Meredith O’Reilly
Ensemble
Meredith has been an entertainer for over 30 years. Theatrical highlights include Starkers (playing feisty stripper Glenda, directed by Lex Marinos), Les Misérables (Swing, directed by Gale Edwards), Hello Dolly! (directed by Christopher Renshaw), Chess (understudy Florence, directed by Colin McColl), New Rocky Horror Show (Magenta/Usherette alternate, directed by Nigel Triffitt), Gypsy (stripper Tessie Tura, directed by Nancye Hayes), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (secretary Smitty, directed by Kris Stewart), The Producers (elderly Hold Me-Touch Me, nominated for both Green Room and Helpmann awards, directed by Susan Stroman), Karaoke the Musical (pushy stage mother Tammy, directed by Guy Noble), Rain (P.M. Julia Gillard, directed by Jonathan Mill/Teresa Borg), Love Never Dies (understudy Madame Giry, directed by Simon Phillips) and Grandma in The Addams Family (directed by Jerry Zaks). Recently Meredith was in 3 new Australian musical projects: Life Force (five different roles in four accents, directed by Lisa Freshwater), mystery thriller Laura (directed by Arne Neeme) and the City Recital Hall concert of King Of The Air, playing Charles Kingsford Smith’s mother (directed by Tyran Parke). She played the role of theatrical agent Sylvia St. Croix in Ruthless! in 2014 (Glugs Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, directed by Lisa Freshwater). In 2015/16 Meredith toured Australia in The Sound Of Music (directed by Gavin Mitford) as Baroness Elberfeld, understudying Sr Berthe and Frau Schmidt, playing the latter role for six weeks in Sydney.
Her cabaret Curtains about showbiz disasters was a finalist in 2014 Short and Sweet and Cabaret and selected for Sydney’s inaugural Festival Fatale in 2016. Earlier cabarets include Only Just Begun, about singers who died suddenly and young. She has fronted big bands Tres Mambo, Horns Plus and her jazz quintet, The Mezzanines. She writes lyrics for music theatre, jazz and popular songs and songs tailored to corporate events. Meredith has appeared in numerous TV dramas, commercials, corporate films and is a voiceover artist. She has hosted several radio shows and narrated audio books for Vision Australia for ten years.