Andrea Moor


Andrea Moor is a Brisbane-based actor known for with roles in theatre, film and television. She is also a stage director and coordinator of actor training at QUT.

Early career to mid 2000s

Moor was born in Melbourne, raised in Queensland and moved to Sydney in 1979. At 19 she travelled to London to study at East 15 and returned to Sydney after a year. She enrolled at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and graduated in 1985.
She appeared in productions by all the major Sydney theatre companies including, Sydney Theatre Company, Ensemble Theatre, Stables Theatre, Marion Street Theatre and Belvoir. She travelled to England with the Sydney Theatre Company production of David Williamson’s play Emerald City.
Moor was also appearing in films and on television including 59 episodes in the series Heartbreak High. She was also at times listed as Andrea Moore.

Career 2005-

Moor's parents were residents of Brisbane and following her father's death she moved back to Brisbane with her family to be closer to her mother.
She subsequently appeared in many productions for Brisbane-based theatre companies La Boite and Queensland Theatre Company.
While continuing as an actor Moor moved into directing from 2007 as an assistant director. In late 2008 she had her first role as director with the production of Beautiful at the Loft. She directed plays for the Queensland Theatre Company and in 2014-2015 she was appointed a Resident Director at Queensland Theatre Company a joint position with Jason Klarwein. The role included “working on a range of projects from mainstage productions to works in development, youth programs and repertoire meetings.” For the second half of 2015 Moor's role moved to being Artistic Associate. Of the role of director Moor said, “While I love directing, and still find it incredibly challenging, at my heart I’m an actor.”

Teaching

Moor had studied at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York City, the acting school founded by David Mamet and William H Macy, which uses a technique known as Practical Aesthetics, the Atlantic Technique.
Moor introduced this technique to Australia in 1994 and in 1998 she together with Melissa Bruder established “the official Sydney Annex of the NYC.” She has run workshops on the technique at NIDA, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Queensland University of Technology, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and Practical Aesthetics Australia and in group settings.
She had been offered teaching roles in institutions but wanted to investigate further on techniques to teach acting. In 2013 she was awarded her PhD as a Doctorate of Creative Industries. Her thesis was entitled "Contemporary Actor Training in Australia: A comparative survey of the efficacy of the acting methodologies implemented at four leading Australian actor-training institutions - National Institute of Dramatic Art, Queensland University of Technology, Victorian College of the Arts, and Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts." She then accepted a five-year role as senior lecturer and head of acting at Queensland University of Technology.
Moor describes her career as ‘reinventing myself or adding strings to my bow just in order to survive.’' She said that the combination of acting, directing and teaching will not lead to a secure financial future where she would have sufficient money to retire while a permanent teaching position offers more financial stability. Her studies had the unexpected advantage of giving her greater insight into her own work as an actor and director. She is on the boards of Queensland Theatre and Metro Arts
In 2014 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. In her submission she wrote, "The purpose of this fellowship was to enlighten me as to current theatre practice in with particular focus on the work of outstanding female theatre directors, in order to enrich and challenge my own practice as theatre director and provide a benchmark for reflection of my own practice."

Review acting

Maureen Strugnell in a review in Stage Diary wrote of Moor's performance in Vincent in Brixton as the mother of Vincent Van Gogh,
Andrea Moor is compelling in this role, suggesting by everything she does the effort that it takes to keep on functioning in a world that has lost all meaning. Whether she is rushing manically about the kitchen as in the opening scene, or moving with achingly painful slowness as the depression takes hold again, we watch fascinated. When she sits still, head in hands, she personifies despair and prefigures later portraits by Van Gogh of sorrowing women.

Awards

2005 nominated Matilda Awards The Actors' Workshop Awards for Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role : Vincent in Brixton
2007 nominated Matilda Awards Best Actress : Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
2008 nominated Matilda Awards Best Actress in a Lead Role : The Narcissist
2009 winner Matilda Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role : The Crucible
2013 winner Gold Matilda Award for directing Venus in Fur
2013 nominated Matilda Awards Best Director Venus in Fur
2015 nominated Matilda Awards Best Director : Grounded
2016 winner Matilda Awards Best Female Actor : Switzerland

Personal life

Moor lives in Ashgrove Brisbane with her husband and their teenage daughter Bella.

Theatre - Actor

Selected performances
YearTitleVenueYearTitleVenue
1984 Holiday MakersNIDA Theatre, Kensington, NSW1984 All's Well That Ends WellNIDA Theatre, Kensington, NSW
1985 Chamber MusicNIDA Theatre, Kensington, NSW1985 The Greeks Play 1 The WarParade Theatre, Kensington,
1985 Once in a LifetimeParade Theatre, Kensington, NSW1986 AwayStables Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSW
1986 The Bitter Tears of Petra von KantThe Wharf Studio Theatre, Walsh Bay, NSW1986/87 Emerald CitySydney Opera House, Playhouse Adelaide, Canberra Theatre Centre
1987 Woman in MindDrama Theatre 1987/88 Emerald CityDrama Theatre
1988The Game of Love and ChanceThe Wharf Theatre, Walsh Bay 1988 An Ideal HusbandThe Wharf Theatre, Walsh Bay
1988 Emerald CityLyric Theatre, Leicester, Charing Cross, London, England 1990 SirenThe Wharf Theatre, Walsh Bay
1990 Crystal ClearUniversal Theatre, North Fitzroy, VIC1991 WitchplayStables Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSW
1992 A Little Like DrowningBelvoir Street Downstairs Theatre, Surry Hills, NSW1993 The Old BoyEnsemble Theatre, Kirribilli, NSW
1993 Titus AndronicusThe Wharf Theatre, Walsh Bay 1993 The Newspaper of Claremont StreetMarian Street Theatre, Killara, NSW
1993 The VisitDrama Theatre 1994 FuriousThe Space, Adelaide: CUB Malthouse, Southbank
1994 The Gun in HistoryStables Theatre, Darlinghurst 1993 BarefootStables Theatre, Darlinghurst
1994 FlameStables Theatre, Darlinghurst 1995 The Ninth StepEnsemble Theatre, Kirribilli, NSW
1995 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are DeadBelvoir Street Theatre, Surry Hills, NSW1996 The FamilyEnsemble Theatre, Kirribilli, NSW
2001 BorderlinesStables Theatre, Darlinghurst 2004Myth Propaganda and DisasterStables Theatre, Darlinghurst
2005 Vincent in BrixtonCremorne Theatre, South Brisbane 2005 Bitin' BackCremorne Theatre, South Brisbane
2006 Absurd Person SingularCremorne Theatre, South Brisbane 2007 The NarcissistRoundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove
2007 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Cremorne Theatre, South Brisbane 2008 The NarcissistRoundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove;Drama Theatre, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre
2008 The NarcissistJetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2009 The CruciblePlayhouse, South Bank
2010 Let the SunshineCremorne Theatre, South Brisbane 2010 TenderSue Benner Theatre
2011 An Oak TreeBille Brown Studio, Brisbane 2011 PygmalionPlayhouse, South Bank
2012 Romeo & JulietPlayhouse, South Bank 2013 Design for LivingPlayhouse, South Bank
2016 SwitzerlandBille Brown Studio, Brisbane ---

Theatre - Director

Selected performances
YearTitleVenueYearTitleVenue
2007 Red Cap Assistant DirectorRoundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove 2008 The Ghost Writer DirectorMetro Arts Theatre
2008 Heroes Assistant DirectorThe Playhouse, Civic Square, ACT; Lismore City Hall 2008 Beautiful DirectorThe Loft, Kelvin Grove, Qld
2009 My Night with Harold DirectorMetro Arts Warehouse, Brisbane2009The TempestUniversity of Southern Queensland, Toowomba
2010 Tender Director and ActorMetro Arts Warehouse, Brisbane 2011 Water Falling Down DirectorCremorne Theatre, South Brisbane
2012 Intimacy DirectorJUTE Theatre, Cairn2013 Venus in Fur DirectorCremorne Theatre, South Brisbane
2014 Australia Day DirectorPlayhouse, South Brisbane 2015 Boston Marriage DirectorQueensland Tour
2015 Grounded DirectorDiane Cilento Studio, Brisbane 2016 Boston Marriage DirectorQueensland Tour

Film

YearTitleRoleYearTitleRole
1987Travelling North Joan1992Over the Hill Jan
1993Excursion to the Bridge of Friendship 1996Shooting the Breeze
1997Oscar and Lucinda Miss Shaddock1999Strange Planet Dating Agency Woman
2001The Man Who Sued God Maxine Jeffrey 2005Cool
2008Bitter & TwistedPauline Praline 2009Subdivision
2010/11Life Mother2012Mental Barry Supporter
2013Return to Nim's IslandMinister O'Hare2018Road Train Victoria

Television

YearTitleRoleYearTitleRole
1986Army Wives Ros1991/92 The Flying Doctors Jane Mclaughlin / Jane McLaughlin / Teacher
1988,1992 A Country Practice Christine Warner, Sarah Wild 1992The Distant Home Forbes
1993 G.P. Marilyn Delaney1999 Water Rats Priscilla Conway
1994-99 Heartbreak High Di Barnett1999Airtight Elsa Conrad
2002 White Collar Blue Dr. Andrews 1999,2002,2003 All SAints Elsa Conrad
2002,2005 Home and Away Anna McMann / Ms McPhee2006 Mortified Miss Barnett
2006,2007 H2O: Just Add Water Mrs Geddes---