Loading AI tools
Australian political candidate, writer, performer, and actor From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amanda Nolan (born 18 January 1967) is an Australian comedian and writer. She was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2022 Australian federal election.
 | This biographical article is written like a résumé. (January 2024) |
Mandy Nolan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nolan in 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 January 1967 Wondai, Queensland, Australia |
| Political party | Greens |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland (BA) |
| Occupation | Performer, comedian, MC, writer, author, artist, teacher, ambassador, activist |
After finishing in second place as the Greens candidate for the federal division of Richmond in 2022, Nolan was announced as the Greens candidate for the same division again in May 2023.[1][2]
Nolan was born on 18 January 1967 in Wondai, Queensland.[3] Nolan attended Kingaroy State High School, graduating in 1984. She went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Queensland, majoring in drama, literature and journalism,[4] and trained as a vocational teacher of adults with learning disabilities.[5]
During university, Nolan also gained experience part-time in the modelling industry.[6]
Since graduating, Nolan has been a comedian, writer, content producer, facilitator, MC, instructor, organiser, promoter and performance coach.[4]
Nolan has been the entertainment editor of the Byron Shire Echo since 2002, where she authors a column titled "Mandy Nolan's Soapbox",[7] has been a contributor to the online publications Mamamia,[8] The Hoopla, Lunchlady and ABC.[9]
Nolan has published several books including The Full Mandy (2020),[10] Boyfriends We've All Had (and Shouldn’t Have) (2014),[11] Home Truths (2015)[12] and What I Would Do If I Were You: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Family Life (2011),[13] and also collaborated with Ellen Briggs to publish Women Like Us: Feeling Overwhelmed, Overworked, Overweight And Over It? (2018).[14]
Nolan's first comedy show was in 1985 at Queensland University, where they were involved in a university show.[6] Nolan has also collaborated to create and tour shows with fellow comedians Ellen Briggs, Women Like Us,[15] Akmal[16] and Austen Tayshus, 2020 Vision,[17] and with musician Áine Tyrrell, Country Witches Association.[18][19] After the 2022 election, Nolan also created and performed the stand-up comedy show 'The Candidate'.[20]
In 2007, Nolan was hired to work with careers of dementia patients, but ended up developing a program of improvised performance, role playing and theatre sports for people with dementia called Stand Up for Dementia.[21]
Nolan facilitated the Stand Up for Dementia program across Australia and taught 20 new facilitators how to work with those with dementia, with the support of a federal government grant.[21][22] The program resulted in an academic article, created by John Stevens, and international conference presentations on the results.[23][24] The program was unable to continue without further government funding being provided.[25]
Nolan advocated for humour therapy for people with dementia on TEDxByronBay with Stand up for Dementia[26] in 2010 and SBS's Insight on the Dancing Dementia Episode[27] in 2015. Nolan is also a supporter of the Dementia Inclusive Ballina, being the MC for the 2022 Dementia Update Luncheon[28] and 2023 Symposium.
Since 1997, Nolan has taught a stand-up comedy class at Byron Community College, having more than 1,500 graduating students, including Hannah Gadsby.[29][30] Nolan has also facilitated stand-up comedy workshops such as Laugh Lines with Mandy Nolan[31] at Byron Writers Festival and What if Jesus was married with Akmal Saleh.[32] Nolan also coaches individuals in opinion writing workshops through their Write to the bone workshops[33] and their Authentic You Masterclasses with George Catsi.[34]
Nolan has been the host of various podcasts including Women Like Us - Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs,[35] Authentic You's The Daily Dose[36] Mamamia's The Split,[37] and a guest on many more.[38]
Nolan also paints, and in their 20's and 30's they exhibited regularly to sold-out shows in Sydney and Byron Bay.[39] In 2023, Nolan had a 'Made You Look, Made You Stare’ exhibition at Julian Edwards Fine Art Gallery.[39]
Nolan started The Byron Bay Comedy Festival in collaboration with Ellen Briggs and Glenn Wright,[40] and was the Festival Director for The Big Joke comedy festival in Bangalow, NSW[41] and a publicist for the Mullumbimby Music Festival.[42]
Nolan has been an ambassador and advocate of the following charities and causes:
The North Coast region has some of the highest rates of Hepatitis C, a blood borne virus (BBV) primarily transmitted via the sharing of injecting equipment.[47] Since 2021, Nolan has worked with Dr George Catsi, in collaboration with Northern NSW Local Health District, to create a podcast series that strived to reduce stigma in health care settings towards people who inject drugs (PWID), as a way of improving their wellbeing and treatment outcomes[47]
Nolan is also an ambassador for Adolescent Mental Health Service, Human Nature.[48][49]
In 2008, Nolan started running Shoot it From the Hip Replacement workshops[41] for seniors week. This workshop combined stand-up comedy and empowering older people to share their stories.[citation needed]
Nolan attended university during a very politicised time in Queensland, and would regularly attend anti-Joe Bjelke-Peterson rallies.[6]
Nolan was first preselected to stand as the Greens candidate for the federal division of Richmond at the 2022 election against the Labor Party incumbent Justine Elliot. Nolan finished with 25.27 percent of the primary vote, a swing of 4.95 percent.[citation needed]
Nolan currently lives in Mullumbimby, in the Northern Rivers, with their husband John Stevens, who is an academic.[50]
Nolan has five children by three different fathers,[3] to two of whom she was married.[51] Nolan's eldest two daughters by her first marriage to Rhett Hutchence (brother of Michael Hutchence from Australian rock band INXS), her son , by her second marriage, John's daughter, and their daughter, a five-year-old.[52]
Nolan grew up in alcohol-fuelled domestic violence until their father died in a car accident when they were six.[53]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
