User:Friagatewayfinder/ Stacey Leilua

Stacey Leilua (born 1982) is an actor and producer of Samoan and Māori decent, living in Auckland, New Zealand. She is known for her role as Ata Johnson, in the American television sitcom, Young Rock. Leilua is a graduate of Unitec Performing & Screen arts, and was part of, Wild dogs under my skirt awarded best direction in 2016 by the Auckland Theatre Awards and production of the year in 2018 the Wellington Theatre Awards.

= Early Life = Leilua was born in Middlemore Hospital where she was raised in Manurewa in South Auckland, New Zealand. Leilua is the eldest of two children with a younger sister. Her father is Samoan and her mother is Māori and Pākeha. Growing up, she attended Cosgrove primary school in Papakura.

Biography
In 2001 Leilua began training at one of New Zealand's leading Drama schools, Unitec, Auckland, where she graduated with a BA in Performing and Screen arts in 2003. Leilua began her acting career in theatre, where she played Mata at the 2004, Auckland Arts Festival, in Albert Wednt's play, The Songmakers Chair, directed by award winning Samoan actor, Nathaniel Lees. Leilua continued to act in several Pasfika plays, with frequent collaborators, Anapela Polataivao and Vela Manuasaute, with their production company Kila Kokonut Krew. Her credits in theatre include, Players Night, in 2004, Once Were Samoans, in 2006, Strictly Brown, in 2009 and Four Women, in 2011.

Leilua also worked with Kila Kokonut Krew as a producer on New Zealand's first Pasifika Musical in 2011 with The Factory. The show was developed into a web series in 2013, with Leilua being one of four executive producers. With it's debut at Auckland's Q Theatre, The Factory went on a nationwide tour, an Australian tour and a one month-long performance season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014.

In 2016 Auckland Fringe Festival, Leilua produced and performed in Arts Foundation Laureate recipient, Tusiata Avia's, Wild Dogs Under My Skirt. In 2019, the show was staged at multiple venues on their nationwide tour aroun New Zealand, including Silo Theatre, in Auckland. In 2020, the company were invited to New York, to perform at the Soho Playhouse for a two week season. The company was then offered a six week performance season off broadway after being awarded Production of the year at the 2019 Fringe Encore series.

Leilua has also starred in multiple television series, including New Zealand's longest running series Shortland Street in 2004. In 2010, she was the host for Māori Television's nationwide talent show, Homai Te Paki Paki. Most recently Leilua starred in Dwayne Johnson's (The Rock) American television series Young Rock, streaming on NBC, as Johnson's mother, Ata Johnson. Since it's premiere in 2021, the series has ben renewed for a second season, with the premiere on March 2022.