Zahra Newman

Zahra Newman is an Australian actress.^[1]

Newman in 2021

Early life and education

Newman was born in Port Antonio Jamaica and spent her formative years in Kingston before migrating to Australia at the age of 14 with her mother. Her interest in the performing arts was nurtured through her involvement with Father HoLung and Friends, the Caribbean-style music and theatre arts group associated with Missionaries of the Poor. Later, in Brisbane Australia, performance opportunities with Harvest Rain Theatre Company served to cement her passion for and commitment to the stage. She graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2008.^[2]

Career

She appeared as Nabalungi in the original Australian cast of The Book of Mormon.^[3]

Newman has performed extensively with leading theatre companies in Melbourne and Sydney. Her theatre credits include Miss Julie, The Effect, The Mountaintop, The Cherry Orchard, Clybourne Park, The Drowsy Chaperone, Richard III and Rockabye for Melbourne Theatre Company; Rosalind in As You Like It for Bell Shakespeare; The Blind Giant is Dancing, Ivanov and Private Lives for Belvoir; Love and Information for Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company; The Government Inspector for Belvoir and Malthouse Theatre; and Random for the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Theatre Company and Brisbane Powerhouse.^[4] She also appeared in the original Australian cast of the musical An Officer and A Gentleman.^[5]

Her television and film credits include Wentworth, Rush, Childhood’s End and Neighbours.^[6]

Awards and nominations

In 2014, Newman was nominated for Helpmann Awards for both Best Female Actor in Play for The Mountaintop and Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for The Government Inspector.^[7] She received a Green Room Award for Female Actor for Random in 2012.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2010	Rush	Kara Davidson	2 episodes
2015	Childhood's End	Bridget Rodricks	Episode: "The Overlords"
2016	Comedy Showroom	Fran Wright	Episode: "Bleak"
2017	Wentworth	Iman Farah	5 episodes
	Sisters	Felicity	4 episodes
2019	Diary of an Uber Driver	Beck	6 episodes	[8]
2020	Rosehaven	Amy	2 episodes
2020–2021	Neighbours	Audrey Hamilton	Recurring character
2021	Spreadsheet	Helena	8 episodes	[9]
2022	Pieces of Her (TV series)	Sgt Wilson	2 episodes
2023	Erotic Stories	Lelia	1 episode (Imperfect Paw Paw)
TBA	The Dispatcher	TBA	TV series Apple TV+	[10]

Film appearances

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2023	Our Haunt	Abby	Short
2022	Thirteen Lives	Olivia Taft
2021	Long Story Short	Leanne	Feature film	[11]
2015	Truth	Dana Roberson
2012	Hold	Lily	Short film

Stage

In 2024, Newman would play all 23 characters in Sydney Theatre Co's Dracula.^[12] Newman would also played music legend Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill .^[13] In 2023, Newman appeared alongside Bert La Bonté in Fences.^[14]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2024	Dracula	Various	Sydney Theatre Co	[15]
	The Hate Race	Maxine	Sydney Theatre Co	[16][17]
2023	Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Billie Holiday	Melbourne	[13]
	Fences	Rose Maxon	Sydney Theatre Co	[14]
2022	A Raisin in the Sun	Ruth Younger	Sydney Theatre Co
2021	Girl From North Country	Marianne Lane		[18]
2019-20	Wake in Fright	John Grant	Sydney Theatre Co / Malthouse	[19]
2019	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	Maggie	Sydney Theatre Co	[20]
2018	random	Various	Belvoir St	[21]
2016	The Mill on the Floss	Maggie		[22]
2016	Miss Julie	Kristin	Sydney Theatre Co
2012	An Officer and a Gentleman	Seegar