CRITICAL PRAISE
Untitled No. 7
Best Performance Nominee – Fringe at the Edge of the World
Best Performance Nominee – Melbourne Fringe
Best Writing (Cabaret) Nominee – Green Room Awards
★★★★ "A refreshing rebuttal to stories we’re told as children” NOW Magazine (Toronto)
“A fractured fairy tale so fierce and fabulous that you might actually start believing in yourself” Sometimes Melbourne
“A beautifully empathic performer and an effervescent burst of joy… This really is a performance from someone at the top of their game. If you have ever experienced self-doubt and crippling indecision or thought that maybe, just maybe, you aren’t where your 8-year-old self thought you would be, then this is the show for you.” Arts Review
“It’s heartfelt and heartbreaking. The present that Untitled No. 7 gives the audience is that we can be happy, even if we’re not on the path to where we thought we would be.” Keith Gow
“As the story progresses and you feel like you know exactly where it’s going, Nevile flips it on its head and turns this fairy tale into an extremely personal story that instantly strikes a chord with everyone in the room. It is a powerful moment for all present.” My Melbourne Arts
★★★★ "Featuring a musical rebuttal of all Walt Disney’s promise, accomplished spoken-word interludes, and wry segues into interpretive dance, this show cuts between fable and modern-day social observation without apologising. Nevile’s opening night earned a standing ovation.” The Age
Poet Vs Pageant
Best Late Night Moment – Montreal Fringe
Best Emerging Writer – Melbourne Fringe
Most Innovative Work Nominee – Wellington Fringe
Best English Production – Montreal Fringe
“Inspirational, mesmerizing, profound, relateable, absolutely fantastic – those are a few of the countless ways to describe Telia Nevile’s outstanding spoken word performance” Montreal Theatre Hub
“A must-see. A monologue that will transport you to a totally weird world” Westmount Mag
“Dazzlingly written, dynamically delivered” Montreal Gazette
“It’s not often that you see a 45-minute show spoken in poetic cadence that holds your attention for that period. However, Melbourne, Australia’s Telia Nevile manages to pull it off in a style not seen often since Homer or Shakespeare” Westmount Mag
“I cannot do justice to the exquisite lyricism of the script” The Booklet
★★★★½ "Telia Nevile is a rare talent. Witty and wordy, illuminating and nerdy – another great show from an innovative writer/performer.” Adelaide Theatre Guide
★★★★ "A sheer delight. Satiric wit and humorous undertow.” The Clothesline
★★★★ "A lot of heart is crammed into Nevile’s story, making it more than just clever rhyme. Her lyrical prose makes us feel for the contestants as much as the heroine and, as the beauty pageant draws to its finale, I’m embarrassed to admit I was holding my breath. An epic journey of self-discovery and self-affirmation.” Glam Adelaide
★★★★ "The recital is an impressive one, both textually dense and fiendishly clever, chock full of wordy goodness. And Nevile brings it all to life with a confident, animated performance, which is helped along by her Seussian range of facial expressions.
Clever, distinctive, intelligent and insightful: a feast for lovers of literature, and a delight for fans of the nerdy-underdog tale.” Great Scott
“Telia had her intimate crowd completely charmed from start to finish. Short, sharp-witted and sparkling, Poet vs Pageant is absolutely delightful and definitely not to be missed.” Radio Adelaide
“Gloriously smart and so full of heart that it’s an unmissable treat” The Age
“The roots of this poetic style are deep set in the rhythms of romantics such as Wordsworth and Coleridge – the rhythms and language that distinguish the great poets from the amateurs. Mixing this with the cheeky, experimental theatre style characteristic to Melbourne’s contemporary theatre makers, Nevile has managed to remind the world – or rather, a few small rooms of people – that good poetry is the greatest form of storytelling.” Milkbar Mag
Live On Air With Poet Laureate Telia Nevile
“A pure delight… What was most striking about Nevile’s comedy was not only her well-honed, funny material with its topical humor and pop cultural references but also her droll delivery of stories about the most unlikely subject matter. The deadpan expression worn by Nevile’s onstage character masked a comic provocateur and in turns revealed a writer and actor who is a master of both crafts. Watching and listening to Neville’s “on air” persona, it was easy to imagine how successful she and her character would be as true radio personality if the engaging, erudite performer ever decided to actually broadcast for real. This writer would be a regular listener for sure.” Indianapolis Examiner
“For her first performance in the United States, brilliant Australian Telia Nevile brings an outstanding character comedy that’s a surprise crowd favorite at this year’s Fringe. Expect quick wit and remarkable modern poetry as the suburban-residing Poet Laureate (self-named) guides you through music, laughter, and romantic rage.” Indianapolis Monthly
“Nevile is hilarious without cruelty or low denominators.” Farrago, 2013
“If you do not self-identify as at least a teensy-weensy bit artsy-fartsy, you should probably see something else. But if you occasionally peruse the compendium of signifiers known as the dictionary, go, and take all your friends and your cat.” Crikey
“From the get-go, we know this is erudite comedy. Bring it on.” Offstreet Press
“It’s a tongue-in-cheek, lump-in-throat affair… Poet Laureate Telia Nevile is one of the more sophisticated and imaginative comedians working.” Things Half-Known
★★★★★ "Forty of the cleverest, funniest minutes you’re likely to experience. Serious effort has gone into crafting this show, which positively explodes with a finely-balanced mix of literary and popular culture references – and in the hands of this very talented performer it is a rare delight for aspiring modern poets, word-nerds and fans of clever comedy.” Adelaide Theatre Guide
★★★★½ “Inspired and riotously funny. The writing exhibited in this show is top notch: eloquent, funny, clever and relatable. Fans of grammar, punctuation, and the correct and effective use of the English language rejoice!” Kryztoff
“It’s not just hilarious, it’s also clever, with a range of cultural references from bad pop lyrics to Wittgenstein and beyond.” Rip It Up
“Poet Laureate Telia Nevile is proof that poetry is both dangerous and cool.” Adelaide Artbeat
“I know; you’re just in the mood for a night out of poetry… No? Well Telia Nevile might change your mind. She’s not only a winning wordsmith, but an engaging performer who understands the unappreciated nature of her calling and wants to convert everyone to her passion for poetry. There is a lot to enjoy and her final poem about surviving as an artist was a stunner that brought a tear to my eye.” The Groggy Squirrel
For Whom the Bell Tolls
"First word that comes to mind starts with B and rhymes with… er, what does rhyme with brilliant?" The Pun
“One of the top ten comedy stars of tomorrow” Sydney Morning Herald
"Nevile is a poet of effervescing talent...The things she does with words are sublime." Watchoutfor.com
★★★★★ "It wouldn't shock me if she's a nominee for best show of the Festival this year." Crass Talk
"A beautiful journey...engaging and entertaining." The Herald Sun
"Outstanding. Telia Nevile is a poet laureate for a generation." Farrago
★★★★ "The poems are excellent – clever and funny and full of literary in-jokes. Neville’s performance is engaging and genuine, and it’s almost impossible to not be drawn back to one’s own experiences of high school. Well, unless you were one of the cool kids… Quirky, insightful and entertaining – a unique experience." Adelaide Theatre Guide
"Nevile's performance is outstanding." Kryztoff
★★★★★ "If you love words beautifully strung together, appreciate a great performance and enjoy a good laugh, this is the play for you." BankSA Talk Fringe
★★★★ “A brilliant ode to the ostracised. A hilarious, sharply observed and affectionate portrait of teen angst, Nevile’s character is in the same league as, say, Sue Townsend’s Adrian Mole. Poetry can’t be contained in an ugly uniform, or even in the lanky, shy girl who wears it. The cleverest comedy comes from its urgent rebellion, the way it leaks out into eroticism, or small acts of insubordination, or the angry word-surfing of hip-hop. Nerd rage with rhyme and metre? Too cool for school.” The Age
“Telia continues to capture the often ignored details of daily life and disarmingly transforms them into something so charming and gorgeous that we'll see their gorgeousness for ever.” Aussie Theatre
“Put simply, Telia Nevile’s performance of For Whom the Bell Tolls was absolutely brilliant. It sucked you in and kept you wanting more.” The Groggy Squirrel
While I’m Away
Golden Gibbo Nominee – Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Best Newcomer Nominee – Melbourne International Comedy Festival
“Nevile is a gem of a narrator and a writer's writer.” Inpress
“Exquisite turns of phrase and wistful and ironic poetry… refreshingly and winsomely different.” The Pun
“Very moving, and piss-funny.” RHUM
“Brilliant poems of unrequited love and heartbreak that both tugged at the heartstrings and the funny bone.” The Groggy Squirrel
“I have a confession to make - I don't know if Poet Laureate Telia Nevile is an incredibly intense character on the levels of a Sacha Baron Cohen creation, or if Poet Laureate Telia Nevile is an incredibly disturbed person behind some of the most funny, self-deprecating poetry this country has even been presented with. Either way, the results are awesome. A must see.” The Funny Tonne
“Telia Nevile is disarmingly funny and the ideal bard to see us affectionately through our travels with her relatable and quirky verses.” Australian Stage
★★★★ “If the thought of a poetry reading terrifies you more than turbulence, relax: this flight soars.” The Age
“Emotional, intelligent, intimate and fashionably original.” Buzzcuts
“Nevile’s poetry is great – bittersweet without being self-indulgent or twee; clever without signalling its own technical sophistication; and, perhaps most importantly for audiences a bit scared of spoken word, punctuated with a very dry, droll sense of humour. She has the ‘character’ of her poet down pat, walking a line between world-weary melancholy and a hesitant desire to find something worth hoping for.” Capitol Idea
“There's a bittersweet tenderness to this production that I found utterly disarming, as well as a sharp, dry wit and subtle, goofy, fragile charm. Highly recommended.” Man About Town
“Unusual, intimate and unexpectedly delightful. Telia’s world is subtle and delicate, filled with intricate details that create a complex and intelligent world that supports the naïve hope of her character and spills into the hearts of her audience creating the kind of laughter that tickles your heart and feels as good as a cup of tea and a homemade lamington.” Aussie Theatre