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Deborah Rachel "Deb" Filler is a New Zealand born writer/performer, character artist and producer. Born to a Jewish parents, a German mother, Ruth Filler (born Ruth Adler in Hildesheim, Germany), and Sol (Schaja) Filler, a Pole from Brzozow Galicia, who survived Plascow, Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Theresienstadt concentration camps. [1] Her maternal grandparents fled from Germany to New Zealand in 1938 (her maternal grandfather's family's history can be traced back to the late sixteenth century in Germany). The family lived in Obernkirchen and Hildesheim. Jüdisches Leben in der Provinz contains genealogy of the Adler's family history in Obernkirchen as well as other Jews from the province of Schaumberg with a contribution by Filler. [2]
Growing up in Auckland, she attended Mt Roskill Primary, where the local Presbyterian vicar, preaching to the entire school over the school intercom, informed the school it was the Jews who had killed Jesus. At the age of 9 she insisted to the vicar that her family had no part in killing Jesus and he recanted his statement publicly. As part of the Little Folksingers of Mt Roskill, a local recording group, she attended several folk concerts including Josh White, Judy Collins, and met Peter Paul and Mary, who encouraged her to continue singing folk songs. Also at age 9 she began to play guitar, mimicking socially important and intricately harmonized folk songs, determined to pursue a career in folk music. The Little Folksingers of Mt Roskill recorded Malvina Reynolds' songs, Puff the Magic Dragon, as well as many other folk and children's songs of that period. She later attended Mt Roskill Intermediate and Mt Roskill Grammar Schools. After a year at the Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz leadership institute in Israel, she enrolled to study as a teacher trainee at the Auckland College of Education, [3] specializing in drama. It was during this period, in 1974, she met Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein was so delighted her father had attended a concert he had played for Holocaust survivors at the Landsberg Displaced Person's Camp, near Munich in 1948, that he closed the Auckland Town Hall and played a piano concerto entirely to Filler. Bernstein became a major role model for Filler both professionally and personally, who often quoted his warmth and generosity on and off stage. Filler co-wrote, "Mr Bernstein", a short film slated for production as part of the New Zealand Film Commission Premiere Shorts program. She taught music, theatre and English for the Auckland Education Board at area schools for three years, creating a musical, Giz A Go Travelling Road Show, touring in a friend's painted bus with her students.
Filler was lead singer in several rock and roll bands and a founding member of two celebrated New Zealand punk cabaret groups, "The Ratz" and "Debbie and the Dum Dums" with Derek Ward, Miles McKane, and Sarah Pierse. [4] [5] [6] Also played music in the Backstreet Women's Theatre, [7] a company formed by feminists in the New Zealand Women's Movement, [8] reacting against a prominent anti-abortion bill at the time in New Zealand, which was overturned. Left New Zealand to study theatre in London but stayed in New York when she discovered Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, and Deborah Hedwall. [9] Her off-Broadway debut was in Sophie, a musical comedy based on the life of singer Sophie Tucker. [10] She performed in Europe with various 1980s theatre companies. Her first one-woman show, a variety of sketches which she wrote and performed in, was named 'Pick of the Fringe Festivals' by the CBC, Canada. Performing at various 1980s New York downtown cabaret spaces she worked alongside John Leguizamo, Blue Man Group, as a featured artist at the 'Gusto House Cabaret' and was chosen to tour as a headliner from Gusto at the 1990 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with fellow performers including Jim Turner. [11] A tour of the U.K. followed.
Filler has worked as an actor, writer and comedian internationally including the Stratford Festival and in The Handmaid's Tale. [12] She is best known for her character artistry and autobiographical writing and performance, Punch Me in the Stomach a comi-tragedy, blending laughter and tears. [13] [12] , co-written with Alison Summers, was her first major solo show. She performed thirty-six characters [14] and the show was initially workshopped at La Mama Theatre in New York. [15] It toured to the Adelaide Festival, and the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, where she won 'Critics' Pick'. It opened off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1992 and has frequently toured internationally including return shows to Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland and Berlin. [16] It opened New York's Jewish Museum's refurbished theatre, sold out at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre and around the world and opened the new Hong Kong Theatre for the Arts. The show was adapted to a film by documentary filmmaker and director Francine Zuckerman Archived 15 January 2013 at archive.today .
"FILLER UP!" co-written with Lowry Marshall is a twenty-seven character solo play where she bakes a loaf of challah bread onstage, ending with the story of how her father upon his liberation, was able to bake bread with the captured German POW's, because everybody was hungry. The play was workshopped in New Zealand at the Wellington Fringe 2000, at Rhubarb! Festival in Toronto, Baltimore Theatre Project], Theatre J Washington, Gloucester Theatre Company, Open Stage of Harrisburg (at their 2nd Annual WomenSpeak Festival in 2001), in Winnipeg and at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. [17] World Premiere of the show at Drill Hall Theatre, London 2003 to a sellout run. Equally successful runs in Toronto, Berlin, Sydney,Auckland Archived 10 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine and the U.S. (Alexandria, VA, and FL). [18] [19] [20]
Playwriting stints include the Adirondak Theatre Festival] and guest playwright Buddies in Bad Times Theatre AnteChamber, and an ongoing member of the Usual Suspects Playwrights Lab at New York Theatre Workshop. [21]
The Handmaid's Tale, Hulu, Shark Lords, FX, Reign, Odd Swiad, Lucky 7, Mr Bernstein, [22] Punch Me in the Stomach, the film toured theatrically and was later screened on television internationally including on PBS. [23]
Short films, 'Ladies and Gentlemen:Biddie Schitzerman," (writer and performer) and 'Trip'(co-writer). Angst, a documentary produced by the ABC. Appeared as Elaine, from Elaine's Restaurant New York The Path to 9/11 with Harvey Keitel and Finn's Girl. [24] [25] [26]
Voice of the Peg Bundy doll and "Mummy" in the award-winning animated series, Bob and Margaret. Contributing writer in DAUGHTERS OF ABSENCE, edited by Mindy Weisel. Worked on numerous productions as co-writer, coaches, m.c's live entertainment shows.
Barb Jungr is an English singer, songwriter and theatre writer, who has recorded versions of songs by Bob Dylan, Sting, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohen.
Mount Roskill is a suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is named for the volcanic peak Puketāpapa.
Mount Roskill Grammar School is a secondary school in the suburb of Mount Roskill, Auckland. Officially opened in 1953, the school is widely regarded as one of the most diverse schools in Auckland, having students of over 70 different nationalities including approximately 120 International students. The school has been noted by media for its rising academic success and exceptional performance for its low socio-economic decile.
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Jennifer Cecily Ward-Lealand is a New Zealand theatre and film actor, director, teacher and intimacy coordinator. She has worked for 40 years, appearing in over 120 theatre performances: Greek, Shakespeare, drama, comedy, devised, and musical theatre. Her screen credits include the 1993 movie Desperate Remedies as well as appearances in The Footstep Man, the soap Shortland Street and Australian comedy series Full Frontal.
Amanda Green is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history.
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Mount Roskill is a parliamentary electorate in Auckland, New Zealand, returning one Member of Parliament (MP) to the New Zealand House of Representatives. Phil Goff of the Labour Party held the seat from the 1999 election until he resigned from Parliament on 12 October 2016 after contesting and being elected Mayor of Auckland on 8 October 2016 in the 2016 mayoral election. His resignation necessitated a byelection in this electorate which was won by Michael Wood.
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Shortis and Simpson are an Australian entertainment duo composed of John Damien Shortis and Moya Simpson. They are singers, composers, political satirists and cabaret artists as well as producers and writers of wide-ranging performance genres. John Shortis is a satirist, singer, songwriter, composer, social historian, and political commentator. Moya Simpson is a singer and actor, and choir director. She immigrated to Australia in 1978.
Lynda Chanwai-Earle is a New Zealand writer and radio producer. Her written work includes plays, poems and film scripts. The play Ka Shue – Letters Home in 1996 is semi-autobiographical and is significant in New Zealand literature as the first authentically New Zealand–Chinese play for mainstream audiences.
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Sally Katherine Rodwell was a New Zealand multi-disciplinary artist who worked mainly in the fields of theatre, film, and poetry. Her creative work included performing, directing and writing; making masks, puppets and costumes; film-making, illustration and publishing. She was a co-founder with Alan Brunton of the iconic Red Mole Theatre Company in 1974 and with Madeline McNamara of Magdalena Aotearoa in 1997.
That Bloody Woman is a 2015 punk-rock musical written by Luke Di Somma and Gregory Cooper. It is based on the life of Kate Sheppard and charts the suffragism struggle in New Zealand and its opposition by Richard Seddon. The musical was commissioned by Christchurch Arts Festival and premiered there in August 2015. It played in Auckland and Christchurch in 2016, and toured New Plymouth, Wellington and Dunedin in 2017. An original cast recording was made and released in 2016. That Bloody Woman is set to hit the Christchurch stage once again as Showbiz Christchurch prepare for their opening night on 5 July, featuring an all-female creative team and rock band.
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Amanaki Lelei Prescott-Faletau is an actor, writer, dancer, choreographer, producer and director of Tongan descent, living in New Zealand. As a playwright, she became the first fakaleitī to have her work published in New Zealand with Inky Pinky Ponky. This play was awarded Best Teenage Script (2015) by New Zealand Playmarket. As an actor, she was awarded best performance at the 2015 Auckland Fringe Festival for Victor Rodger's Girl on the Corner. Her acting credits include The Breaker Upperers (2018), SIS (2020), The Panthers (2021), The Pact (2021) and Sui Generis (2022), in which she is also a writer for the TV series. Faletau competed as a dancer in the World Hip Hop Dance Championships in 2011 and has been a judge at the National Hip Hop Championships in New Zealand over several years.
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