Playing for Keeps.[21] She then made a guest appearance in an episode of Network Ten's How to Stay Married.[22]

In 2019, Naidu reprised her role as Phrani Gupta for a new series of SeaChange.[23] 2021 saw Naidu play several roles on Australian television. She played Alison Chen in ABC's drama series Harrow, Alice Pike in ABC's comedy Fisk and Prisha Kapoor in the Netflix mini-series Clickbait.[23] She then took on the role of school teacher Mrs Allen in Paramount+ comedy drama Spreadsheet.[23] In 2022, she appeared as Barb in SBS drama, A Beginner's Guide to Grief.[23]

Theatre

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Naidu has taken part in various theatre productions over her career in-between securing roles in television and film.[3]

She appeared in six theatrical productions during 2003 and 2004.[12] She then played various roles in the Belvoir production of Run Rabbit Run, at the Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney.[12]

Naidu also writes theatre productions. On 20 September 2005, her autobiographical play Yellowfeather opened at the Sydney Opera House.[24] It was delivered as a one-woman show and featured Naidu documenting her life with a comedic tone.[20][1] The full stage production toured around Australia and then internationally.[20] The following year she appeared in Gorkem Acaroglu's live stage documentary The Habib Show.[25]

In 2009, she also returned to the theatrical stage for The Melbourne Town Players production of Attract/Repel.[26] 2013 saw another return to theatre with the stage tour of Ganesh Versus The Third Reich.[27] In 2017, she took another main theatre role in Lally Katz's production Minnie & Liraz.

Naidu is a member of the Main Stage Green Room Panel which helps recognise talent in theatre productions and a member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Equity Diversity Committee.[20] She also works as a university lecturer and legal researcher.[20]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1990 Golden Braid Diner (extra) Feature film
Babcia Babcia Ms Macetti Film
1995 God I Missed You Baby Lina Short film
Interlude Rose Film
1997 Road to Nhill Dr. Ewing Feature film
1998 Dead Letter Office Mary Feature film
2000 Mallboy Helen Feature film
Cheek to Cheek Katherine Davenport Short film
Return Trip Ticket Inspector Film
2004 Tackle Susan Short film
Mommy's Boy Shantini Short film
Playing for Charlie Lynne Film
2009 The Boys Are Back Paula Feature film
2013 Vessel Devon Film
2017 Ali's Wedding University Lecturer Feature film
2022 Run Rabbit Run Andrea Feature film
2024 Jason is my Dad Kate Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1995 G.P. Henrietta TV series, 1 episode
Lift Off Gina TV series
1998–2000; 2019 SeaChange Phrani Gupta TV series, seasons 1–3, 33 episodes
1999 Blue Heelers Bronywn Slater / Rosalie Parker TV series, 2 episodes
25th Annual People's Choice Awards Presenter TV special
2002 Stingers Dr. Baragwanath TV series, season 5, 1 episode
Something in the Air Ms. Gibbs TV series, 1 episode
Guinevere Jones Marion Haynes TV series, guest role
2003 MDA Siobhan Ray TV series, 1 episode
2006 Tripping Over Dr. Ngabo TV series, 1 episode
City Homicide Shirley Symonds TV series, pilot episode
2009 Dirt Game Doctor TV series, 1 episode
2010 Satisfaction Angela Bangrove TV series, season 3, 2 episodes
2011 City Homicide Nazia Durrani TV series, season 4, 1 episode
2011 At Home With Julia Georgina TV series, 4 episodes
2013 Mr & Mrs Murder Janine TV series, 5 episodes
The Time of Our Lives Marla TV series, 4 episodes
2013–14 Winners & Losers Dr. Naveena Malik TV series, 3 episodes
2015 The Beautiful Lie Joni TV miniseries, 1 episode
2016 Wentworth Dr. Chappell TV series, season 4, 3 episodes
Offspring Linda Mason TV series, season 6, 3 episodes
Please Like Me Nurse TV series, season 4, 1 episode
2017 How to Life Dr. Kathleen TV series, 1 episode
Newton's Law Helena Chatterjee TV series, 8 episodes
2017; 2020 Rosehaven Jocelyn TV series, season 2, episode 8 & season 4, episode 5
2018 Playing for Keeps Toni Chadha TV series, 5 episodes
How to Stay Married Principal Vencat TV series, 1 episode
2021 Harrow Alison Chen TV series, season 3, 2 episodes
Fisk Alice Pike TV series, 2 episodes
Clickbait Prisha Kapoor TV miniseries, 1 episode
Spreadsheet Mrs Allen TV series, 2 episodes
2022 A Beginner's Guide to Grief Aunty Barb TV series, guest role
2023 Love Me Sonia TV series, season 2, 2 episodes
Warnie Tribunal Lawyer TV miniseries, 1 episode
In Limbo Shenali TV series, 6 episodes
Jaffys Zarina’s Mum Web series
2024 Troppo Devi Chandran TV series, season 2, 5 episodes
Apples Never Fall Dr. Adams TV miniseries, 1 episode

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Stage

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Year Title Role Venue / Co.
1988 Off the Tracks St Martins Youth Arts Centre
1992 Jack and the Beanstalk Ruby (Mrs Giant) St Martins Youth Arts Centre with Princeless Productions
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat Pussy Cat Princeless Productions
Seeking out Angels Lead Open House, Belvoir Street Theatre
1995 Learning to Waltz with Tigers and Dragons Belvoir Street Theatre, Bondi Pavilion for Sydney Fringe Festival & New Orientations 95, Asian Theatre Festival
Merry Xmas Pauline Hanson Club Cockroach
Thtr Yerma Jaun’s Sister Koel Productions
Dangerous Le Asians Various roles Asian Theatre Festival, Belvoir Street Theatre
Three Weird Sisters Sister Artrage Festival, Perth
Cosmic Genie (script workshop) Ayah Playbox Theatre
One Plus One Various roles Malthouse Theatre
The Saints Play (Multicultural Workshop 1 & 2) Various roles MTC
2000 Macbeth Convent Gallery, Daylesford
2000 Mr Ionesco & the Bald Rhinoceros Co-Lead Adelaide Fringe Festival
2001 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Titania

Amphitheatre, Gateway Island, Wodonga with HotHouse Theatre

2002 Citizen X Nurse / Various roles / Devisor Sidetrack Theatre, Sydney for Carnivale Multicultural Arts Festival
2002–03 The Book Keeper of Rua Dos Douradores Various roles Seymour Centre, Sydney, Sidetrack Theatre, Sydney for Carnivale Multicultural Arts Festival
2003 Alcestis Various roles Sidetrack Theatre, Sydney
2003 The Daphne Massacre Various roles Riverside Theatres Parramatta
2003 Titania's Boy Various roles Riverina Theatre Company
2004 Macbeth Second Witch / Lady Macduff Theatre Works, Melbourne, Kyneton, Colac, Bendigo, Wangaratta, Portland
2004 The Perfumed Garden Ayah Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne with Elephant Theatre Company
2004 Run Rabbit Run Helen Grasswill / Cindy Hawkey / Rupert Murdoch / Jeff Cook / Natasha Lawrence Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
2004 Scratch Night - 4X20: Yellow Sydney Opera House with Theatre 4A
2005 Yellowfeather Yellowfeather Sydney Opera House & Australian national tour, Theatre 4A Inc, SOH Studio, The Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga , Hong Kong Fringe Festival ‘06
2005 Country Energy Comedy Festival Comedian The Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga with HotHouse Theatre
2006 The Habib Show Maha Habib Auspicious Arts Projects
2007 Roulette: Legacy / Petroleum / Hotel Tara Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with La Mama
2008 Fearless N Film Director Sydney Olympic Park with Theatre Kantanka
2009 A Narrow Time for Angels Bliss The Store Room, Melbourne
2009 Attract/Repel Georgina Naidu The Store Room, Melbourne with Melbourne Town Players
2010 Yet to Ascertain the Nature of the Crime Actor / Co-Devisor Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall with Melbourne Workers Theatre & La Mama
2011 Ganesh Versus the Third Reich Parvati Malthouse Theatre, Back to Back Theatre
2014 The Vagina Monologues Lead Melbourne Athenaeum, Stanley Burbury Theatre, Hobart
2017 Minnie and Liraz Norma Fairfax Studio, Melbourne, Geelong Arts Centre with MTC
2019 Dance Nation Connie Red Stitch Actors Theatre, Melbourne
2020 Feather in the Web Psychiatrist / various roles Red Stitch Actors Theatre
2021 Hydra Dramaturge Northcote Town Hall, Melbourne
2022 Laurinda Tricia / Mrs Grey / Mrs White The Sumner with MTC

[29][30]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ross, Kay. "Media details". caap.org.au. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "SeaChange – Georgina Naidu". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 October 2000. Archived from the original on 18 October 2000. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Georgina Naidu" (PDF). Lisa Mann Creative Management. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  4. ^ Kary, David (8 April 2006). "Monthly Archives: April 2006". Sydney Arts Guide. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  5. ^ "The 24 Hour Experience by Em Andersenn". Pozible. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  6. ^ Menon, Aneeta (25 May 2017). "Over the fence: What do our Neighbours look like in 2017?". Indian Link Australia. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Dead Letter Office (1998)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Dead Letter Office". Variety. 17 August 1998. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  9. ^ "SeaChange – Phrani Gupta". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 October 2000. Archived from the original on 13 October 2000. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Law court drama series starring Indian Australian to debut in Feb". The Indian Sun. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Melbourne actors go on strike". The Age. (Fairfax Media). 17 July 2003.
  12. ^ a b c "Run Rabbit Run program" (PDF). Belvoir. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Meet the Team – Minnie & Liraz". Melbourne Theatre Company. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  14. ^ "The Boys Are Back (2010)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Australian television ensembles honoured by their peers". Equity Ensemble Awards. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Season 2017 Casting Update". Melbourne Theatre Company. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  17. ^ "Shooting begins on Claudia Karvan starrer Newton's Law from Miss Fisher team". If Magazine. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  18. ^ Carroll Harris, Lauren (9 February 2017). "Newton's Law: it's light and sweet – but maybe that's what we need right now". The Guardian. (Guardian Media Group).
  19. ^ McManus, Bridget (1 December 2017). "Picks of television viewing on Wednesday, December 13". The Sydney Morning Herald. (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  20. ^ a b c d e "Meet the Team – Cybec Electric 2017". Melbourne Theatre Company. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  21. ^ "PFK credits Ten 102" (PDF). Tenplay. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  22. ^ "HTSM Ep4 Credits" (PDF). Tenplay. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  23. ^ a b c d "Georgina Naidu" (PDF). Creativerep.com.au. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Georgina Naidu". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 September 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  25. ^ Perrett, Bill (10 September 2006). "The Habib Show". The Age. (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  26. ^ Piening, Simon (25 September 2009). "Attract/Repel – The Melbourne Town Players". Australian Stage. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  27. ^ "Ganesh Versus The Third Reich". Festival TransAmériques. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  28. ^ "Georgina Naidu".
  29. ^ "AusStage".
  30. ^ "Georgina Naidu".
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