Bernadette Cranage is an Australian actress, playwright and director whose work spans original solo theatre, television and produced plays. Her storytelling combines dark humor with an interest in identity, social expectations and the systems that shape our lives.

Her solo works include Sharon Stacy Statue, performed at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Lois and her mother’s secret life, presented at Northcote Town Hall. Her latest show, Dianna Dynamic: Memoirs of a Cyborg, received a four-star review at the 2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival, where Theatre Thoughts critic Carla Di Maggio called it “a triumph.” Directed by Lisa McCune, the show explores ambition, transformation and a woman’s determination to reclaim her humanity. Cranage will perform it at New York’s United Solo Theatre Festival on November 1, 2026.

Her screen credits include Jack Irish, Bastard Boys and Inside Story. She has also written and directed productions including Virtual Appiness, The Puppeteer’s Almanac and Stories We Tell.

Cranage’s training includes the Lee Strasberg Summer Intensive in New York, advanced acting at Brave Studios, voice work with Kristin Linklater in Orkney, and a 2025 Shakespeare intensive at Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts. She is a mezzo-soprano with experience in classical and contemporary stage roles.