# Rebecca Massey

Rebecca Massey is an Australian film, television, and theatre actress. She is best known for her comic roles as Beverley in Utopia, and as Lucy Canon in Chandon Pictures. She has worked in leading roles with major theatre companies nationwide such as The Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, Bell Shakespeare Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, and Griffin Theatre Company. She has performed alongside many Australian actors and actresses including Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, and Barry Otto.

## Early life and education

Rebecca Massey was born in Rotorua, New Zealand. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong, before returning to New Zealand to complete her schooling at St Cuthbert's College, Auckland.
After graduating dux of school, Rebecca went on to study law and English at the University of Auckland, graduating with honours. She worked briefly as a lawyer.

## Theatre career

After graduating from Auckland University, Massey toured New Zealand with an Australian production of Steaming with Liz Burch, Lenore Smith, and Cornelia Frances.
Her first professional job was in a production of The Crucible with the Mercury Theatre Company (now Auckland Theatre Company). She went on to star in Daughters of Heaven directed by Colin McColl, opening the Auckland Theatre Company after the Mercury Theatre went bankrupt. She was a founding member of Stronghold Theatre company with Peter Evans, whom she married.
After moving to Australia, Massey has worked consistently with the major theatre companies, including Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, Bell Shakespeare Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Malthouse Theatre, and Griffin Theatre Company.
After moving to Sydney, Neil Armfield cast her in The Alchemist, alongside Geoffrey Rush and Hugo Weaving. She worked consistently with Armfield at Company B until Armfield's resignation as artistic director of the theatre in 2010. During that time she was awarded a Glug and a Green Room Award for Best Actress, and nominated for two Helpmann Awards for Best Supporting Actress in Steve Martin's The Underpants and It Just Stopped by Steven Sewell. Much of the time in those years was taken up with touring the world with the epic Cloudstreet, Nick Enright and Justin Monjo's adaptation of Tim Winton's novel of the same name.
Massey has performed alongside many of Australia's great actors and actresses including Cate Blanchett (The Seagull), Geoffrey Rush, Barry Otto, Julie Forsythe, and Jacek Koman. Rebecca opened the new theatre at Belvoir Street together with Catherine McClements and John Woods in It Just Stopped.
After 2010 she worked with the Malthouse Theatre, the State Theatre of South Australia in John Doyle's play, Vere (Faith), the Griffin Theatre Company in Kill Climate Deniers by David Finisgan. For the Sydney Theatre Company she has appeared in Travesties, Vere (Faith), Perplex, After Dinner by Andrew Bovell, Lucy Kirkwood's play Chimerica, and Moira Buffini's play Dinner

### Awards and nominations

Massey has been nominated and won numerous awards for her performances including the Helpmann Award for both Steve Martin's The Underpants (Belvoir) and Steven Sewell's It Just Stopped (Belvoir).
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2004 | Helpmann Award | Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role – Play | The Underpants | Nominated |
| 2007 | Helpmann Award | Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role – Play | It Just Stopped | Nominated |
| 2007 | Green Room Awards | Best Female Actress | It Just Stopped | Won |
| 2007 | Green Room Awards | Best Supporting Female Actress | It Just Stopped | Nominated |
| 2007 | Glug Awards | Best Supporting Actress | It Just Stopped | Won |
| 2010 | Glug Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Travesties | Nominated |
| 2018 | Sydney Theatre Awards | Best New Australian Work | Kill Climate Deniers | Nominated |

## Filmography

Rebecca Massey's film and television credits include Chandon Pictures (ABC) which won Best Comedy (AFI, ADG, and AWGIES), Best Original Production (ASTRA), Most Outstanding Light Entertainment (Logies), and Utopia (ABC): which won Best Television Comedy Series (AACTA), Most Outstanding Comedy Program (LOGIES).
Other television credits include Lowdown (2010), My Place (2009), Stepfather of the Bride (2006), Deep Water (2016). Film credits she is known for are Son of the Mask (2005), The Black Balloon (2008), Accidents Happen (2009), Backyard Ashes (2013), Bad Girl (2016).

### Film

| Years | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Son of the Mask | Clare | |
| 2006 | Final Call | | Short film |
| 2008 | The Black Balloon | Miss Babb | |
| 2009 | Accidents Happen | Louise | |
| 2013 | Greg's First Day | Madam 2 | Short film |
| 2013 | Backyard Ashes | Lilly Waters | |
| 2015 | Holding the Man | Woman from Red Cross | |
| 2016 | Bad Girl | Detective Daniels | |
| 2018 | Last Ark | Captain Shane Hudson | Short film |
| 2022 | Blaze | Jade | |

### Television

| Years | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Kangaroo Creek Gang | Kristie the Koala | Voice |
| 2002 | Blood Sports | Sarah | Television film |
| 2002-6 | All Saints | Melissa Wilson; Jodie Abbott; Wendy Saralyn | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Grass Roots | Kirsten Bovie | Episode: "Youth" |
| 2004 | Small Claims | Clare Santarini | Television film |
| 2006 | Stepfather of the Bride | Fiona | Television film |
| 2007-9 | Chandon Pictures | Lucy Cannon | 16 episodes |
| 2009 | City Homicide | Peggy Duval | Episode: "Baker's Dozen" |
| 2009 | My Place | Mrs Benson | 6 episodes |
| 2010-12 | Lowdown | Trudy March | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Packed to the Rafters | Audrey | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Tricky Business | Gaye Hudson | Episode: "Mothercraft" |
| 2015 | Winter | Sally McKenzie | Episode: "Blow Up" |
| 2015 | The Principal | Rina | 4 episodes |
| 2015-17,23 | Utopia | Beverley Sadler | 11 episodes |
| 2016 | Deep Water | Sally Williams | 2 episodes |
| 2016-17 | Pacific Heat | Maddie Riggs | 13 episodes; Voice |
| 2019 | Upright | Constable Stacey | Episode: "Day Three" |
| 2019 | The Letdown | Real Estate Agent Julie | Episode: "Heavy Heart" |
| 2019-21 | Metro Sexual | Miranda Graft | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Total Control | Sharon | Episode #1.3 |
| 2019 | Upright (TV series) | Constable Stacey | 1 episode |
| 2022 | Barons | Sylive Thompson | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | The Messenger | Bev Kennedy | 6 episodes |

## Stage

| Production | Year | Venue | Company | Role(s) | Director(s) |
| The Crucible | | Mercury Theatre | Mercury Theatre Company | Susanna Walcott | Miles Taylor |
| The Possibilities | | | Stronghold Theatre Company | Ensemble | Peter Evans |
| Daughters of Heaven | | | Auckland Theatre Company | Pauline Parker | Colin McColl |
| Evans Freud’s Dora | | NZ Arts Council | | Dora | Anatoly Frusin |
| Media Sluts | | NZ Puppet Theatre | | The Starlet | Peter Evans |
| Macbeth | | Wellington International Festival of the Arts | | Lady Macbeth | Peter Evans |
| The Man from Scotland | | New Zealand Fringe Festival | | | Peter Evans |
| Steaming | | National Tour | Gary Penny Productions | Dawn | Gary Downes |
| Othello | | | The Mask Company | Desdemona | Peter Evans |
| Bad Poetry | | NIDA | NIDA Company | Nurse, Sister | Peter Kingston |
| The Alchemist | 1996 | Belvoir Street Theatre | Company B Belvoir | Dame Pliant | Neil Armfield |
| WASP | 1996 | Belvoir Street Theatre | Company B Belvoir | Zig Zag Woman, Angie, Sis | Neil Armfield |
| The Seagull | 1997 | Belvoir Street Theatre | Company B Belvoir | Masha | Neil Armfield |
| Max & The Trickster | | Australian Museum | | Trickster | Yaron Lifshitz |
| Cloudstreet | 1998 | Sydney Festival, Perth Festival | Company B Belvoir, Black Swan | Elaine, Mrs. Clay, Meredith | Neil Armfield |
| The Caucasian Chalk Circle | 1998 | Belvoir Street Theatre | Company B Belvoir | Natella Abashvili | Michael Kantor |
| Henry IV (Parts I & II) | 1999 | National Tour | Bell Shakespeare | Lady Percy, Doll Tearsheet Wart | John Bell |
| Valley of the Big Bones | 1999 | Australian Museum | | Bjork Mcgurk | Warren Coleman |
| Ship of Fools | 1999 | | Griffin Theatre Company | Sunny, Mayor, Anna Lundsdorf, Madame van Eyck | Ros Horin |
| Cloudstreet | 1999 | Melbourne, Adelaide, Zurich Festival, London, Dublin Festival | Company B Belvoir, Black Swan | Elaine, Lucy Wentworth, Meredith | Neil Armfield |
| The Small Poppies | 1999 | Sydney Festival | Company B Belvoir | Clint's Mum, Courtney | Neil Armfield |
| Australian National Playwrights’ Conference | 1999 | | | | Richard Wherrett, Ros Horin |
| The Small Poppies | 1999 | Dublin Festival, Melbourne Festival | Company B Belvoir | Clint's Mum, Courtney | Neil Armfield |
| Borderlines | 2001 | The Griffin | Griffin Theatre Company, Riverina Theatre Company | Meredith Danni, Ren, Lisa | Richard Buckham, Adam Cook, Jeremy Sims |
| Cloudstreet | 2001 | National Theatre, BAM, Kennedy Centre | Company B Belvoir | Elaine Lamb, Lucy Wentworth, Meredith | Neil Armfield |
| The Rood Screen | 2001 | Development Workshop | | Alice | Anna Messariti |
| Macbeth | 2003 | Belvoir Street Theatre | Company B Belvoir | Witch | Michael Kantor |
| The Underpants | 2003 | Belvoir Street Theatre | Company B Belvoir | Gertrude | Neil Armfield |
| Stuff Happens | 2005 | Seymour Centre | Company B Belvoir | Various | Neil Armfield |
| It Just Stopped | 2006 | | Company B Belvoir | Pearl | Neil Armfield |
| Dead Caesar | 2007 | Wharf 2 Theater | Sydney Theatre Company | Calpurnia | Tamara Cook |
| Exit The King | 2007 | The Merlin, Belvoir Street Theatre | Malthouse Theatre Company, Company B Belvoir | Queen Mary | Neil Armfield |
| Tartuffe | 2008 | The Merlin | Malthouse Theatre Company | Dorine | Michael Kantor |
| Travesties | 2009 | | Sydney Theatre Company | Cecily | Richard Cottrell |
| The Book of Everything | 2013 | Tour | Belvoir | Margot | Neil Armfield |
| Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | 2013 | Belvoir Street Theatre | Belvoir | Mae | Simon Stone |
| Vere | 2013 | Adelaide Festival Centre, Sydney Opera House | State Theatre Company of South Australia, Sydney Theatre Company | Kate | Sarah Goodes |
| Perplex | 2014 | Wharf 1 | Sydney Theatre Company | Rebecca | Sarah Giles |
| After Dinner | 2015 | Wharf 1 | Sydney Theatre Company | Dympie | Imara Savage |
| Chimerica | 2017 | Roslyn Packer Theatre | Sydney Theatre Company | Barb, Doreen, Marie Dubiecki, Kate, Judy | Kip Williams |
| Dinner | 2017 | Sydney Opera House | Sydney Theatre Company | Wynne | Imara Savage |
| Kill Climate Deniers | 2018 | The Griffin | Griffin Theatre Company | Gwen Malkin | Lee Lewis |
| The Misanthrope | 2018 | Sydney Opera House | Bell Shakespeare | Philipa (Philinte) | Lee Lewis |
| First Love is the Revolution | 2019 | The Griffin | Griffin Theatre Company | Cochineal and Bailey Chicken | Lee Lewis |
| Dance Nation | 2020 | Adelaide Festival Centre | Belvoir and State Theatre Company of South Australia | Maeve | Imara Savage |