Biography

Upon graduation from the Theatre Nepean Acting Program (2002), Marika Aubrey was awarded the BBM Drama Award to study performance in the UK, taking classes in Meisner (Scott Williams), physical theatre and Cabaret. Since then, Marika has performed across television, film, cabaret and theatre, with roles in Channel 7’s All Saints, Southern Star’s Spirited, Deadly Women for Beyond International, as well as in the feature film FEED co-starring Jack Thompson & Alex O’Loughlin. Marika can be seen in TV commercials for Telstra and NRMA, and is additionally a regular voiceover artist for RGM Voices.

After gaining several credits on the independent theatre scene of Sydney (Poster Girl at The Old Fitz, 5 Ways at Griffin, Notes From The Underworld for Theatre Dwa Konie), Marika won the 2007 Showcase Award in the Annual Sydney Cabaret Showcase, and the following year appeared in the Short, Sweet + Song festival for which she received a Best Actress nomination. In 2008, Marika starred in three lead roles for Kookaburra: The National Musical Theatre Company’s productions of popular musicals I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and Songs for A New World and Ahrens and Flaherty’s The Emporer’s New Clothes. She has also regularly headlined at large scale benefit evenings such as the Sydney Theatre Company All-Star Cabaret, Hats Off for World AIDS day, Light The Night & ACON Concerts. In 2014, Marika co-founded and continues to co-produce (with Highway Run Productions), the annual Christmas charity event Carols by Cabaret for the Hayes Theatre, raising money for The Wayside Chapel.

In 2009 she performed her critically acclaimed solo show CAUTION: Aggressive Birds, which saw her named Best Cabaret Performer 2009 by aussietheatre. Marika appears as a featured volcalist on the Generation WhY? album for Hayden Tee, has recorded ‘Meadowlark‘ on the second Showqueen Sessions Live CD.

In 2010, Marika premiered her one-woman show REDHEAD in a sell-out season at The Adelaide Cabaret Festival and toured to the NYC cabaret room Don’t Tell Mama. Whilst at The Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Marika headlined alongside Natalie Cole, Donna McKechnie, & Caroline O’Connor in the Opening Night Gala Concert and worked with Liz Callaway & Stephen Schwartz in a concert of his work Stephen Schwartz & Friends. REDHEAD then toured to Newcastle, Sydney and The Noosa Long Weekend Festival. Marika was nominated for a GLUG award for ‘Best Actress in a Musical or Cabaret’ for her performance in REDHEAD.

Marika understudied Rachel Beck in the national Australian Tour of Jason Robert Brown Live in Concert, as well as working with internationally renowned composers Georgia Stitt & John Bucchino in Concert (Bris & Syd). Marika was honoured to join the workshop cast of James Millar & Pete Rutherford’s A Little Touch of Chaos in 2011, playing Sue, before being cast opposite Rob Mills, as Cathy in The Last Five Years. The Last Five Years received the honour of being nominated for ‘Best Musical’ at The Sydney Theatre Awards in 2011.

In 2012, Marika re-visited the role of Titania in A Midsummer Nights Dream in Centennial Park, before an engagement as the celebrity host of Sing-a-long Sound of Music at The State Theatre, which she has been delighted to host three times. Marika performed a night of new song material for the Slide Cabaret Festival 2012 – The First Draft of Something New and was nominated for ‘Best Cabaret Performance’ GLUG Award for this show.

A long standing member of Actor’s Equity in Australia, the UK and the USA, Marika also serves to coach and instruct young actor’s at The Australian Theatre for Young People, regularly running masterclasses in Musical Theatre and Acting. In 2013, ‘How We Do What We Do‘ an actor profile series written by Marika was launched on popular national industry website www.aussietheatre.com.au becoming the website’s most popular column in it’s history.

Marika played the Head Nurse in the Lincoln Center production of South Pacific, touring Australia. Her solo show The Last of The Red Hot Mamas premiered at The 2013 Adelaide Cabaret Festival and continued to tour around Australia through 2013 and 2014. In late 2014, Marika was privileged to join the star studded cast of Miracle City, by Nick Enright and Max Lambert, playing Eulella. She can be heard on the original Australian cast recording of this production, released April 2015.

In 2015, Marika played the fiery Aldonza in Squabbalogic’s sold-out production of The Man of La Mancha, opposite industry legend Tony Sheldon. The live cast recording of this sell-out production is available through Squabbalogic.

In July 2017, Marika took her final bow as Mrs Wormwood in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Australian production of Matilda the Musical after two years. This internationally acclaimed musical, written by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin, has played Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane, and won 13 Helpmann Awards – an as yet unbroken record.

Marika is currently playing ‘Bev and Others’ in the 1st National Tour of Come From Away across North America. Based in New York City, she is managed by Whole Artist Management and Paradigm.