Olivia Tennet (born 4 January 1991) is a New Zealand actress and dancer best known in her home country for her role as Tuesday Warner on the nightly medical drama Shortland Street, along with several roles in television and theatre. Outside of New Zealand, she is best known for her roles in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Power Rangers RPM (2009), and the independent film Blood Punch (2013).
Olivia Tennet | |
|---|---|
 Tennet in 2008 | |
| Born | 4 January 1991 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, dancer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Tom Broome |
| Children | 1 |
Career
editTennet began taking dance lessons at the age of four years following her older sister into dance, eventually stumbling into acting three years later[1] She made her first major television appearance in the fourth season of Xena: Warrior Princess as the runaway Princess Alesia in the episode "If The Shoe Fits...".
Eventually, Tennet made her way into films. She went on to win the "Best Juvenile Performer" award at the Nokia New Zealand Film and TV Awards in 2000, for her role as Nicole Mitchell in Kids World. She also appeared in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Freda, a young girl of Rohan. She then won "Best Actress" at the Drifting Clouds Short Film Festival for her outstanding performance in the short film Watermark, beating the other adult nominees.[2] The film won "Best Film" at the same awards.
Following this, Tennet became part of the core cast for Maddigan's Quest (2006) as Lilith. She then appeared as Tuesday Warner on Shortland Street for 54 episodes during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. She later portrayed the role of teenage genius Dr. K on Power Rangers RPM, the seventeenth season of the Power Rangers series which premiered in March 2009.
Around this time, Tennet competed in the "Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition" with classmate Phoebe Mason (Epsom Girls Grammar School Drama Leader 2008) and did quite well, winning four of fifteen awards. The 5-minute performance included various scenes from Macbeth. Tennet and Mason won a trip to the Globe Theatre in London, July 2009, as part of the Young Shakespeare Company.[3]
Since her appearance on Power Rangers RPM, Tennet has participated in various television shows and theatrical productions in New Zealand. She played the role of nurse Lynne in an Auckland Theatre Company production of Stepping Out in June 2010, followed by the role of the Siren Queen for the Wet Hot Beauties' water ballet show titled Sirens for the Auckland Fringe Festival in February 2011. She also helped choreograph the show.[4]
Later on, Tennet made a television appearance in an episode of The Almighty Johnsons as Delphine in March 2011. She also took the stage as Emilia in Peach Theatre Company's production of Othello in July 2011. She then took on the role of Dorothy in a major theatrical production of The Wizard of Oz based on the 1987 musical produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Civic Theatre in September 2011, earning positive reviews for her portrayal of the character.[5]
Before leaving for the United States, she made an appearance on Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud as Julie Theilman, a courier working for Terry Clark of the Mr. Asia drug syndicate.
After wrapping up on The Wizard of Oz, Tennet moved to the United States to film a low-budget independent feature film titled Blood Punch which also featured many of her co-stars from Power Rangers RPM. The film premiered at the 20th Austin Film Festival in late October 2013 and has won many awards and honors in the film festival circuit since then. While in the United States, she also appeared in a web series and did voiceover work before moving back to New Zealand.
Since then, Tennet appeared in the miniseries When We Go To War and the joint Australia-New Zealand TV series 800 Words, along with various stage and voiceover credits. She also produced her own web series of dance videos titled Dancing in Small Spaces on YouTube and Vimeo. In late 2018, Tennet, along with actors Esther Stephens and Aria Jones, formed a 60's doo-wop trio named The Up-Doos who have begun performing in several local Auckland venues.[6]
In 2020, Tennet reprised the role of Dr. K in two episodes of the second season of Power Rangers Beast Morphers.[7]
Personal life
editTennet was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Along with her older sister Emma, Tennet also has an older brother, Anton Tennet, who is also an actor based in Melbourne, Australia.
While living in Los Angeles, California, she married fellow New Zealand actor Milo Cawthorne, with whom she has worked several times in the past, most notably on Power Rangers RPM and more recently on Blood Punch. The couple had been living together in Los Angeles since late 2011[8] before moving back to New Zealand in late 2013 to begin rehearsals for the Auckland production of 360: A Theatre of Recollections (2014). As of June 2016, the couple had separated.[9] Since then, she has been in a relationship with musician Tom Broome[10] with whom she has a son named Alwyn.[11]
Tennet completed her secondary education at Epsom Girls Grammar School in 2008, shortly before appearing on Power Rangers RPM. She began studying speech therapy at the University of Auckland after moving back to NZ with her then-husband[12] and as of July 2019, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Kids World | Nicole Mitchell | |
| 2002 | Watermark | Megan | Short |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Freda | |
| 2005 | Boogeyman | Terrified Girl | |
| 2001 | Ozzie | Karen | |
| 2012 | The Swarming | Julie | Short |
| 2013 | Home | Olive | Short |
| 2014 | Blood Punch | Skyler | |
| 2014 | Satisfaction | Nicky | Short |
| 2014 | Partiality | Short | |
| 2015 | Jiwi's Machines | June | Short |
| 2016 | Moving | Jess | Short |
| 2017 | Gary of the Pacific | House Buyer | |
| 2020 | This Town | Jasmine | |
| 2020 | Baby Done | Beth | |
| 2021 | A Love Yarn | Rose O’Doyle |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Alesia | Episode: "If the Shoe Fits..." |
| 2003 | Lucy | Lucie Arnaz | TV film |
| 2003 | P.E.T. Detectives | Helena | Episode: "Fire Starters" |
| 2006 | Maddigan's Quest | Lilith | Main role |
| 2007–2008 | Shortland Street | Tuesday Warner | Recurring role |
| 2009 | Power Rangers RPM | Dr. K | Main role |
| 2011 | The Almighty Johnsons | Delphine Hansen | Episode: "Goddesses, Axl, Come in All Forms" |
| 2011 | Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud | Julie Thileman | Episodes: "Trains 'N' Boats 'N' Planes", "All at Sea", "Dominoes" |
| 2013 | The Zelfs | Tressa (voice) | TV miniseries |
| 2015 | When We Go to War | Lorna | TV miniseries |
| 2015 | Funny Girls | TV series | |
| 2015–2018 | 800 Words | Siouxsie | Recurring role |
| 2017 | Why Does Love? | Donna | TV film |
| 2018 | Kiwi | Dianne | TV film |
| 2018 | The Brokenwood Mysteries | Daisy Rose | Episode: "Scared to Death" |
| 2019 | Kiri and Lou | Kiri | Voice role |
| 2019 | Jandal Burn | Sherri | Voice role |
| 2020 | Power Rangers Beast Morphers | Dr. K | Recurring role |
Voiceover
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Fat Man | Verna Muske | Radio play |
| 2013 | Jessica Darling's IT List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection | Narrator/Jessica Darling | Audiobook |
| 2013 | My Friend Barlow | Finch/Narrator | Interactive storybook |
Music videos
edit| Year | Song | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Exit Light" | Solomon | Lead |
| 2013 | "I Kill Giants" | The Naked and Famous | Dancer/Choreographer |
| 2013 | "Apple" | Barnaby Saints | Lead |
| 2018 | "100%" | Boycrush | Dancer |
| 2018 | "Disappear" | The Miltones | Dancer/Choreographer |
| 2018 | "Devil's Work" | Racing | Dancer |
| 2018 | "Look Up" | Sorrento ft. Troy Kingi | Dancer/Choreographer |
Web series
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Flat3 | Lee | "The White Album" |
| 2014 | The Zelfs | Tressa | Web episode: "Bad Hair Day" |
| 2015 | Jiwi's Machines | June | |
| 2014–2015 | Dancing in Small Spaces | Editor, choreographer | Self-produced web series (11 episodes) |
| 2015 | Stake Out | Ganet | "Kids" |
| 2016 | Friday Night Bites | "Slutwalk: The Musical" | |
| 2021 | Talkback | Zoe Williams | TVNZ OnDemand |
Stage
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Puck | Her Primary Schools Senior Production |
| 2005 | Les Misérables | Éponine | |
| 2006 | Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | |
| 2007 | Cabaret | Sally Bowles | |
| 2008 | For Today | Sophie | |
| 2008 | Children of the Poor | Albany | |
| 2008 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Hermia | |
| 2009 | Titus Andronicus | Lavinia | |
| 2009 | The Arrival | Workshop/Ensemble | |
| 2009 | The Pied Piper of Hamilton | Lead/Various | |
| 2009 | Autobahn | Lead | |
| 2009 | Twelfth Night | Viola | |
| 2009 | Christ Almighty! | Mary | |
| 2010 | 360 | Little Sister | Production for the New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington |
| 2010 | Stepping Out | Lynne | Production with the Auckland Theatre Company. |
| 2011 | Sirens[13] | Siren Queen | Production with the Wet Hot Beauties Ballet Group. |
| 2011 | Othello | Emilia | Production with the Peach Theatre Company. |
| 2011 | The Wizard of Oz | Dorothy Gale | Production with the Peach Theatre Company. |
| 2014 | 360 - A Theatre of Recollections | Little Sister | Auckland production |
| 2014 | The Man Whose Mother Was A Pirate | Philosopher/Terrible Crabmeat/Ensemble | Auckland Theatre Company production. |
| 2014 | Hauraki Horror | Jaime Ridge | The Basement Annual Christmas Show |
| 2015 | The Book of Everything | Margot Klopper | Silo Theatre production for the Auckland Arts Festival. |
| 2015 | Guys and Dolls | Hotbox Girl | Auckland Theatre Company production. |
| 2015 | Jesus Christ Part II | Jesus | The Basement Annual Christmas Show |
| 2016 | Mia Blonde in "Ice Dagger" | Mia Blonde | |
| 2016 | In Flagrante: The Venus Season | Dancer | Q Theatre, Auckland, NZ |
| 2016 | The Opening Night Before Christmas | Self | The Basement Annual Christmas Show |
| 2017 | In Flagrante: The Butterfly Club | Dancer | The Butterfly Club, Melbourne, Australia |
| 2017 | Pleasuredome: The Musical | Ensemble dancer, understudy for Lilith; Lilith | Replaced Ashleigh Taylor for the role of Lilith |
| 2018 | In Flagrante | Dancer | The Butterfly Club, Melbourne, Australia |
| 2018 | Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play | Silo Theatre |
Other works
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | I Kill Giants | Choreographer | The Naked and Famous music video |
| 2015 | K Rd Stories | Director | "Sugar Hit" |
| 2016 | That Bloody Woman | Choreographer | Auckland Theatre Company stage play |
| 2017 | As You Like It | Choreographer | University of Auckland Summer Shakespeare 2017 production |
| 2018 | Shortland Street: The Musical | Choreographer | Auckland Theatre Company stage play |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Kids World | Nokia New Zealand Film & Television Awards | Best Juvenile Performer | Won |
| 2003 | Watermark | New Zealand Drifting Clouds International Film Festival | Best Actress | Won |
| 2011 | The Wizard of Oz | Metro Magazine | Best Arms and Legs Outstretched | Won |
| 2011 | The Wizard of Oz | Hackman Theatre Awards | DANZ Award for Best Dancing in a Play | Nominated |
| 2014 | Blood Punch | Hoboken International Film Festival | Best Actress | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Whittaker, Emma (8 September 2011). "Wizard of Oz dream comes true". The Auckland Central Leader. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ "NZ short film makes its mark". The New Zealand Herald. 3 March 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
- ^ "Olivia Tennet (SGCNZ NSSP 2008, SGCNZ YSC 2009 ) :: Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ". www.sgcnz.org.nz. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ Wenley, James. "Review: Water Ballet "Sirens"". Theatre Scenes. Theatre Scenes. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Smythe, Nik. "A timeless classic well wrought". Theatreview. Theatreview. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Mealing, Fleur. "Westside's Esther Stephens' sideline as a 'sixties chick' singer". New Zealand Woman's Weekly. New Zealand Woman's Weekly. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ Deckelmeier, Joe (7 June 2019). "POWER RANGERS Beast Morphers & RPM Crossover Happening Next Season". That Hashtag Show. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ^ Powley, Kathryn (1 January 2012). "12 kiwis to watch in 2012". The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ Harris, Rob. "Blood Punch: Review and star interview". Digital Fox. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ^ Parker, Chris. "Travel hits and misses: Tom Broome". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ Mealing, Fleur. "Westside's Esther Stephens' sideline as a 'sixties chick' singer". New Zealand Woman's Weekly. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ Fonte, Bears (3 September 2015). "Interview: BLOOD PUNCH's Power Ranger Power Couple Talks Death, Deceit, and Double Takes". AM FM Studios Magazine. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ "Sirens at James Wenley's Auckland Theatre Blog". Retrieved 20 December 2011.