Rebecca Elise Lamb, known professionally as Elise Lamb, is an Australian actress, dancer, writer, director, and producer of theatre and film. Lamb is a graduate of the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and is known for her extensive stage work including her portrayal of Zelda Fitzgerald in the Australian premiere of William Luce's play The Last Flapper. As a writer, she has been Long-Listed twice for the Australian Writers' Guild Monte Miller Award with her screenplays The Australian Girl and Rocking Out.[1] As a writer/director her short film The Wilted Rose had its world premiere screening in competition at the Brisbane International Film Festival[2] where it won Best Brisbane Short Film.
Elise Lamb | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rebecca Elise Lamb Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, dancer, writer, director, producer |
| Years active | 2001 – present |
| Awards | Brisbane International Film Festival Best Brisbane Short Film |
Early life and education
editLamb was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia.[3] She studied classical ballet through the Royal Academy of Dance from the age of three and studied musical theatre at the Australian Dance Performance Institute. When Lamb was 15 years old she was chosen to dance for Australian vocal artist Vanessa Amorosi and girl group Bardot at the Opening Gala of the 2001 Goodwill Games. She graduated from Canterbury College in 2003 where she studied drama and music and performed in the school's production of Guys and Dolls.[4]
Lamb studied acting in Los Angeles at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She then trained as an actor at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney before going on to study Classical Acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).[5] In 2016, Lamb graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a Master's Degree in Advanced Theatre Practice.[6]
Career
editActing
editLamb began her professional career at the age of 17 when she was employed as a cast member at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Australia. There she spent her first 5 years out of high school portraying numerous roles including DC Comics hero Batgirl, The Justice League 's Hawkgirl, Shrek 's Princess Fiona, Scooby-Doo 's Daphne Blake and was a dancer in the Looney Tunes Musical Review.[5] She was the youngest performer to present the Movie Magic Special Effects Show and was a member of its closing cast in 2005. She also performed in the Police Academy Stunt Show and was an original cast member of the Scooby-Doo Disco Detectives.
In 2007, Lamb danced with The Australian Ballet for their Brisbane season of Don Quixote at QPAC and performed in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel at the Twelfth Night Theatre.
In 2008, Lamb relocated to Osaka, Japan for 2 years to work for Universal Studios Japan where she reprised her role as Princess Fiona, impersonated Marilyn Monroe, originated the role of Cinderella in the Magical Starlight Parade (IAAPA Big E Award "Best Overall Production"), danced as a Rockette in the annual Christmas Parade and performed the roles of Wendy and Jane in the Thea (Themed Entertainment Association) Award-winning Peter Pan's Neverland.[5]
After completing her training at NIDA in 2012, Lamb appeared in numerous independent Australian films including The Pale Moonlight opposite Matt Boesenberg and Blown for Tropfest which she also wrote, directed and produced. She also appeared as Juliet in the Romeo and Juliet live marketing campaign for the Queensland Theatre Company.
In 2014, she starred as Zelda Fitzgerald in William Luce's one-woman play The Last Flapper at Brisbane Arts Theatre.[3][7]
In 2015, Lamb played Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew for Phoenix Ensemble[8] and reprised her role as Zelda Fitzgerald in The Last Flapper for Brisbane Fringe Festival.[9] In December 2015, she was awarded the Ian Potter Cultural Trust Award, a professional development grant for emerging Australian artists which allowed her to study at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.[10]
After graduating from Central in 2016, Lamb secured small roles in The Crown and feature films Stan and Ollie and All the Money in the World. She was also featured in a Commercial for Cadbury with fellow Australian Jesinta Franklin. Lamb performed in new writing at Off West End theatres Arcola Theatre, Theatre N16, Pleasance Theatre, The Vaults, Leicester Square Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre. She also played WWI Correspondent Louise Mack in her debut play The Australian Girl and Australian Suffragette Muriel Matters in her short play "Deeds, Not Words".
In 2022, she played Lee in Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson at Ad Astra Theatre Company.[11] Reviewers described Lamb's performance as "a standout" and "a perfect casting choice".[12]
Directing
editLamb directed her debut short film Blown for Tropfest in 2012. Lamb was a trainee director at the Brisbane Arts Theatre from 2014 to 2015. She had her theatre directorial debut with their 2015 season opener The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)[5][13][14][15][16] and was the assistant director for their 1000th production Noises Off. In 2015, she also directed Elvis Is Dead by Canadian playwright James Hutchison for the Short & Sweet Theatre Festival at The Arts Centre Gold Coast.[17] Lamb was a member of the Young Vic Directors Program (2016-2018).
Lamb's 2019 Griffith Film School Thesis Film Method In Madness which she wrote, directed and produced, stars Ted Lasso's Cristo Fernández as Hamlet and was a Finalist in Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare Shorts and Won "Best Director" and "Best Cinematography" at the Paris International Film Awards.
Writing
editIn 2012, Lamb wrote her debut short film Blown for Tropfest and See You Soon. Whilst a student at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Lamb began writing her debut play The Australian Girl, inspired by the life of Louise Mack, the first female war correspondent during World War I. Central funded research and development in Belgium for the play and the first draft was presented in a semi-staged reading at LOST Theatre in London during the summer of 2016. In 2017, The Australian Girl received further support from the Old Vic New Voices and a full length version of the play premiered Off West End at Theatre N16 as part of their Military Season Aftershock. Her short play A Dance Of Two Sisters about two Polish sisters during World War II was presented at the Pleasance Theatre. In 2018, her second short play Deeds, Not Words about Australian Suffragette Muriel Matters was also presented at the Pleasance Theatre. Lamb was a member of the National Theatre's Writers Group (2018) and was an Associate Artist of Theatre 1880 (2016-2018).
In 2020, Lamb began adapting her stage play The Australian Girl for screen. The short Proof of Concept script was Runner-Up "Best Unproduced Short Screenplay" at the Oscar-qualifying Raindance Film Festival and Won "Best Short Screenplay" and the "Grand Jury Prize" at the Female Voices Rock Film Festival in New York. In 2022, she was award the Raindance Screenwriting Fellowship to develop a long-form project.
Personal life
editThere was already a Rebecca Lamb registered with Spotlight and Equity, as a result Lamb changed her name professionally to "Elise Lamb". She was previously credited as "Rebecca Elise Lamb".[18]
Although born in Australia, Lamb has Scottish, Irish, English and French ancestry.
Filmography
editActing credits
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Blown | The Girlfriend | Tropfest Short Film Also director, writer and producer |
| 2012 | See You Soon | The Girl | Short Film Also writer and producer |
| 2013 | One June Afternoon | Chloe | |
| 2013 | House of Cards | Talia | |
| 2014 | The Pale Moonlight | Howard's Wife | Short Film Premiered at Fantasia International Film Festival |
| 2017 | All the Money in the World | Hotel Maid | Directed by Ridley Scott |
| 2018 | Stan and Ollie | Plymouth Girl | Directed by Jon S. Baird |
| 2019 | Method in Madness | The Stage Manager | Short Film Also director, writer and producer |
| 2019 | Skin & Blister | Victoria | Short Film Also director, writer and producer |
| 2021 | Seriously Red | Tamworth Festival Girl | Directed by Gracie Otto |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Crown | White House Guest | Series 2, Episode 8 Directed by Stephen Daldry |
| 2021 | Young Rock | Market Goer | Series 1, Episode 2 Directed by Daina Reid |
Commercial
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Cadbury – Dark Milk: The Joyful Debate | Cinema Woman | Premiered during Masterchef Australia |
Music video
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Anything Worth Anything | StoneMason | Madeleine | Triple J Unearthed |
Director, writer and producer credits
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Blown | Yes | Yes | Yes | Tropfest Short Film |
| 2012 | See You Soon | No | Yes | Yes | Short Film |
| 2019 | Caged | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film Also editor |
| 2019 | Method in Madness | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film Also editor |
| 2019 | Skin & Blister | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film |
| 2019 | Op Shop | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film Also cinematographer and editor |
| 2020 | A Message | Yes | No | Yes | Short Film Also cinematographer Premiered at Monster Fest |
| 2023 | The Wilted Rose | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film World Premiere in competition at Brisbane International Film Festival |
Theatre
editActing credits
edit| Year | Production | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Vibrata | Spotlight Theatre | |
| 2006 | Gypsy | Hollywood Blonde | Spotlight Theatre | |
| 2007 | Don Quixote | Grand Lady | Lyric Theatre QPAC | Presented by The Australian Ballet Directed by David McAllister |
| 2007 | Carousel | Ensemble | Twelfth Night Theatre | |
| 2008–2010 | Peter Pan's Neverland | Wendy/Jane/Show Captain | Universal Studios Japan | Won – Thea Award "Event Spectacular" |
| 2012 | Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | New Farm Park | Presented by Queensland Theatre Company Directed by Todd MacDonald |
| 2014 | Mixed Doubles | Various | Brisbane Arts Theatre | |
| 2014 | The Last Flapper | Zelda Fitzgerald | Brisbane Arts Theatre | Also producer One-woman show Australian premiere |
| 2014 | Merry Fecking Christmas | Fiona | The Arts Centre Gold Coast | Presented by Underground Productions Short & Sweet Theatre Festival |
| 2015 | The Taming of the Shrew | Katherina | Pavilion Theatre | Presented by Phoenix Ensemble |
| 2015 | The Last Flapper | Zelda Fitzgerald | Reload Espresso Bar | Also producer Brisbane Fringe Festival |
| 2016 | Strictly Come Barking | Tracey | Hen and Chickens Theatre | |
| 2016 | The Australian Girl | Louise Mack | LOST Theatre | Also writer and director Semi-staged reading |
| 2017 | Keep Them Close | The Sexy Cat | Battersea Arts Centre | Also producer Presented by Theatre 1880 |
| 2017 | Fathers and Daughters | Lara | Leicester Square Theatre | |
| 2017 | Fixed Action Pattern | Kayla | The Vaults Theatre | Presented by Theatre 1880 Written by Francis Grin |
| 2017 | A Dance Of Two Sisters | Evelyn | Pleasance Theatre | Also writer and director Off West End premiere |
| 2017 | The Australian Girl | Louise Mack | Theatre N16 | Also writer and producer Off West End premiere |
| 2018 | Listen | The Woman | Arcola Theatre | |
| 2018 | Deeds, Not Words | Muriel Matters | Pleasance Theatre | Also writer Off West End premiere |
| 2018 | Lost in Bank | Meghan | Greenwich Theatre | Also writer Off West End premiere |
| 2019 | Deeds, Not Words | Muriel Matters | Brisbane Powerhouse | Also writer Short & Sweet Theatre Festival |
| 2021 | Deeds, Not Words | Muriel Matters | Brisbane Arts Theatre | Also writer and director |
| 2022 | Marvin's Room | Lee | Ad Astra Theatre Company |
Director credits
edit| Year | Title | Venue / Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) | Brisbane Arts Theatre | Written by Reduced Shakespeare Company |
| 2015 | Elvis Is Dead | The Arts Centre Gold Coast | Written by James Hutchison Short+Sweet Theatre Festival |
| 2015 | Noises Off | Brisbane Arts Theatre | Written by Michael Frayn Brisbane Arts Theatre's 1000th Production |
| 2016 | The Australian Girl | LOST Theatre | Semi-staged reading |
| 2017 | A Dance of Two Sisters | Pleasance Theatre | |
| 2021 | Deeds, Not Words | Brisbane Arts Theatre | |
| 2023 | Bloom Girl | Thomas Dixon Centre | Also Dramaturge Written by Charli Burrowes |
Writer credits
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | A Dance of Two Sisters | Short Play |
| 2017 | The Australian Girl | Full Length Play |
| 2018 | Deeds, Not Words | Short Play |
| 2018 | Lost in Bank | Short Play |
| All The Light Is Gone | Full Length Play In Development |
Producer credits
edit| Year | Title | Venue / Production Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Last Flapper | Brisbane Arts Theatre | Australian Premiere Written by William Luce |
| 2015 | The Last Flapper | Reload Espresso Bar | Brisbane Fringe Festival |
| 2017 | Keep Them Close | Battersea Arts Centre / Theatre 1880 | Written by Mathias Swann |
| 2017 | The Australian Girl | Theatre N16 | Off West End premiere |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Brisbane International Film Festival | Best Brisbane Short Film | The Wilted Rose | Won |
| 2023 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award (AACTA) | Best Short Film | The Wilted Rose | Contender |
| 2023 | Australian Writers' Guild | Monte Miller Award (Long-Listed) |
Rocking Out | Nominated |
| 2022 | Austin Film Festival | Script Competition - Short Screenplay (Semi-Finalist) |
The Australian Girl | Nominated |
| 2022 | Australian Writers' Guild | Monte Miller Award (Long-Listed) |
The Australian Girl | Nominated |
| 2021 | Female Voices Rock Film Festival (NYC) | Grand Jury Prize | The Australian Girl | Won |
| 2021 | Female Voices Rock Film Festival (NYC) | Best Short Screenplay | The Australian Girl | Won |
| 2021 | Raindance Film Festival Script Competition | Best Unproduced Short Screenplay | The Australian Girl | Runner-up |
| 2021 | Paris International Film Awards | Best Director | Method In Madness | Won |
| 2021 | Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition | Best Short Screenplay (Quarter-Finalist) |
The Australian Girl | Nominated |
| 2021 | Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards | Best Short Screenplay (Semi-Finalist) |
The Wilted Rose | Nominated |
| 2021 | Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards | Best Short Screenplay (Quarter-Finalist) |
The Australian Girl | Nominated |
| 2021 | WIFT (Women in Film & Television) V-Fest | Best Queensland Film (Final 3) |
Skin & Blister | Nominated |
| 2020 | Shakespeare Shorts | Best Film Inspired by Shakespeare (Final 13) |
Method In Madness | Nominated |
| 2020 | Hollyshorts Screenwriting Competition | Best Female Short Screenplay (Semi-Finalist) |
Don't Make Her Angry | Nominated |
| 2020 | Bendigo Queer Film Festival | International Short Film Competition (Final 12) |
Op Shop | Nominated |
| 2016 | Ian Potter Cultural Trust Award | Performing Arts | Acting / Writing / Directing | Won |
References
edit- ^ "2023 Monte Miller Award winners announced". Australian Writers Guild.
- ^ "Shorts from Home". Brisbane International Film Festival. 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b Dionysius, Bobbi-lea (2 May 2014). "The Last Flapper: Theatre Review". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "Lamb back in Logan to take a stand against DV". My City Logan. 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d Byrnes, Tim (14 January 2015). "Rebecca Elise Lamb's Complete Works of Shakespeare". Scenestr Magazine. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "Student Profiles". Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "The Last Flapper". Brisbane Arts Theatre. Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "Shakespeare Comedy with a 1950s Twist". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "The Last Flapper at Brisbane Fringe Festival". The Brisbane Reviewer. Retrieved 8 August 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Grants Database". Ian Potter Cultural Trust. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "Marvin's Room". Ad Astra Theatre Company. September 2022.
- ^ "Marvin's Room Review". Bravo Brisbane. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)". Brisbane Arts Theatre. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged): Theatre Review". Scenestr Magazine. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged): Theatre Review". Absolute Theatre. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "Shakespeare in Two Hours". Courier Mail. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "They Are Short But Very Sweet". Gold Coast Bulletin. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ "Spotlight Actresses". Spotlight. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
External links
edit- Elise Lamb at IMDb