Monica Maughan
| Monica Maughan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Monica Cresswell Wood 15 September 1933 Nuku'alofa, Tonga |
| Died | 8 January 2010 (aged 76) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1954–2009 |
| Spouse(s) | W. Brian Essex (1954–1957) Rowland Ball (1968–2010) |
Monica Maughan (15 September 1933 – 8 January 2010) was an Australian actor with roles in film, theatre, radio, television and ballet.
She was born Monica Cresswell Wood in Tonga to Australian missionaries Rev. Dr A. Harold Wood and medical doctor Olive Wood (née O'Reilly). She had 5 brothers and sisters, including Dr Elizabeth Wood-Ellem and Rev. Dr H. D'Arcy Wood. The family moved to Sydney, Australia, in 1937 – Monica was three and a half and spoke no English – and shortly afterwards to Melbourne, where her father became principal of Methodist Ladies' College (MLC) and her mother his informal deputy.
Monica attended MLC, where she received her only formal drama training with speech teacher Dorothy Dwyer, and went on to study French at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1959 with a BA.
Monica was a member of the Melbourne University Dramatic Club where she adopted the stage name Maughan. She made her stage debut opposite Barry Humphries in Ben Hecht's fast-paced satire The Front Page in April 1954. While studying part-time, she worked as a secretary at St Ives Hospital in Melbourne. In 1960, she returned to MLC to teach speech.
Monica Maughan launched her professional career with the Union Theatre Repertory Company (UTRC) in 1957 playing Capulat in Jean Anouilh's romantic comedy Ring Round the Moon at the Union Theatre, Parkville. Her first leading role came that same year in Beauty and the Beast. The UTRC, Australia's first professional theatre company, became the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) in 1968. Maughan appeared in more plays for that flagship company than any other actor. She also directed plays for the MTC. Her last MTC performance was in the premiere production of David Williamson's Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot in 2008.
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