Nancye Lee Bertles AM (née Hayes; born January 1943), billed under her maiden name as Nancye Hayes, is an Australian actress, dancer, singer and choreographer/director and narrator. She has been a leading figure in Australian musical theatre since the 1960s. Although her roles have been almost exclusively in theatre, she has briefly worked in television as a character actress, filling in for Judy Nunn on the soap opera Home and Away.
Nancye Hayes | |
|---|---|
 With Todd McKenney in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks | |
| Born | Nancye Lee Hayes January 1943 (age 81) Sydney, Australia |
| Other names | Nancye Bertles (married name) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouse | Bob Bertles |
Early life and education
editNancye Hayes was born in January 1943.[1] She grew up in the Sydney suburb of Manly, an only child.[2] At the age of seven, she had an operation to remove a growth in her hip joint, and the recovery included strapping her leg with irons. After her father died in a car crash when Hayes was eleven, her mother became a barmaid at the old Pacific Hotel in Manly.[3]
She began dancing lessons at age nine at Hazel and Violet Meldrum's studio. Hazel had been a choreographer for the leading Australian theatrical firm J. C. Williamson's.[4]
Career
edit
Theatre
editHayes, aged eighteen, left a job at a Sydney office to join the chorus of an Australian production of My Fair Lady.[5] From 1963 she understudied or played small roles in productions such as the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, My Fair Lady, Promises Promises,Hello, Dolly! and The Boys from Syracuse for J. C. Williamson's. She also performed in Kiss Me, Kate, Brigadoon, Annie Get Your Gun and Little Me at the Menzies Theatre Restaurant in Sydney.[6]
In 1967, Hayes received wide notice playing the title role in the original Australian cast of Sweet Charity.
Over the next thirty years, she performed leading roles in Australian casts of many musicals including Fastrada in Pippin (1974), Lily St. Regis in Annie (1978–1979), Roxie Hart in Chicago (1981–1982), Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls (1986–1987), Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd (1987), Liliane La Fleur in Nine (1987–1988) and Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (1989–1993). She later played supporting roles including Aunt Eller in Oklahoma! (The Production Company, 2005), Mrs Higgins in My Fair Lady (Opera Australia, 2008), Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music (Opera Australia, 2009) and Edith Bouvier Beale in Grey Gardens (The Production Company, 2011).[7]
Since the 1980s Hayes has also appeared in many Australian-written musicals. These include Songs from Sideshow Alley (Classic Corporation, 1980), Variations (Nimrod Theatre, 1982), Summer Rain (Sydney Theatre Company, 1989), Jonah Jones (STCSA, 1991), Eureka! (Essgee, 2004) and Metro Street (STCSA, 2009). She appeared in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television special on Australian musicals Once In A Blue Moon and its soundtrack recording.
Her drama credits for Australia's major theatre companies and commercial producers include Born Yesterday, Danton's Death, Same Time, Next Year, Going Home, Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi, The Glass Menagerie, Steel Magnolias, Stepping Out, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Her cabaret show, Nancye with an E, toured Australia in 1992. In 2006, she performed with Todd McKenney in his first non-musical role in the Ensemble Theatre's production of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at the Playhouse Theatre in the Sydney Opera House.[8] It became the theatre's most successful play ever, and the pair re-united ten years later for another season along with Sandra Bates in her final directorial role.[9][10]
Film and television
editHayes was a fill-in for Judy Nunn, in the series Home and Away, whilst Nunn was unwell, briefly taking over her character of Ailsa Stewart.[citation needed]
Roles in miniseries include Elsie Curtin in The Last Bastion and secretary to Minister Rex Connor in The Dismissal. Roles in TV series[1] include Consider Your Verdict, Carson's Law, Rafferty's Rules, G.P., Blue Heelers and House Husbands[11]
Personal life
editHayes is married to jazz saxophone musician and bandleader Bob Bertles, whom she met when he played in the band of Chicago, in which she starred.[12] Her married name is Nancye Lee Bertles, but she uses her maiden name professionally.[1]
Honours and awards
editHayes was granted a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on 8 June 1981 "for service to the performing arts".[13][14]
She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on 26 January 2014 "for significant service to the performing arts, particularly musical theatre, as an actor, choreographer and director".[15]
The Hayes Theatre in Potts Point, Sydney which has a focus on small-scale musical theatre and cabaret is named after her.[16]
Hayes, alongside her showbiz contemporaries Jill Perryman and Toni Lamond, has been named a "Grand Dame of Theatre".[17]
Awards
edit| Association | Award | Year | Production | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Room Awards | Green Room Award for Best Female Actor in a Leading Role (Music Theatre) | 1986 | Guys and Dolls | Won |
| Glugs Theatrical Awards | For Contribution to Theatre[18] | 1986 | Herself | Awarded |
| Helpmann Awards | Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical − | 2009 | My Fair Lady | Won |
| Helpmann Awards | JC Williamson Award | 2011 | Herself | Awarded |
| Glugs Theatrical Awards | Chief Glug's Award for Excellence Behind the Scenes[18] | 2011 | Herself | Awarded |
| Helpmann Awards | Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | 2012 | Grey Gardens | Won |
| Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical | 2023 | A Little Night Music | Won |
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Sentimental Bloke | Rose | TV film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Consider Your Verdict | Rita Grange | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1967 | Bandstand | Guest performer (singing "I'm a Brass Band" from Sweet Charity) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1967 | The Mavis Bramston Show | Various characters | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1968 | Anything Goes | TV series | |
| 1968 | Sydney Tonight | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1969 | A Night of Stars | Guest | TV special |
| 1970 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1971 | Nancye | Herself | TV special |
| 1972 | Kamahl | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1972 | The Spoiler | Guest lead role | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1973 | The True Blue Show | Various characters | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1975 | Something Special | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1976 | The Celebrity Game | Contestant | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1978 | Father, Dear Father In Australia | Helen Randall | TV series, episode 2: "A Home from Home" |
| 1978 | The Sullivans | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1980 | Don Dunstan's Australia | Guest | TV series, 1 season |
| 1981 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest performer (singing "My Own Best Friend" from Chicagowith Geraldine Turner) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1981 | Menotti | Ruth | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1981 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest performer (singing "Roxie" from Chicago) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1982 | M.P.S.I.B. | Guest role | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1982 | Parkinson In Australia | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1982 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest performer (singing "Big Spender" with Natalie Mosco, Robyn Moase, Olga Tamara & Tina Bursill) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1982 | What It's Like in a Theatre | Narrator | Film documentary |
| 1983 | Carson's Law | Dorothy Nesbitt | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1983 | Court House | TV pilot | |
| 1983; 1984 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1983 | The Dismissal | Connor's Secretary | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1984 | The Last Bastion | Elsie Curtin | TV miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1985 | After Noon | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1986 | Eleven A.M. | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1986 | Midday at the Movies with Stuart Wagstaff | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1988 | Australia Day Live Concert | Guest | TV special |
| 1989 | Rafferty's Rules | Sheree Martin | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989 | Turn Onto Tap | Herself | Video |
| 1989 | The Bert Newton Show | Guest performer (with Leonie Page & Todd McKenney - 42nd Street) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1989; 1994; 1996 | The Midday Show | Guest | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1989 | Graham Kennedy Coast to Coast | Guest performer (singing You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1990 | Tonight Live with Steve Vizard | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | G.P. | Anna Abrahams | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | Til Ten | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | In Sydney Today | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1992 | The Girl From Tomorrow II: Tomorrow's End | Maeve | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1992 | Six Pack | Mrs Zweig | TV miniseries, episode 4: "Death Duties" |
| 1993; 1994 | Ernie and Denise | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1993 | What's Cooking? | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1993–2005 | Good Morning Australia | Guest | TV series |
| 1993 | Review | Guest presenter | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1994 | At Home | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Once in a Blue Moon: A Celebration of Australian Musicals | Herself | TV special |
| 1994 | Nancye Hayes - At the School of Arts Cafe | Herself | TV special |
| 1994 | Carols in the Domain | Performer | TV special |
| 1995 | Music Theatre | Herself | TV series |
| 1996 | Sale of the Century | Contestant | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1997 | Monday to Friday | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1997 | Today | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1998 | This Is Your Life | Special guest | TV series, 1 episode "Nancye Hayes" |
| 1998, 1999 | Denise | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Blue Heelers | Audrey Ropers | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2000 | Home and Away | Ailsa Stewart (stand-in for Judy Nunn) | TV series, 15 episodes |
| 2000 | In the First Person | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2003; 2005; 2007 | Mornings with Kerri-Anne | Guest | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Studio A with Simon Burke | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2006; 2012 | Dancing with the Stars | Audience member | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Spicks and Specks | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2007 | Talking Heads | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2008 | The Pacific | Jeanne Sledge | TV miniseries |
| 2011 | Helpmann Awards | Winner – JC Williamson Award for Lifetime Achievement to The Arts sector and Theatre (with Toni Lamond & Jill Perryman) | TV special |
| 2012 | Helpmann Awards | Winner – Best Female Actor in Support Role for Grey Gardens | TV special |
| 2014 | Mornings | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2014 | The Morning Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2016; 2019 | The Daily Edition | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2016; 2017; 2019; 2023 | Today Extra | Guest | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2017 | House Husbands | Liz | TV series, 3 episodes |
Theatre
editAs actor
editAs crew
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Sisters | Choreographer | Seymour Centre |
| 1979 | Gentlemen Only | Choreographer | Playbox Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1979 | The Venetian Twins | Choreographer | Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre |
| 1981 | The Venetian Twins | Choreographer | Seymour Centre, Canberra Theatre Centre, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Geelong |
| 1982 | Flash Jim | Choreographer | Nimrod Theatre Company |
| 1983 | Firing Squad | Choreographer | Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney |
| 1985 | Judi Connelli with the Ritz Company | Choreographer | Kinselas, Darlinghurst |
| 1988 | Noel and Gertie | Choreographer | Wharf Theatre |
| 1988 | Dames at Sea | Director / choreographer | Marian Street Theatre |
| 1991 | The Fantasticks | Director | Newtown Studio Theatre |
| 1992 | Nancye with an E (cabaret show) | Devisor | Australian national tour |
| 1993 | My Fair Lady | Choreographer | State Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1994 | Falsettos | Choreographer | Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre, Monash University, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Canberra Theatre Centre |
| 1995 | Guys and Dolls | Choreographer | UNSW Parade Theatre |
| 1996-97 | My Fair Lady | Choreographer | Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Capitol Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1996 | Merrily We Roll Along | Choreographer | University of Sydney, Footbridge Theatre |
| 1997 | The Screw is Loose | Director | Tilbury Hotel |
| 1999 | Barrymore | Director / Assistant Choreographer | Cremorne Theatre |
| 2000 | Gypsy | Director | State Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2000 | Annie | Resident Director | Lyric Theatre, Sydney, Regent Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2001 | The World Goes 'Round | Choreographer | Acting Studio, WA |
| 2001-02 | The Wizard of Oz | Director | Lyric Theatre, Sydney, Regent Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2004 | Australia's Leading Ladies | Director | Concert Hall, Brisbane |
| 2005 | Crazy for You | Director | The Academy Main Theatre, WA |
| 2010-11 | The Boy From Oz | Director | State Theatre, Melbourne |
| 2013 | Noël and Gertie | Director | Australian national tour |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Nancye Hayes interviewed by Bill Stephens (sound recording)". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Their most memorable Christmas". The Australian Women's Weekly. 31 December 1969. p. 14. Retrieved 7 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "A Lady Named Nancye". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 June 1989. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "The Great Tap Dance Revival". The Australian Women's Weekly. 15 July 1981. p. 16. Retrieved 7 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Taking a gamble on Nancye". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 January 1967. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ Nancye Hayes OAM 1943 – Live Performance Australia Hall of Fame http://liveperformance.com.au/halloffame/nancyehayes.html Archived 28 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Nancye Hayes AM". AusStage. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Hallett, Bruce (13 February 2006). "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ Hook, Chris (3 February 2016). "Ten years later, McKenney and Hayes bring Six Dance Lessons play back for another spin on stage". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ Huntsdale, Justin (17 February 2016). "Theatre legends Todd McKenney and Nancye Hayes unite for heart-warming play". ABC News. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
- ^ "Nancye Hayes". IMDb.
- ^ "Nancye Hayes' favourite things". news.com.au. 10 March 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Ms Nancye Lee HAYES". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "The Queen's Birthday Honours Lists Commonwealth". The Canberra Times. 13 June 1981. p. 11. Retrieved 7 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Ms Nancye Lee HAYES". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Hayes Theatre Co | About Us". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ "Back to the '50's? international actors take prized roles in Australian musical productions".
- ^ a b "Awards". Glugs. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ [https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/1002
- ^ https://shanahan.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/HAYES-Nancye-060418.pdf]