Angella Dravid

{{infobox person

| name = Angella Dravid

| image = Angella Dravid 2017 (cropped).jpg

| birth_place = Oman

| caption = Dravid in 2017

| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|31|2017|9|7}}

| occupation = Comedian, writer, actress

| awards = Billy T Award (2017)
Fred Award (2025)

}}

Angella Dravid (born C. 1985/1986) is a New Zealand stand-up comedian, writer and actress.

Biography

Dravid was born c. 1985/1986 in Oman to a Samoan Christian mother and Indian Hindu father. She stated that being of mixed race, there were many arguments at the family dinner table, like whether to eat meat. She emigrated with her family when they settled into the rural town of Naracoorte, South Australia.{{cite web |last1=Gonzalez-Macuer |first1=Cori |title=All the Unfunny Things You Hear as a Non-White Comedian in New Zealand |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/all-the-unfunny-things-you-hear-as-a-non-white-comedian-in-new-zealand/ |access-date=13 May 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Fuatai |first1=Teuila |title='I'm from NZ' - Angella Dravid on Diwali and culture |url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/im-from-nz-angella-dravid-on-diwali-and-culture |access-date=7 August 2021}}{{cite web |title=Angella Dravid's real life pain behind award-winning comedy |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/angella-dravids-real-life-pain-behind-award-winning-comedy/25MTX4PZAUIGEF5D7E2MCZK72E/ |website=NZ Herald |access-date=30 September 2023}}

Dravid played the violin in high school and met a classical musician in a music chat room. He told her that he had been in the studio where The Spice Girls recorded. She moved to the UK to start a relationship with the man, who was older than her. They married the following year. Their relationship became abusive; aged 19, Dravid was arrested and convicted of assaulting her husband with a picture frame.{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Bridget |title=Comedian Angella Dravid talks prison life and how she makes her fear funny |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/96548880/comedian-angella-dravid-talks-prison-life-and-how-she-makes-her-fear-funny |access-date=13 May 2021}} There was nobody Dravid knew who could bail her out in the UK; she spent two months in prison and three years in a bail hostel, whilst pursuing work at the Royal Ascot racecourse before being deported back to New Zealand and divorcing her husband. Dravid referred to this time as a positive experience compared to the domestic violence in her marriage.{{cite web |last1=Casey |first1=Alex |title=A few beers with... Billy T winner Angella Dravid |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/garage-project/30-06-2017/a-few-beers-with-billy-t-winner-angella-dravid/ |access-date=7 August 2021}}

After her deportation, Dravid had no intention of pursuing a career in entertainment, and worked odd jobs including as a receptionist at a brothel.{{cite web |title=Angella Dravid - no holds barred |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018630999/angella-dravid-no-holds-barred |access-date=7 August 2021}} She initially attended an open mic night to get over her anxiety at working customer service facing jobs and her fear of public speaking, and continued to pursue stand-up comedy after her sets were successful.

In 2017, she decided on showbusiness, and perhaps writing a drama or serial based on her experiences; upon her choosing, she turned her thoughts of being in an abusive relationship into a show called Down the Rabbit Hole, which played the New Zealand International Comedy Festival (NZICF).{{cite web |last1=SOLARSH |first1=RAPHAEL |title=Review: Angella Dravid's Down the Rabbit Hole |url=https://performing.artshub.com.au/news-article/reviews/performing-arts/raphael-solarsh/review-angella-dravids-down-the-rabbit-hole-255483 |access-date=13 May 2021}} For her performance Dravid won the 2017 Billy T Award, an accolade that recognises up and coming comedy performers. In 2020, it was announced she was working on adapting the play into a film.{{cite web |title=ANGELLA DRAVID IN DEVELOPMENT WITH PIKI |url=https://www.pasc.co.nz/news/2020/7/20/angella-dravid-in-development-with-piki |access-date=13 May 2021}}