Nakkiah Lui#Plays
{{Short description|Australian actor, writer and comedian}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Nakkiah Lui
| image =
| alt =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1991}}
| birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales
| nationality = Australian
| caption =
| occupation = Actor, writer, comedian
| notable_works = Black Comedy, Kill The Messenger, Black Is The New White
}}
Nakkiah Lui is an Australian actor, writer and comedian. She is a young leader in the Aboriginal Australian community.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jan/27/nakkiah-lui-i-dont-like-the-word-leader-especially-when-used-about-me|title=Nakkiah Lui: I don't like the word leader, especially when used about me|first=Alexandra|last=Spring|date=26 January 2015|publisher=|accessdate=26 February 2017|newspaper=The Guardian}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/10/as-an-aboriginal-teen-i-thought-about-killing-myself-every-day|title=As an Aboriginal teen I thought about killing myself every day|date=9 March 2016|publisher=|accessdate=26 February 2017|newspaper=The Guardian |last1=Lui |first1=Nakkiah }}
Career
Lui is co-writer and star of Black Comedy,{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-26/nakkiah-lui-on-the-art-of-black-comedy/7360548|title=Black Comedy: How Indigenous humour is driving social change|date=26 April 2016|work=abc.net.au|accessdate=26 February 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/aboriginal-comedians-nakkiah-lui-shiralee-hood-and-co-are-a-funny-mob/news-story/c5cceec3075e51935edd1ac3a3700bbb|title=They're a funny mob|date=29 April 2016|work=theaustralian.com.au|accessdate=26 February 2017}} a sketch comedy television program on the ABC.
From 2012 to 2014 she was playwright-in-residence for Sydney's Belvoir Theatre and in 2013 she was the artist-in-residence for the Griffin Theatre. Her work includes: This Heaven (2013), I Should Have Told You Before We Made Love (That I’m Black) (2012), Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death (2013), Kill the Messenger (2015){{cite web|url=https://dailyreview.com.au/kill-the-messenger-review-belvoir-sydney/19608/|title=Kill the Messenger review (Belvoir, Sydney) - Daily Review: Film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more.|work=dailyreview.com.au|accessdate=26 February 2017}} and Power Plays (2016).{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/stage/nakkiah-lui-20160920-grkakr.html|title=Playwright Nakkiah Lui puts Q&A under the spotlight in STC's Power Plays|first=Elissa|last=Blake|date=20 September 2016|work=smh.com.au|accessdate=26 February 2017}}
Lui is a columnist for Australian Women's Weekly and has also hosted Radio National's Awaye and NAIDOC Evenings for ABC Local Radio. She has appeared on Q+A,{{cite web|url=http://www.mamamia.com.au/nakkiah-lui-qanda/|title=Indigenous actress Nakkiah Lui thought she was to blame for the domestic violence she suffered.|date=22 November 2016|work=mamamia.com.au|accessdate=26 February 2017}} The Drum and Screen Time on ABC.
In 2017, Lui was on the program to appear in four events at the 2017 Brisbane Writers Festival in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.{{Cite web|url=http://uplit.com.au/|title=Brisbane Writers Festival|website=Uplit|access-date=4 September 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://concreteplayground.com/|title=Brisbane Writers Festival 2017|website=Concrete Playground|access-date=4 September 2017}} The same year, Lui wrote and starred in Kiki and Kitty (2017) a comedy series on ABC iview and ABC Comedy.
Teaming up with Indigenous Australian actress Miranda Tapsell, Lui and Tapsell host the Buzzfeed podcast Pretty for an Aboriginal (2017).{{Cite news|url=https://mumbrella.com.au/buzzfeed-launch-new-podcast-pretty-aboriginal-470939|title=BuzzFeed launches new podcast, 'Pretty for an Aboriginal'|date=2017-09-11|work=Mumbrella|access-date=2018-03-29|language=en-US}}
Lui's play Black is the new White, was staged in 2017 at the Sydney Theatre Company.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/nakkiah-luis-black-is-the-new-white-turns-racism-on-its-head/news-story/ed6e8ced90961e12f0667a0f195e8813|title=Subscribe to The Australian {{!}} Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps|website=www.theaustralian.com.au|language=en|access-date=2018-03-29}} The play was extended to a second season in 2018.{{Cite web|url=http://themusic.com.au/interviews/all/2018/03/02/nakkiah-lui-black-is-the-new-white-stephen-a-russell/|title=Playwright Nakkiah Lui Is Dreaming Of A White (And Black) Christmas|website=theMusic|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-03-29}} Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death is Lui's second play in the 2018 season at the Sydney Theatre Company and in co-production with Malthouse Theatre. The play contains illustrations by Barkindjii, Birri-Gubba artist Emily Johnson, visual animation by Oh Yeah Wow and directed by Declan Greene.{{Cite news|url=https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/sydney-theatre-company-unveils-its-2018-season/|title=Sydney Theatre Company unveils its 2018 season - Limelight|work=Limelight|access-date=2018-04-06|language=en-US}} This production was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Australia Council production grant in 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/bogan-aboriginal-playwright-nakkiah-lui-pushes-theatrical-boundaries-20141128-11swm3.html|title='Bogan Aboriginal' playwright Nakkiah Lui pushes theatrical boundaries|last=Puvanenthiran|first=Bhakthi|date=2014-11-28|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2018-04-06}}
Awards
In 2012, Lui was the first recipient of the Dreaming Award by The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Arts Board of the Australia Council and was the inaugural recipient of the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright Award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/act/black-is-the-new-white-by-nakkiah-lui-at-the-playhouse-canberra-theatre-centre-20180316-h0xk4c.html|title=Black is the New White by Nakkiah Lui at the Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre|last=Cerabona|first=Ron|date=2018-03-22|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2018-04-07}}{{cite web | title=Fellowship and Residencies | website=Belvoir St Theatre | date=25 February 2022 | url=https://belvoir.com.au/for-artists/fellowship-and-residencies/ | access-date=27 April 2022}}
In 2014, Lui was awarded the Malcolm Robertson Prize and a Green Room Award for Best Independent Production.
In 2015 she was joint winner of the NSW Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights, for Kill the Messenger.{{cite web | title=2016 Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights | website=Theatre Network NSW | date=20 October 2016 | url=https://tnn.org.au/2016/10/2016-philip-parsons-fellowship-for-emerging-playwrights/ | access-date=25 April 2022}}
Lui received the Nick Enright Prize for playwriting in the 2018 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards for Black is the New White.{{cite news|last1=Morris|first1=Linda|title=Stories of ancestral memory storm NSW Premier's Literary Awards|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/stories-of-ancestral-memory-storm-nsw-premier-s-literary-awards-20180430-p4zce9.html|accessdate=1 May 2018|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|date=30 April 2018}} She won the 2021 Russell Prize for humour writing for the same work.{{Cite web|last=|date=2021-06-18|title=Lui wins Russell Prize for Humour Writing, Bunting wins inaugural writing for young people award|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2021/06/18/188278/lui-wins-russell-prize-for-humour-writing-bunting-wins-inaugural-writing-for-young-people-award/|access-date=2021-09-17|website=Books+Publishing|language=en-AU}}
Personal life
Lui is a Gamilaroi/Torres Strait Islander woman and lives in Sydney.{{cite news |last1=Pitt |first1=Helen |title=Indigenous playwright Nakkiah Lui could be Australia's next David Williamson |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/indigenous-playwright-nakkiah-lui-could-be-australia-s-next-david-williamson-20180718-p4zs34.html |accessdate=31 March 2019 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=20 July 2018 |language=en}}
Works
= Plays =
- I Should Have Told You Before We Made Love (That I’m Black) (2012)
- This Heaven (2013)
- Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owners of Death (2013)
- Kill the Messenger (2015)
- Power Plays (2016)
- Black is the New White (2017)
- How to Rule the World (2019){{cite news |last1=Fitzsimmons |first1=Caitlin |title=How Nakkiah Lui wants to change the world |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/how-nakkiah-lui-wants-to-change-the-world-20190228-p510sp.html |accessdate=2 November 2019 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=3 March 2019}}
- My Dreaming, Our Awakening (first radio play on ABC's AWAYE program){{cite web |title=Nakkiah Lui |url=http://www.currency.com.au/authors/nakkiah-lui/ |website=Currency Press |accessdate=2 November 2019}}
= TV shows =
- Black Comedy (co-writer and star)
- Kiki and Kitty (2017)
- Get Krack!n (2017-2019)
- Preppers (2021)
= Films =
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|6460319}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lui, Nakkiah}}
Category:Australian dramatists and playwrights
Category:Australian television actresses