Jennifer Cecily Ward-Lealand (born 8 November 1962) is a New Zealand theatre and film actor, director, teacher and intimacy coordinator. She has worked for 40 years, appearing in over 120 theatre performances: Greek, Shakespeare, drama, comedy, devised, and musical theatre. Her screen credits include the 1993 movie Desperate Remedies as well as appearances in The Footstep Man, the soap Shortland Street and Australian comedy series Full Frontal.
Biography Ward-Lealand was born in Wellington, New Zealand, to Philippa "Pippa" Mary (née Ward) and Conrad Ainsley Lealand. She has an older sister, Diana Mary Ward-Pickering and a half brother Simcha Lindt. From the age of seven, after experiencing the buzz of joining the cast of Oedipus at Unity Theatre, Ward-Lealand knew that she wanted to be an actor. At aged 8, she had her first small role in the film Gone up North for Awhile directed by Paul Maunder.
Since 1988 she has been married to actor Michael Hurst of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys fame. They met at Theatre Corporate in 1983, then performed in 22 shows together, before their two sons were born in 1997 and 1999. The sons follow 'family tradition' by working in film and music production.
Ward-Lealand's first ongoing television role was as Jan in Close to Home (1978–1980). She sought opportunities to develop her theatre skills with roles at Downstage Youth Theatre. After leaving school, Ward-Lealand spent a year touring New Zealand in a community theatre group, The Town and Country Players, performing school and community shows and appearing in Chekhov's one-act play 'The Bear. When she was seventeen, and ushering at Downstage Theatre, she was inspired by a performance by the company of Theatre Corporate of Metamorphosis directed by Paul Minifie.
After first attending a summer school in Hawkes Bay, run by Auckland's influential Theatre Corporate, Ward-Lealand then completed in 1982 a year-long diploma in acting with the company with Paul Minnifie, Judith Gibson, Elizabth Hawthorne, Elizabeth McRae, Linda Cartwright and Raymond Hawthorne as the main teachers /directors. She credits her intense training at Theatre Corporate with instilling discipline, fortitude and ensemble experience. Work followed between the venues of Theatre Corporate, Centrepoint Theatre and Mercury Theatre, with the latter offering opportunities to develop a classic cabaret repertoire showcasing Ward-Lealand performing songs by Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, Stephen Sondheim and Kurt Weill.
Directly after leaving drama school, Ward-Lealand appeared in the short-lived TV drama Seekers, before her breakthrough television role in "Danny and Raewyn", an episode from the About Face series. Filmed largely in an Auckland flat, so cramped the cameraman sometimes had to sit on the stove, this tale of working class relationship breakdown would win Ward-Lealand a GOFTA Best Actress Award in 1987. The same year Ward-Lealand made her big screen debut as nightclub singer Costello – and sang three songs – in Wellington crime thriller Dangerous Orphans.
In 1989 Ward-Lealand joined the theatre/music group The Front Lawn and played ukulele and sang backing vocals on the album, "Songs from the Front Lawn". She then went on to perform in the show, "The One that Got Away" throughout New Zealand followed by performances in London, Edinburgh ("Pick of the Fringe), New York, Minneapolis and Philadelphia. In 1990 she played Linda in the short film "Linda's Body" for The Front Lawn and returned to touring "The One that Got Away" to the Melbourne Comedy Festival.
In 1993 she joined the core company of the Australian comedy TV show "Full Frontal" shooting in Melbourne spending the next two years working on 40 episodes.
Falling in Love Again is Ward-Lealand's Marlene Dietrich cabaret show that came out of Ward-Lealand acting in the play Marlene in 2003. Falling in Love Again has toured New Zealand and in 2018 she toured it to Australia. Her engagement in the cabaret diva genre became a hallmark of her style as a singer. Brel: The Words and Music of Jaques Brel is a 2012 Silo Theatre show with Jacques Brel songs that Ward-Lealand was in along with Julia Deans, Tama Waipara and John Toogood directed by Michael Hurst and Leon Radojkovic. Brel went on to be performed at a few venues around New Zealand finishing at the New Zealand Festival in 2014.
Ward-Lealand was a founding board member of Watershed Theatre and a co-founder of the Large Group and the drama school, The Actors’ Program. She is a Patron of Q Theatre, Te Manu Tīoriori Trust and serves as a trust board member of The New Zealand Actors Benevolent Fund. An advocate for improving actors' working conditions and pay, Ward-Lealand has been President of Equity New Zealand since 2007. After years as a teacher of the craft of acting, Ward-Lealand began training as an intimacy coordinator in 2018, and has worked on over 60 shows in this role. Her overall aim is to "make actors' lives better" by applying the best practice guidelines of Equity New Zealand. Ward-Lealand is also a patron of Theatre New Zealand, New Zealand's amateur theatre society central body.
Since performing in Hedda Gabler, the final Theatre Corporate production, Ward-Lealand has contributed significant roles to the Silo Theatre, such as Stevie in The Goat or Who is Sylvie by Edward Albee performed in 2005 with her husband Michael Hurst; Martha in "That Face" by Polly Stenham However, her most extensive repertoire has been programmed by the Auckland Theatre Company (ATC), including playing Barbara in the 2010 production of August; Osage County; Ouisa Kitteridge in Six Degrees of Separation; The Witch in Into the Woods; the 2020 online role of Arkadina in ATC's Zoom production of Chekhov's The Seagull. Ward-Lealand has also made frequent guest appearances in The Basement's Christmas comedies, whether playing Helen Clark or Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
Ward-Lealand's roles in New Zealand plays include Pass it On, The Bach, Via Satellite, The Sex Fiend, Rita and Angus and My Name is Gary Cooper. Through play readings and workshops, she has also supported the development of local scripts, such as Pankhurst in Red by Dean Parker, or Irene in Flour by Briar-Grace Smith (Centrepoint Theatre's 24-Hour Challenge Online). Outside of her performing, directing and intimacy work, Ward-Lealand also does speaking engagements, teaching, voiceovers and narrations. What inspires her is to 'work with great people on great projects'.
Since 2008, Jennifer Ward-Lealand has been a student in te reo the language of New Zealand's indigenous Māori people. Ward-Lealand, who herself is not Māori, started learning the language after not being able to respond to a traditional , or welcome speech. She has directed Aroha Awarau's scripts, such as Exclusive in 2020. 2021 led to a new challenge through collaboration with Awarau and the producer Peata Melbourne. Ward-Lealand took on screen direction of the short film Disrupt about drug addiction in Aotearoa, ending with a message of hope and redemption. In 2023 she was appointed by Minister Willy Jackson to the board of Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori - The Māori Language Commission for a three-year term.
Filmography + Film performances Year Title Role Notes 1972 Gone Up North for a While Child 1985 Dangerous Orphans Teresa Costello 1986 Danny and Raewyn Raewyn 1990 Linda's Body Linda Short film 1992 The Footstep Man Mirielle 1993 Desperate Remedies Dorothea Brook 1994 A Game with No Rules Lauren Short film 1994 I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry Jane Short film 1997 The Ugly Evelyn Cartwright 1999 I'll Make You Happy Mel 2000 The Painted Lady Fay Short film 2004 Fracture Ulla Peet 2013 End of Daze Wanda 2018 Vermilion Darcy2020DeadJanine Marbeck
+ Television performances Year Title Role Notes 1978–79 Close to Home Jan 3 episodes 1986 Seekers Nardia Alterman Recurring role (16 episodes) 1990 The Billy T James Show Raewyn 1 episode 1991 For the Love of Mike Betty-Sue 1 episode 1993–94 Full Frontal Various characters Main cast (40 episodes) 1995 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Voluptua Episode: "All That Glitters" 1996–97 Letter to Blanchy Jane 3 episodes 1996–98 Shortland Street Isobel Kearney Recurring role (60 episodes) 1997 Xena: Warrior Princess Boadicea Episode: "The Deliverer" 1999 Xena: Warrior Princess Zehra Episode: "The Play's the Thing" 1999 Duggan Joanne Taylor 2 episodes 2001 Love Mussel Doctor Television film 2005 Interrogation Gail Mary Abbot Episode: "True Confessions" 2006 Elgar's Enigma: Biography of a Concerto Narrator Television documentary (voice role) 2009–13 Buzzy Bee and Friends Dorable Duck Voice role (65 episodes) 2009 The Jaquie Brown Diaries Louise Bouchet 2 episodes 2012–14 Auckland Daze Wanda Recurring role (14 episodes) 2013 Sunny Skies Penny 1 episode 2013 The Almighty Johnsons Karen 3 episodes 2015–17 Find Me a Maori Bride Narrator Voice role (15 episodes) 2015 Newsworthy Kalonike 1 episode 2016–17 Auckward Love Barbara 4 episodes 2016 Terry Teo Barbara Bertinelli Episode: "Baby Takes a Bullet" 2016 Dirty Laundry Donna Recurring role (13 episodes) 2021 The Brokenwood Mysteries Patricia Wells Episode: "Exposed to the Light" 2022 My Life Is Murder Eva Borges Episode: "It Takes Two"
Stage performances Gifted the title Te Atamira (The Stage), Jennifer Ward-Lealand has been involved in over 120 performances. Refer to her website for student and devised work, play readings, workshops and guest appearances. +Stage performancesYearTitlePlaywrightRoleDirectorProducer1983King LearWilliam ShakespeareReganRoger McGillTheatre Corporate1984Top GirlsCaryl ChurchillAngie and Pope JoanSarah PeirseTheatre Corporate1984CabaretJohn Kander, Fred Ebb, Joe MasteroffKit Kat GirlRaymond HawthorneTheatre Corporate1985Agnes of GodJohn PielmeierAgnesSarah PeirseTheatre Corporate at the Mercury Theatre 1986The Trojan WomenEuripidesHelenSarah PeirseTheatre Corporate1986Pass It OnReneeNellRoger McGillTheatre Corporate1986Hedda GablerHenrik IbsenHeddaColin McCollTheatre Corporate1987Breaking the SilenceStephen PoliakoffEugeniaAlison QuignanCentrepoint Theatre1987StripLorae ParryLaviniaEllie SmithCentrepoint Theatre and The Depot (Wellington)1987The Threepenny OperaBertolt Brecht & Kurt WeillPolly PeachumColin McCollDownstage and Mercury1988NanaOlwen WymarkNanaPaul MinifieMaidement Theatre1989A Marvellous PartyNoël CowardSinger / actorRaymond HawthorneThe Gods, Mercury Theatre1989The One that Got AwayThe Front LawnGlendawith Don McGlashan and Harry SinclairFrom Centrepoint, Palmerston North to Edinburgh Festival 19901990The Threepenny OperaBertolt Brecht &l Kurt WeillPolly PeachumMichael HurstMaidment Theatre1990CarouselRodgers and HammersteinCarrie PipperidgeRaymond HawthorneMercury Theatre1990A Slice of Saturday NightThe Heather