Shari Sebbens is an Aboriginal Australian actress and stage director, known for her debut film role in The Sapphires (2012), as well as many stage and television performances.
Early life and education Sebbens, one of six children, was born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Her father is a former long-distance coach driver from Sydney of English descent and her mother, Annarella, an Aboriginal education worker from Broome, Western Australia is of Jabirr Jabirr and Bardi heritage. Sebbens refers to Australian music composer and playwright Jimmy Chi as her uncle, although they are not related by blood. She is the cousin of writer and film director Mitch Torres.
As a child, Sebbens wanted to become a palaeontologist or an astronaut but at the age of thirteen she saw Indigenous actress (and future The Sapphires co-star) Deborah Mailman in the film Radiance (1998) and was inspired to pursue acting.
Sebbens graduated from Darwin High School in 2001 and after two and a half years at Nhulunbuy, at age 19, was chosen to participate in "SPARK", a theatre mentorship programme established by the Australia Council for the Arts. At 20 she was accepted into the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where she completed a one-year course in Aboriginal Theatre. Upon completing her studies at WAAPA, Sebbens successfully auditioned for a place at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, where she studied acting full-time for three years, graduating in 2009.
Acting and directing Screen Sebbens played Anna in a short film called Violet in 2010. By May 2012, she landed a role in Redfern Now, a television series about "six inner city households whose lives are changed by a seemingly insignificant incident".
Sebbens secured a role in The Sapphires (2012), a film based on the stage show of the same name, written by Tony Briggs. It was directed by Wayne Blair and also starred Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, and Miranda Tapsell (who also co-wrote the script). Sebbens played the role of Kay McCrae, one of four Indigenous Australian singers "who travel from a mission in Victoria to Vietnam to sing for American troops". The cast attended the film's premiere at the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on 20 May 2012.
In 2024, Sebbens joined the cast for the Australian adaptation of The Office, playing Greta King, a sales representative.
In 2026, Sebbens was announced for the second series of Deadloch.
Theatre In 2012 Sebbens played Miri Smith and Currah in A Hoax with Griffin Theatre Company; in 2014, Dawn in Lobby Hero at Tap Gallery; and in 2015, Mae in Radiance at Belvoir. In 2017, she played Charlotte Gibbons in STC’s production of Nakkiah Lui's play Black is the New White in Sydney (with Miranda Tapsell stepping into her role when the show toured to Adelaide).
In 2019 she took the role of Julia Hersey in a production of Our Town by Black Swan State Theatre Company in Perth, and in the same year played matriarchal character Carina in Meyne Wyatt's City of Gold, her last role on stage for at least another three years, in a play she later directed, in 2021.
In 2021 Sebbens was appointed as one of STC's resident directors. She was assistant director to Wesley Enoch on STC's production of Appropriate in 2021. That same year, she directed STC's touring production of Enoch's The 7 Stages of Grieving, featuring Elaine Crombie, after it was rescheduled from 2020, due to COVID-19. It included a new epilogue that introduced a note of activism, with Crombie, Sebbens and assistant director Ian Michael calling for the audience to engage in "seven actions of healing".
Sebbens was dramaturg on STC's 2022 production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, starring Richard Roxburgh and directed by Kip Williams. In 2023 she directed productions by STC and the Griffin Theatre Company in Sydney, as well as Melbourne Theatre Company and Malthouse in Melbourne.
Sebbens is on the board of Back to Back Theatre.
Other activities Sebbens was a judge for the Patrick White Playwrights Award at STC in 2018.
After being appointed STC's resident director, she hosted the TV series The Whole Table, a co-production between STC and NITV, which aired in January–February 2021. Her co-panellists were playwright Wesley Enoch, actor/writer/director Nakkiah Lui and Rhoda Roberts, and guests included Taika Waititi, Miranda Tapsell, Adam Briggs, Meyne Wyatt, Yolanda Bonnell and Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result 2012 A Hoax Sydney Theatre Award Best Newcomer 2013 Redfern Now Logie Award Most Outstanding New Talent Equity Ensemble Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2019–2020: Shari Sebbens Richard Wherrett Fellow 2020 The Heights Equity Ensemble Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2023 Fences Sydney Theatre Award Best Direction of a Mainstage Production
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2010 Violet Anna Short film 2012 The Sapphires Kay McCrae 2013 The Darkside Naomi 2014 You Wanna Order Pizza? Cass Short film2015 Alone Nina Short film Silent Night Carly Short film2016 OnO Ollie Short film Teenage Kicks Annuska2017 Australia Day Sonya Mackenzie Puppets vs. People: Night of the Living Thread Susie Short film This Is Desmondo Ray! Clementine Love Short film Thor: Ragnarok Asgardian Mother 2019 Top End Wedding Ronelle 2022 Thor: Love and Thunder Asgardian 2024 The Moogai SarahShort film (2020) precedes this feature film.
Television Year Title Role Notes 2012 Redfern Now Julie Episode: "Joy Ride"Logie Award for Most Outstanding New TalentEquity Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series2014 The Gods of Wheat Street Isolde Freeburn 6 episodes Soul Mates Samus 2 episodes 2014, 2016 Black Comedy Various 4 episodes 2015 8MMM Aboriginal Radio Jessie 6 episodes2018 Show Me the Movie! Herself Episode: "#1.3" A Chance Affair Aviante Episode: "Just Like Smoke" 2019, 2020 The Heights Leonie Farrell 60 episodes 2021 The Whole Table Host 3-part documentary series, with panel discussions2024 The Office Greta King Main role Thou Shalt Not Steal Tracey 6 episodes2025Top End BubRonelle1 episode, directed 4 episodes 2026DeadlochMiki EvansTV series
Theatre
As actor YearTitleRoleTheatre 2008 Measure for Measure Mistress Overdone / Isabella NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney 2011 Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui Tandanya Theatre, Adelaide 2012 A Hoax Miri Smith / Currah Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane, Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre CompanyNominated – Sydney Theatre Award for Best Newcomer 2013 Return to Earth Alice Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Independent 2014 Lobby Hero Dawn Tap Gallery, Sydney2015 Radiance Mae Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Battle of Waterloo Cassie Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 2015; 2017 The Bleeding Tree Daughter Stables Theatre, Sydney, Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC & Griffin Theatre Company 2016 Bright World Theatre Works, Melbourne 2017 An Octoroon Zoe Bille Brown Studio, Brisbane with QTC for Brisbane Festival 2017–2018 Black is the New White Charlotte Gibbons Wharf Theatre, Sydney, Playhouse, Brisbane, IMB Theatre, Wollongong, Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney, Riverside Theatres Parramatta with STC 2018 A Cheery Soul Various roles Sydney Opera House2019 Our Town Julia Hersey State Theatre Centre Courtyard, Perth with Black Swan State Theatre Company City of Gold Carina Bille Brown Theatre, Brisbane, Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company & QTC
As writer / director YearTitleRoleTheatre 2020 Superheroes Director Seymour Centre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company 2020–2021 The 7 Stages of Grieving Director Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney, Space Theatre, Adelaide, Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC2021 Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner Director Eternity Playhouse, Sydney with Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre Company Appropriate Assistant Director Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney with STC2022 City of Gold Director Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC & Black Swan State Theatre Company All that Glitters is not Mould Dramaturg NIDA Parade Studio, Sydney The Tempest Dramaturg Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney with STC 2023 Is God Is Co-Director Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC & STC
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