AustLit logo
image of person or book cover 6841355156562151642.jpg
This image has been sourced from ABC website
Leah Purcell Leah Purcell i(A11198 works by)
Born: Established: 1970 Murgon, Murgon - Wondai area, Kingaroy - Murgon - Kilkivan - Woolooga area, Central West Queensland, Queensland, ;
Gender: Female
Heritage: Aboriginal Wakka Wakka ; Aboriginal
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

BiographyHistory

Leah Purcell is an award-winning actor, singer and writer. She was born to a black mother and a white father who did not publicly acknowledge her as his daughter. In Year 10 at Murgon High School she gained the role of Gloria, the secretary in Bye Bye Birdie. Performing saved her from the consequences of heavy drinking that started when she was seven. Her professional acting career began in 1992 and she came to prominence in 1993 with a role in Jimmy Chi's Bran Nue Dae. Purcell subsequently appeared in film and television roles including a part in Lantana, the adaptation of Andrew Bovell's play, Speaking in Tongues. She also appeared in Nick Cave's The Proposition. and the award-winning film Jindabyne (2006). Purcell received a Matilda Award for theatre in 1994 for her performance in 'Low'.

In 1997, Purcell starred in her own highly acclaimed, one-woman play, Box the Pony. She performed in successful seasons around Australia and in London, Edinburgh and Broadway. Purcell won a number of awards both for the script and for her acting, including the Premier's Literary Award in New South Wales and Queensland. The script is on high-school syllabuses in four states and an audition monologue at NIDA. In 2004, Purcell was invited to the United States for the three-month Eisenhower Fellowship. She was the first indigenous person to be offered this opportunity. In 2005 Purcell played Condoleezza Rice in David Hare's play, 'Stuff Happens' and in 2006 Eve Ensler's acclaimed one-woman show about body image, 'The Good Body'. In 2007 Purcell was nominated in the Best Actress in a Lead Role category in the Sydney Theatre Awards for her performance in the play, 'The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table'.

In 2016, Purcell wrote an adaptation of The Drover's Wifewhich won 11 awards, and has since been published as a novel, and adapted into film. Her children's television series Little J and Big Cuz won Most Outstanding Children's Program at the 2019 Logie Awards.

.

Exhibitions

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

2023 recipient Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships Literature Board Fellowship Literature
2021 recipient Order of Australia Member of the Order of Australia (AM) For significant service to the performing arts, to First Nations youth and culture, and to women.
2019 nominated Logie Awards Most Outstanding Actress

Awards for Works

Is That You, Ruthie? 2023 single work drama

'Based on the books Is That You, Ruthie? – first published by the University of Queensland Press in 1999 – and Buthalangi: A Maranoa Woman written by Dr Ruth Hegarty.

'Is That You, Ruthie? is a poignant exploration of a mother and daughter’s enduring connection; a deeply moving play that delves into the complex aftermath of a government removal policy that separated a mother (Ruby) and daughter (Ruthie) from 1930 to 1957, leaving scars that could never fully heal.

'The adaptation of Dr Ruth Hegarty’s David Unaipon award-winning novel Is That You, Ruthie? for the stage by Leah Purcell shares a personal and profound chapter of Australia’s truth-telling history. We witness a relationship forever altered by the dormitory system’s cruel legacy. Though they tried to rebuild what was lost, the bond between mother and daughter would never be the same.

'Ruthie’s story – of separation from her mother – is not unique. What she endured, affected many young First Nations girls and boys across Australia.

'Is That You, Ruthie? is a raw and heartfelt portrayal of two souls navigating the depths of their shared history. It's a story of resilience, courage, and the enduring human spirit. We delve into the complexities of family ties, and discover whether the estranged love of a mother and daughter can bridge the gaps that time and tragedy have carved.

'An unforgettable and timely journey through the pages of Australia’s past.'

Source: Production blurb.

2023 shortlisted Matilda Awards Best Director
2023 shortlisted Matilda Awards Best Mainstage Production
2023 shortlisted Matilda Awards Best New Australian Play
form y separately published work icon The Twelve ( dir. Daniel Nettheim ) Australia : Warner Brothers Easy Tiger Productions , 2022 23923232 2022 series - publisher film/TV crime Twelve jurors must decide on the case of a woman accused of killing a child.
2023 winner Logie Awards Most Outstanding Drama Series
2022 nominated Logie Awards Most Popular Drama Program
2022 winner Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Best Telefeature or Mini Series
form y separately published work icon The Drover's Wife : The Legend of Molly Johnson ( dir. Leah Purcell ) Australia : Tahlee Productions , 2020 10722662 2020 single work film/TV

'In the Snowy Mountains, Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned. A searing reimagining of Leah Purcell's play and Henry Lawson's classic short story.'

Source: Screen Australia.

2022 nominated Film Critics Circle of Australia Best Film
2022 nominated Film Critics Circle of Australia Best Director
2022 nominated Film Critics Circle of Australia Best Screenplay - Original or Adapted
2022 nominated AFCA Film Awards Best Director
2022 nominated AFCA Film Awards Best Screenplay
2022 nominated AFCA Film Awards Best Film
2022 shortlisted AWGIE Awards Film Award Adaptation
2022 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Best Screenplay
2022 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Best Direction in Film
2022 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Best Film
2022 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting
Last amended 14 Jun 2021 13:10:19
Other mentions of "" in AustLit:
    X