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Alyssa McClelland

Alyssa McClelland
McClelland in December 2012
Born1981
EducationNewtown High School of the Performing Arts
Australian Theatre for Young People
University of Technology Sydney
Atlantic Theater Company, New York
Occupation(s)Director, writer, actress
Years active2000–present

Alyssa McClelland (born 1981[1]) is an Australian director, writer and actress.

Early life and education

Daughter of an industrial chemist father and office manager mother,[2] McClelland was educated at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts in Sydney and was Dux in her final year. She attended the University of Technology Sydney where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in Media Arts and Production, majoring in film. From the age of fifteen she trained and performed in productions with the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney, until she received a scholarship that enabled her to study abroad with the Atlantic Theater Company in New York in 2002.[3]

Career

Actor

McClelland has had roles in the feature films A Man's Gotta Do, The Bet, Deck Dogz and in Australian television series Rake, Home and Away, Dance Academy and Canal Road.[4]

She received an Australian Film Institute Award nomination for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in Television, for her 2005 role in the Network Ten telemovie Small Claims: White Wedding.[4]

McClelland has performed leading roles in productions with the Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, and Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney.[5]

McClelland is a former Jan Logan star, and face of the annual campaign, alongside other Jan Logan ambassadors Rose Byrne, Elizabeth Debicki, and Teresa Palmer.

Director / producer / writer

McClelland's short film Second Best won the Dendy Live Action Short Award at the Sydney Film Festival, the Australian Directors' Guild Award for Best Direction in a short film, Best Short Film at the Milano Film Festival, Best Foreign Film at Lake Shorts Film Festival, the Youth Award at 20MinMax Film Festival and Best Direction at Flickerfest [1].

McClelland directed, wrote and produced seasons 1 and 2 of the cult hit web series One Step Closer to Home, and the short film Nic and Shauna which was a finalist in Tropfest, the world's largest short film festival.

McClelland is also a respected international commercial director, having directed campaigns for Google Pixel, Apple, Air New Zealand, Samsung, Netflix and Vodafone, AEG, McDonald’s and Pot Noodle. Her advertising work has won awards such as the Black Pencil at the D&AD Awards and Best Direction at the London International Awards.[6][7]

She was the recipient of the InStyle Magazine Woman of Style Scholarship for her work as a filmmaker in Australia.

Acting credits

Film

Year Title Role Type
2001 Ben Sally Short film
2002 Queen of the Damned London Groupie Feature film
2003 Horseplay Cindy Perlman Feature film
2004 A Man's Gotta Do Chantelle Film
2005 Deck Dogz Baby T Film
2005 Son of the Mask Dream Nurse Feature film
2005 Mind the Gap Young Girl Short film
2005 Second Chance Alyssa Fulham TV movie
2006 The Bet Trish Film
2008 Restraint Gabrielle Feature film
2009 Knowing Flight Attendant Feature film
2009 Emilia Eckle Emilia Eckle Short film
2011 Commercialisms Actor Short film
2011 Surviving Georgia Sandy Feature film
2011 Home Short film
2011 The Bride The Bride Short film
2011 Cupid Lucy Short film
2012 A Light Touch Tracy Short film
2013 The Humble Beginnings of the Balloon Stephanie's teacher Short film
2016 The Eleven O'Clock Donna Short film

Television

Year Title Role Type
1999; 2001 All Saints Scarlett Baker / Zoe Dell TV series, 2 episodes
1999; 2001; 2004–05; 2011–12 Home and Away Brooke MacPherson / Hayley O'Connor / Gemma / Cynthia TV series, 54 episodes
2000 Water Rats Samantha TV series, 1 episode
2005 Small Claims: White Wedding Kiara Duffy TV movie
2008 East West 101 Vesna Popov TV series, 1 episode
2008 Canal Road Skye Brady TV miniseries, 13 episodes
2010 Rescue: Special Ops Beth Robson TV series, 1 episode
2012 Rake Larissa Downe TV series, 1 episode
2013 The Elegant Gentleman's Guide to Knife Fighting Special Guest TV miniseries, 1 episode
2013 Dance Academy Rebecca Braithwaite TV series, 7 episodes
2011–15 One Step Closer to Home Nat Cat / Nat Shaw TV web series, seasons 1–2, 19 episodes

Theatre

Year Title Role Type
1997 The Don Juan Project Australian Theatre for Young People
1997 Junks Martin Place Amphitheatre, Sydney with Australian Theatre for Young People
2000 Contact Australian Theatre for Young People
2000 Birds Australian Theatre for Young People
2000 Spurboard Australian Theatre for Young People
2001 Re:Macbeth Australian Theatre for Young People
2001 Outpatients Australian Theatre for Young People
2003 The Shape of Things Jenny Wharf Theatre with STC
2003 Ray's Tempest Frog's girlfriend Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
2005; 2006 The Give and Take Julie Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Melbourne with STC & MTC

[8][9]

Director / producer / writer credits

Film

Year Title Role Type
2009 Emilia Eckle Director, writer Short film
2010 Nic and Shauna Director, writer, producer Short film
2011 The Bride Co-producer Short film
2011 Home Producer Short film
2018 Second Best Director, writer, producer Short film

Television

Year Title Role Type
2011–15 One Step Closer to Home Director, writer, producer TV web series, seasons 1–2, 19 episodes
2021 Home and Away Director TV series, 5 episodes
2022 Everything Now (aka The Fuck-It Bucket) Director TV series, 2 episodes
2022 Sex Education Final block director TV series, season 4, 3 episodes
2023 Class of '07 Splinter unit director TV series, 7 episodes
2015 Amandaland Lead director Motherland spin-off (In pre-production)

Music video

Year Title Artist Role Type
2011 "Let Me Cut In" Belle Roscoe Director Music video

Awards

Year Nominated work Award Category Result
2005 Small Claims: White Wedding
Australian Film Institute Award || Best Guest or Supporting Actress in Television || style="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2 notheme"|Nominated
2010 Emilia Eckle Reel Shorts Film Festival, Canada Best Short Film Top 5
2010 Nic and Shauna Tropfest Best Short Film Nominated (finalist)
2012 Alyssa McClelland InStyle Magazine Woman of Style Scholarship Won
2014 The Duchenne Foundation Awareness for Muscular Dystrophy TVC D&AD Awards Black Pencil Award Won
2018 Second Best 20MinMax Film Festival Youth Jury Award Won
2019 Second Best Australian Directors' Guild Award Best Direction in a Short Film Won
2018 Second Best Flickerfest Best Direction Won
2018 Second Best Lakeshorts International Film Festival Best Foreign Film Won
2018 Second Best Maryland International Film Festival Best Short Film Nominated
2018 Second Best Milan Film Festival Best Short Film Won
2018 Second Best Milano Film Festival (MIFF Awards) Best International Short Film (15–30 minutes) Won
2018 Second Best Sydney Film Festival Dendy Live Action Short Won
Alyssa McClelland London International Awards Best Direction Won

References