Tim McGarry (Australian actor/playwright) explained

Tim McGarry
Birth Place:Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
Yearsactive:1985 - present

Tim McGarry is an Australian actor, playwright, and theatre director.

Early life and education

McGarry was born in the inner Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst and grew up mostly in Sydney's southern suburbs.

For some time he lived in the New South Wales town of Cootamundra.[1]

The fourth of five children, he went to St Patrick's, Kogarah, and Sacred Heart Cootamundra, and completed high school at Marist College Kogarah.

McGarry started acting on stage at the age of 13 with amateur theatre groups around Sydney.

He moved to Perth in 1985 to study theatre at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). He later studied directing through the National Institute of Dramatic Art Open Program.

Career

McGarry made his professional debut in the WA State Theatre Company's production of The Sentimental Bloke.

In 1989 he toured nationally in Gordon Frost's production of Big River – The Musical. He performed and toured extensively for the Wollongong-based company Theatre South, and in 1997, along with Eva Di Cesare and Sandra Eldridge, founded Monkey Baa Theatre Company. The company was incorporated in 2005. Between 2005-2017 he was a Co-Creative Director and Producer, and Monkey Baa became one of Australia's largest touring companies for young audiences.

In 2008 McGarry was one of three Australian’s selected by ASSITEJ, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (a global network for professionals, making work for children and young audiences), to take part in a three-year international leadership program which saw him partake in theatre laboratories, forums and festivals in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan.

In 2009 McGarry co-adapted and performed the one man show I am Jack in over 450 performances touring extensively through Australia. In 2014 he toured the work to 17 cities throughout the USA and was interviewed by the writer Vivian Kirkfield on the subject of bullying which was the theme of the show.[2]

In 2016 he co adapted and directed Li Cunxin's The Peasant Prince, a critically acclaimed production, winning multiple awards, A review in Australian Stage by Richard Cotter praised the writing. "Keeping the script splendidly simple and supple, writing collaborators Eva Di Cesare, Sandie Eldridge and Tim McGarry create a fluid framework.: [3]

McGarry was instrumental in developing and presenting The Sydney Opera House's Inaugural Digital Outreach Program – co-writing and co-hosting the live feed into hundreds of regional and remote Australian classrooms reaching thousands of remote students and their teachers.

In 2018, along with his other Monkey Baa co-founders, Eva Di Cesare and Sandra Eldridge, he received a Sydney Theatre Award for 20 years of excellence and extraordinary service to the children and young people of Australia.

Also in 2018 McGarry was commissioned by Queensland Theatre to adapt Trent Dalton's best-selling novel Boy Swallows Universe. The work had its world premiere at the 2021 Brisbane Festival, and performed to sell-out houses. The Guardian review said "Boy Swallows Universe, adapted for the stage by Tim McGarry, is a gritty, raucous, and mystical juggernaut of a play that prosecutes a booming argument for the supremacy of the live theatre experience".[4] and the play broke box office records [5]

In 2020 McGarry was interviewed by Alice Nguyen about his stage adaptation of Margaret Wild and Jane Tanner's picture book, There's a Sea in My Bedroom as part of the "When I was Little" series.[1]

For film and television he has appeared in ABC's Rake, All Saints, Home and Away, Underbelly-The Golden Mile, A More Fortunate Life, Hacksaw Ridge, Lilian’s Story, Manny, Goddess of 1967. He appeared in the Netflix comedy series Wellmania as Stephen Rogers (Episode 1).

His adaptation of Colleen McCullough’s novel Tim toured New South Wales in 2023, with a national tour planned for 2025.[6]

McGarry has sat on the MEAA's National Performers Committee, the board of Arts on Tour Ltd, and the Sydney Arts Management Advisory Group (SAMAG).

Awards and nominations

Theatre

YearTitleRoleCompany
1986The Sentimental Bloke Various Western Australia Theatre Company
1987Snoopy The Musical Linus Hole in the Wall Perth
1989Big River – The Musical National Tour Young FoolGordon Frost
1992John Godber's Bouncers VariousRiverina Theatre Company
1992Hating Alison Ashley LennieTheatre South
1993Macbeth VariousTheatre South
1993The Carthaginians Paul O’Punsky’s Theatre
1993A Respectable Wedding Husband Crossroads Theatre
1994The Time Is Not Yet Ripe Sydney Barrett Theatre South
1997The Suicide Professor King’s Cross Theatre Company
1998The Male Line Bertie Theatre South
1999The Information Ben Shaw Company and Sharp Belvoir
2001Italian Stories Various Theatre South
2003Morris Gleitzman's Worry Warts Various Monkey Baa Theatre Company
2005Alana Valentine's The Prospectors Stan Monkey Baa Theatre Company
2006It's A Dad Thing National Tour Tim TML Enterprises
2006Hitler's Daughter Various Monkey Baa Theatre Company
2011I am Jack (Solo) Various Monkey Baa Theatre Company
2015Coming to See Aunt Sophie Various Shalom/Blumenthal Prod
2016My Name is Asher Lev Ariyeh/Jacob Blumenthal/Eternity Playhouse
2016The Shadow Box Brian Old Fitz Theatre
2017You Will Not Play Wagner Morris Blumenthal/Eternity Playhouse
2017Cyrano de Bergerac Rageneau Sport for Jove
2019The God of Isaac Various Blumenthal/Eternity Playhouse
2020The Campaign Various White Box/ Seymour Centre
2022Tell Me Before the Sun Explodes Andrew KXT/Rockbottom Productions
2022Before the Meeting Ron White Box/Seymour Centre

Film and television

YearTitleRoleCompany
1991A More Fortunate Life Dad/BrotherTheatre Ink
1995Lilian's Story Bus DriverCML Films
2000Goddess of 1967 DetectiveClara Law Films
2004All SaintsGarth WilkinsonSeven Network
2006All SaintsTonySeven Network
2009Underbelly 3 Peter ThompsonUB III Pty Ltd
2011 ColonistSBS TV
2015Manny Lewis DoctorBeyond Screen
2016Hacksaw Ridge Local ManCross Creek Pictures
2016Home and Away Funeral CelebrantSeven Network
2017RisenHome OwnerOpening Acts Films
2018Rake (season 5) Seth GilbertABC TV
2022Wellmania Steven RogersFreemantle Media/Netflix

Directing

YearTitleCompany
2013Swing Baby Swing Sydney Opera House Family Program
2014Sydney Opera House Family Program
2016Monkey Baa Theatre Company
2018Sounds Like Australia Sydney Opera House Family Program
2019Music for the Dreaming Sydney Opera House Family Program
2020There's a Sea in my Bedroom Australian Chamber Orchestra
2022Dear SantaAustralian Chamber Orchestra

Published works

A number of McGarry’s adaptations have been published including:

Notes and References

  1. Tim. McGarry . Alice . Nguyen. 15 Sep 2020. When I Was Little: Tim McGarry . Sydney Opera House . 27 December 2023.
  2. https://viviankirkfield.com/2014/04/18/ppbf-interview-with-tim-mcgarry-on-i-am-jack-and-bullying/ "Interview with Tim McGarry" (interview), 18th April 2014 (Retrieved 9th July 2023)
  3. https://www.australianstage.com.au/201604107735/reviews/sydney/the-peasant-prince-%7C-monkey-baa-theatre-company.html "The Peasant Prince (review)," Australian Stage,” 10 April 2006, (Retrieved 9 July 2023)
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/sep/05/boy-swallows-universe-review-a-triumphant-reminder-of-why-we-need-live-events "Boy swallows universe (review),The Guardian, 5th September 2021 (Retrieved 9th July 2023)
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/sep/05/boy-swallows-universe-review-a-triumphant-reminder-of-why-we-need-live-events "BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE" world premiere smashes box office records, 21 September 2021 (Retrieved 9 July 2023)
  6. Web site: Fortescue . Elizabeth . 2023-07-17 . 'I want it to be provocative': A unique love story takes centre stage . 2023-07-17 . The Sydney Morning Herald . en.