Verity Hunt-Ballard

Last updated

Verity Hunt-Ballard is an Australian actress and singer, best known for roles in musical theatre.

Hunt-Ballard was born in Mt Gambier, South Australia and raised in Largs Bay. [1] Her Northern Ireland-born father was a social worker and music therapist, and her mother a primary school teacher. [2]

She studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating in 2003. Early roles include the casts of the musicals Eureka (2004), Jersey Boys and Metro Street (2009). [2]

Hunt-Ballard is best known for performing the title roles in the original Australian cast of Mary Poppins (2010) and the Hayes Theatre revival of Sweet Charity (2014). For each role, she received the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Musical.

She has a daughter Emmy-Lou with a partner, actor Scott Johnson. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sweet Charity</i> 1966 American musical

Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on the screenplay for the 1957 Italian film Nights of Cabiria. However, whereas Federico Fellini's black-and-white film concerns the romantic ups-and-downs of an ever-hopeful prostitute, in the musical the central character is a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance hall. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1966, where it was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning the Tony Award for Best Choreography. The production also ran in the West End as well as having revivals and international productions.

Marina Prior

Marina Prior is an Australian soprano and actress with a career mainly in musical theatre. From 1990 to 1993, she starred as the original Christine Daaé in the Australian premiere of The Phantom of the Opera, opposite Anthony Warlow and later Rob Guest.

Helen Dallimore Australian actress

Helen Dallimore is an Australian actress, known for originating the role of Glinda in the West End production of Wicked.

Pamela Rabe Canadian-born Australian actress

Pamela Rabe is a Canadian–Australian actress and theatre director. A graduate of the Playhouse Acting School in Vancouver, Rabe is best known for her appearances in the Australian films Sirens, Cosi and Paradise Road, and for starring as Joan Ferguson in the television drama series Wentworth.

James Millar is a multi-award winning Australian actor, singer and writer. He is the author of the musical drama The Hatpin which premiered in Sydney on 27 February 2008, the song cycle LOVEBiTES and multi-award winning semi autobiographical A Little Touch of Chaos.

Chloe Dallimore Australian actor, singer and dancer

Chloe Dallimore is an Australian actor, singer and dancer, best known for performances in musical theatre.

Caroline OConnor (actress) Australian actress and singer (born 1962)

Caroline Ann O'Connor is a Helpmann Award-winning, Olivier Award-nominated Anglo-Australian singer, dancer and actress. For her theatre work she has won three Helpmann Awards: Best Female Actor in a Play for Edith Piaf in Piaf in 2001 and the same category for Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow in 2006, and Best Female Actor in a Musical for Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes in 2015.

Amanda Harrison Australian actress and singer

Amanda Harrison is an Australian actress and singer, known for her roles in Wicked (Elphaba), We Will Rock You, and for originating the role of Paula Pokrifki in the world premiere of An Officer and a Gentleman. She has performed in cabaret several times, including her current production Up Close and Reasonably Personal which she is expected to perform at Melbourne Cabaret Festival in June 2014 and recently David Harris, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga and Marie Zamora for Enda Markey Presents Do You Hear The People Sing at Shanghai Grand Theatre. She voiced characters for Get Ace an animation series released in January 2014. She appeared with Mig Ayesa, Michael Falzon and Carly Thomas-Smith for three performances of The Music of Queen - Rock and Symphonic Spectacular. The concert series began on 7 February 2014, at Sydney Opera House supported by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra before three performances in Perth, Western Australia between 13–15 February.

Lucy Durack Australian actress

Lucy Durack is an Australian actress, singer and television personality who played Glinda in the Australian production of Wicked, and Elle Woods in the Australian production of Legally Blonde: The Musical. She starred as Tugger in Australian television drama Doctor Doctor in 2016 and as Roxy Karibas in Sisters in 2017.

Metro Street is an original Australian musical with book, music and lyrics by Matthew Lee Robinson. It was awarded the Pratt Prize for Music Theatre in 2004, and went through many workshops and readings, including at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2006, before its world premiere season with the State Theatre Company of South Australia in April 2009.

Jemma Rix is an Australian theatre performer, who has played the role of Elphaba in the Melbourne, Sydney, Australian and Asian touring companies of Wicked. Rix first performed the role in the shortened 30-minute version of the show at Universal Studios Japan. She was an original cast member of the Australian premiere production as the standby for Elphaba.

Matt Lee (dancer) Australian dancer and actor

Matt Lee is an Australian dancer and actor. He has starred in Bootmen, We Will Rock You, Rent, Grease, and Mary Poppins for which he won a Helpmann Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He was a motion capture principal for the Oscar winning film Happy Feet where he brought to life the loveable tap dancing penguin Mumble. He has choreographed for, and worked alongside Paula Abdul, Ricky Martin, Human Nature, Samantha Jade, Hilary Duff and Christine Anu. He was also a judge and choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance.

Lucy Maunder Australian cabaret and theatre performer

Lucy Maunder is an Australian cabaret and theatre performer. She originated the role of Lara in the Australian premiere of Doctor Zhivago opposite Anthony Warlow, and has toured with her own cabaret Songs in the Key of Black, releasing an album with the same name. Maunder toured with the national touring company of Grease playing the role of Rizzo. She then starred in the role of Miss Honey in the Australian tour of Matilda the Musical, replacing Elise McCann. She is currently starring in the Australian production of Fun Home, in the adult lead role.

Tamsin Georgina Carroll is an Australian actress. She is best known for her performances in musical theatre in Australia and the United Kingdom.

<i>Eureka</i> (musical)

Eureka is an Australian musical with music by Michael Maurice Harvey, book and lyrics by Gale Edwards and John Senczuk and original book and lyrics by Maggie May Gordon. The musical is set in Victoria during the Eureka Rebellion of 1854, covering the tensions between immigrant gold miners from many cultures and the British colonial authorities. The original Australian production played in Melbourne in 2004 at Her Majesty's Theatre. It was nominated for the Helpmann Award for Best Musical in 2005.

Esther Hannaford is an Australian singer and actor who has performed major roles in musical theatre in Australia. Her roles include Penny Pingleton in the original Australian cast of Hairspray, for which she received a Helpmann Award, Ann Darrow in King Kong, and Carole King in Beautiful.

Rowan Witt

Rowan Witt is an Australian film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his roles in The Book of Mormon, Gloria, She Loves Me,Into The Woods, South Pacific, Dogfight, Home and Away, and The Matrix.

Zahra Newman is a Jamaican-born Australian actress.

Sharon Millerchip is an Australian actress, dancer, director, and choreographer, best known for her performances in major musical theatre productions.

The Hayes Theatre is a 111-seat theatre specialising in music theatre and cabaret in Potts Point, Sydney, Australia. It is named after the Australian performer Nancye Hayes.

References

  1. McDonald, Patrick (1 August 2011). "SA star wins top Helpmann Award". The Advertiser. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Dunn, Amanda (13 February 2015). "Lunch with Verity Hunt-Ballard". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 July 2017.