Mei Mac

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Mei Mac
BornJuly 1992
Birmingham, England

Mei Mac (born July 1992) is a British actress and theatre maker. For her performance in the stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro , she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award.

Contents

Early life

Mac was born in Birmingham to a working-class Hong Kong immigrant family. [1] She initially intended to study medicine at university. [2] At 16, she was inspired to pursue acting by artistic director Kumiko Mendl of the New Earth Theatre, of which Mac is now an associate. [3]

Career

Stage

Mac's first theatre role was in the role of San in Whole Hog Theatre's stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke . [4] Studio Ghibli head and director of the original movie Hayao Miyazaki said of Mac's performance: "I've never imagined San as a real-life human being, but if she did exist, it would be you." [1]

In August 2022, it was announced Mac would play the lead role of Mei in the Royal Shakespeare Company's staging of another Studio Ghibli movie, My Neighbour Totoro . [5] The play opened at the Barbican to positive reviews. [6] Mac's performance earned her a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for Best Performer in a Play, [7] and an Olivier Awards nomination for Best Actress. [8]

In May 2023 Mac appeared as Juliet, alongside Ncuti Gatwa's Romeo, as part of the Coronation Concert [9] and starred in Kimber Lee's untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play, in the Royal Exchange, Manchester and Young Vic in London. [10]

Television

Mac has appeared in the long-running BBC drama Call the Midwife, [11] and in the Comedy Central sketch show East Mode. [12]

Personal life

Mac is openly queer. [13] During lockdown, she co-founded Rising Waves, a collective for British East and Southeast Asian (BESEA) artists. [14]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2023 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress My Neighbour Totoro Nominated
2023 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Performer in a PlayMy Neighbour TotoroNominated [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Mei Mac Recreates Anime Magic On The Barbican Stage In 'My Neighbour Totoro'". British Vogue. 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  2. ↑ Bosanquet, Theo (22 October 2022). "'My Neighbour Totoro' Star Mei Mac on How a Workshop Led to a Lead Role". Backstage. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  3. ↑ Lo, Zabrina (21 October 2022). "Hong Kong British Actress Champions Representation in 'My Neighbour Totoro'". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  4. ↑ Tanaka, Nobuko (2013-04-19). "U.K. stage group to rework 'Mononoke' magic". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  5. ↑ "Complete My Neighbour Totoro stage company announced ahead of world premiere | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  6. ↑ "Did the critics have an animated reaction to My Neighbour Totoro? | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  7. ↑ "Nominations in full: the 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  8. ↑ Marshall, Alex (2023-02-28). "'My Neighbour Totoro' Dominates Olivier Award Nominations". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  9. ↑ "Stars including Take That and Kermit the Frog put on a night to remember at spectacular Coronation Concert". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Mei Mac set to star in untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play". WhatsOnStage.com .
  11. ↑ Wiegand, Chris (2023-01-03). "It's showtime! Stage sensations to watch out for in 2023". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  12. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Comedy Central orders Nigel Ng sketch show : News 2022 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle.co.uk . Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  13. ↑ Iftikhar, Asyia (5 November 2022). "My Neighbour Totoro's Mei Mac on the queer magic of Studio Ghibli and her 'fight' for representation". Pink News. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  14. ↑ Mukhtar, Amel (19 November 2022). "Mei Mac Recreates Anime Magic On The Barbican Stage In My Neighbour Totoro". British Vogue. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "The 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards – full list of winners". 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
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