# Georgina Naidu

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

## Early life and education

Georgina Naidu is from Melbourne and has Anglo-Indian ancestry. She said that her family knew she wanted to act following an impromptu dance piece at the age of three.
Naidu took part in amateur acting from 1984 until 1991 with the St Martin's Youth Theatre in South Yarra, Victoria. In 1991 she trained at Prahran College of Performing Arts. She attended the Victorian College of the Arts and graduated in 1994.
She later studied law at La Trobe University.

## Acting career

When Naidu first started attending auditions, she was shocked because she felt that casting directors were pigeonholing her because of her ethnicity. After her first year of auditioning she became passionate about trying to change things.

### Screen

In 1990 she played an extra in the Paul Cox film Golden Braid.
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. She gained a supporting role in the 1998 film Dead Letter Office as the office worker Mary. She also had guest roles in the late 1990s in the films Road to Nhill and Mallboy, and in the television series Blue Heelers.
In 1998, Naidu secured one of her most prominent television roles, playing Phrani Gupta in the ABC TV drama SeaChange. The role made her a favourite with viewers. Naidu liked the role because Phrani is not a clichéd Indian woman. At the time Australian actors organised a strike over pay disputes, and her SeaChange co-star Kevin Harrington claimed that Naidu had been underpaid by those in charge of the programme.
Following SeaChange, Naidu secured guest roles in Blue Heelers, Stingers, Guinevere Jones, and Something in the Air.
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. She also played Paula in the 2009 film The Boys Are Back.
In 2011, she appeared in the ABC1 drama At Home With Julia as Georgina. The show's cast won a 2012 Equity Ensemble Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Television Comedy Series".
In 2016, Naidu guest starred in Offspring, Wentworth, and Please Like Me. 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. The series, which debuted on 9 February 2017 on the ABC network, was created by Deb Cox, who also created SeaChange.
In 2017 she made a guest appearance in the season finale of Rosehaven, playing Jocelyn. She had a part portraying a university lecturer in the film Ali's Wedding, and secured the supporting role of Toni Chadha in the 2018 Network Ten drama series Playing for Keeps. She then made a guest appearance in an episode of Network Ten's How to Stay Married.
In 2019, Naidu reprised her role as Phrani Gupta for a new series of SeaChange. In 2021 Naidu played Alison Chen in ABC drama series Harrow, Alice Pike in ABC comedy Fisk, and Prisha Kapoor in the Netflix mini-series Clickbait. She then took on the role of school teacher Mrs Allen in Paramount+ comedy drama Spreadsheet. In 2022, she appeared as Barb in SBS drama, A Beginner's Guide to Grief.

### Theatre

Naidu appeared in six theatrical productions during 2003 and 2004. She then played various roles in the Belvoir production of Run Rabbit Run, at the Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney.
Naidu also writes for theatre. On 20 September 2005, her autobiographical play Yellowfeather opened at the Sydney Opera House. It was delivered as a one-woman show and featured Naidu documenting her life with a comedic tone. The full stage production toured around Australia and then internationally. The following year she appeared in Gorkem Acaroglu's live stage documentary The Habib Show.
In 2009, she also returned to the stage for The Melbourne Town Players production of Attract/Repel. in 2013 she joined the touring production of Ganesh Versus The Third Reich.
In 2017, she took another main theatre role in Lally Katz's production Minnie & Liraz.

## Other activities

Naidu also works as a university lecturer and legal researcher.
She is a member of the Main Stage Green Room Panel, which helps recognise talent in theatre productions, and is also a member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Equity Diversity Committee.
In December 2023 Naidu was appointed executive director of Western Edge, a not-for-profit arts organisation that provides opportunities for young people in the western suburbs of Melbourne to develop their talents.

## Filmography
### Film

| 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 |
| 2000 | Cheek to Cheek | Katherine Davenport | Short film |
| 2000 | Return Trip | Ticket Inspector | Film |
| 2004 | Tackle | Susan | Short film |
| | Mommy's Boy | Shantini | Short film |
| 2008 | 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

| 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 |
| 1999 | 25th Annual People's Choice Awards | Presenter | TV special |
| 2002 | Stingers | Dr. Baragwanath | TV series, season 5, 1 episode |
| 2002 | Something in the Air | Ms. Gibbs | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2002 | 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 |
| 2006 | 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 |
| 2013 | 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 |
| 2016 | Offspring | Linda Mason | TV series, season 6, 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Please Like Me | Nurse | TV series, season 4, 1 episode |
| 2017 | How to Life | Dr. Kathleen | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2017 | 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 |
| 2018 | How to Stay Married | Principal Vencat | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2021 | Harrow | Alison Chen | TV series, season 3, 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Fisk | Alice Pike | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Clickbait | Prisha Kapoor | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2021 | 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 |
| 2023 | Warnie | Tribunal Lawyer | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2023 | In Limbo | Shenali | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Jaffys | Zarina’s Mum | Web series |
| 2024 | Troppo | Devi Chandran | TV series, season 2, 5 episodes |
| 2024 | Apples Never Fall | Dr. Adams | TV miniseries, 1 episode |

## Stage

| 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 |