Southern actress secures Shortland St role

Natalie Ellis prepares for her Shortland St role. Photo by Jane Dawber.
Natalie Ellis prepares for her Shortland St role. Photo by Jane Dawber.
Television soap opera Shortland Street will get a shot of Southern flavour today.

Dunedin actor and drama teacher Natalie Ellis leaves Dunedin this morning for a two-week guest appearance on the TV2 programme.

"I'll be playing a character called Eileen Hatfield, who is the next-door neighbour of one of the permanent doctors," she said yesterday.

"Eileen has a hip problem and is trying to get her hip replaced a bit sooner than she is really entitled to."

Ms Ellis will appear in 10 episodes.

The Columba College drama and speech teacher has a string of television and film credits, including playing Dot Crimp in the Aramoana tragedy film, Out of the Blue.

She will return to Dunedin for the opening of her latest Dunedin Repertory Society play, Love Or Nearest Offer, which premieres at the Playhouse Theatre on May 8.

The Shortland Street auditions were arranged by McDaniel + Power Actor Profile Management, which brought Auckland casting director Andrea Kelland to Dunedin last month.

"The pool of actors here hasn't been promoted in a long time, so we thought we'd bring her down and show her some of our talented local actors," agency director Barbara Power said yesterday.

A total of 35 Dunedin area actors had auditioned for potential parts in the long-running New Zealand television drama, she said.

"Andrea was very impressed with the calibre of the actors here. It's just the beginning of a great relationship with [Shortland Street production company] South Pacific Pictures."

The first episode featuring Ms Ellis will be broadcast on TV2 on June 28.

 

 

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