Barbara Stephens (actress) Australian actress
Barbara Stephens
Occupation Actress Years active c.1960-2005 Notable work Home and Away
Barbara Stephens is an Australian former actress, appearing on film, TV and in the theatre.[ 1]
Career
Stephens played the lead roles in 1960 TV play The Torrents ,[ 2] 1976 ABC TV comedy series Who Do You Think You Are? (as Kelly)[ 3] [ 4]
and 1985 film Warming Up (as Juliet).[ 5] She appeared in the 1972 TV movie adaptation of Dust or Polish? (as Sadie) and the 1980 ABC TV movie adaptation of The Department .
She also played the recurring role of Barbara Stewart (Donald Fisher’s ex-wife and Alf Stewart’s sister) in Home and Away from 1988 to 1989. The character returned in 1996, but was portrayed by a different actress. Stephens reprised the role for a further episode in 2005, as a guest at Alf's 60th birthday party.
Stephens has had a broad theatre career[ 6] working for many of Australia's major theatre companies including Melbourne Theatre Company , St Martin’s Theatre , Sydney Theatre Company , Theatre Royal Sydney , Jane Street and Nimrod . She also worked extensively in productions for State Theatre Company of South Australia . She appeared in The Real Thing at the Athenaeum Theatre in 1984[ 7] and toured with Money and Friends for the Royal Queensland Theatre Company from 1991 to 1992[ 8] [ 9] [ 10] and in 1993 for the Hunter Valley Theatre Company.[ 11]
She was also known for playing an air hostess in advertisements for British Airways .[ 12]
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1968
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Theatre 62, Adelaide
1968
The Pajama Game
Arts Theatre, Adelaide
1969
The Secretary Bird
Princess Theatre, Melbourne with Harry M. Miller & AET Trust
1969
Out of the Crocodile
St Martins Theatre, Melbourne
1969
The Torrents
ABC Television Studios, Sydney
1970
The Secretary Bird
Molly Forsythe
Canberra Theatre with Harry M. Miller & AET Trust
1971
The Happy Apple
St Martins Theatre, Melbourne
1972
Don’s Party
Jane Street Theatre, Sydney with NIDA & AET Trust
1972
Jugglers Three
Union Hall, Adelaide with STCSA & AET Trust
1973
Measure for Measure
Union Hall, Adelaide with MTC & STCSA
1973
A Certified Marriage
Arts Theatre, Adelaide with MTC & STCSA
1973
Occupations
Arts Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA
1973
Hans Kohlhaas
Union Hall, Adelaide with MTC & STCSA
1973; 1974
The Comedy of Errors
Union Hall, Adelaide , Arts Theatre, Adelaide with MTC & STCSA
1974
The Bride of Gospel Place
Arts Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA
1974
Lola Montez
Arts Theatre, Adelaide
1975
Blithe Spirit
Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA
1977
Travesties
Cecily Carruthers
Nimrod Theatre, Sydney
1979
The Bed Before Yesterday
Ella
Theatre Royal Sydney
1980; 1981
Celluloid Heroes
Alison Mackay
Nimrod Theatre, Sydney , Theatre Royal Sydney
1981
Every Burglar Has a Silver Lining / La Veniexiana
Seymour Centre, Sydney
1982
The Provok’d Wife
Bellinda
NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney
1983
There's a Ghost on Clark Island!
Clark Island, Sydney with Nimrod Theatre Company
1984
The Real Thing
Annie
Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC
1984
Candida
Candida
Russell Street Theatre with MTC
1985
Benefactors
Jane
Russell Street Theatre with MTC
1987
A Streetcar Named Desire
Stella Kowalski
Playhouse, Melbourne , Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney with MTC
1987
Twelfth Night
Olivia
Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC
1987
A Chorus of Disapproval
Hannah Llewellyn
Playhouse, Melbourne , Canberra Theatre with MTC
1987
Wet and Dry
Pam
Russell Street, Melbourne with MTC
1988
A Small Family Business
Northside Theatre, Sydney
1988; 1989
A Month of Sundays
Julia
Marian Street Theatre, Sydney , Playhouse, Adelaide , Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane with Northside Theatre Company
1990
Rumors
Claire Ganz
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne with Gary Penny Productions
1990
Present Laughter
Liz Essendine
Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC
1991
Silence / A Slight Ache
Woollahra Hotel, Sydney with The Lookout Theatre Club
1991
The Hundred Year Ambush
Newtown Theatre, Sydney
1991
Conversation Peace
Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STRUT Theatre
1991–1992
Money and Friends
Margaret
Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane, Sydney Opera House , Playhouse, Melbourne , Playhouse, Adelaide , Canberra Theatre , Playhouse, Newcastle, University of Newcastle
1994
Choice
Newcastle Civic Theatre , Bridge Theatre, Sydney, Q Theatre, Penrith with Riverina Theatre Company , Hunter Valley Theatre Company & Theatre South
1994
Whispering Demons
Playhouse, Perth with Perth Theatre Company
1995
Dead White Males
Jessica Squires
Regional Australian tour, Sydney Opera House , Glen Street Theatre, Sydney , Playhouse, Melbourne , His Majesty's Theatre, Perth , Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide , Newcastle Civic Theatre with STC
1996
Livingstone
Marian Street Theatre, Sydney
1997
The Memory of Water
Marian Street Theatre, Sydney with Northside Theatre Company
1998
Complicity
Marian Street Theatre, Sydney
2000
Split Down the Middle
Jenny
Marian Street Theatre, Sydney
2001
God Only Knows
Marian Street Theatre, Sydney with Northside Theatre Company
2001
This Other Eden
Bridge Theatre, Sydney with Theatre South
2002
Hamlet
Gertrude
Bridge Theatre, Sydney, Milton Theatre, Seymour Centre, Sydney , Riverside Theatres Parramatta with Theatre South
2003
A Conversation
Playhouse, Canberra & regional NSW/VIC tour
2003
Wicked Sisters
Monash University, Melbourne , Illawarra Performing Arts Centre with Griffin Theatre Company & Riverina Theatre Company
[ 13]
References
^ Gaind, Rama (22 February 1985), "Barbara: same face but New Idea" , The Canberra Times
^ Kelly, Frances (11 December 1969), "A play at last" , The Canberra Times
^ Adam, Victoria (3 November 1976), "Who Do You Think You Are?" , Tribune
^ Musgrove, Nan (20 October 1976), "A wonderful nose for showbiz" , The Australian Women's Weekly
^ Fox, Judith (31 January 1985), "Warming Up good, but gets us nowhere", The Sydney Morning Herald
^ Barbara Stephens , AusStage
^ Rainer, Anthony (24 February 1984), "Life, and portrayal" , The Australian Women's Weekly
^ Money and Friends , AusStage
^ Nugent, Ann (3 August 1992), "Playwright strikes gold again" , The Canberra Times
^ Healy, Ken (16 August 1992), "These friends with money should have a brilliant tour", The Canberra Times
^ Money and Friends , AusStage
^ Plummer, Dale (19 September 1976), "Barbara's feet are on the ground", The Sydney Morning Herald
^ "Barbara Stephens" . AusStage.
External links