Ian McCurrach

Last updated

Ian McCurrach (born c. 1959) is a British actor, director, journalist and author. Ian trained at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and he is probably best known for his portrayal of the lead character of Pip in a Peter Coe production of Dickens' "Great Expectations" at the Old Vic Theatre in London in 1985 and for his weekly travel column in The Independent on Sunday since 2009.

Contents

Theater and television

McCurrach's acting career took him on theatre world tours to many countries, including countries such as Burma and the Oman where tourism was not permitted. His roles in theatre and TV were diverse. His interest also centred on direction and writing. [1]

In 1982, he played Newbugs in the TV series Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House opposite Andrew Johns and Michael Irwin. [2] From 3 November 1982 he starred opposite Eamon Boland, Clive Mantle, C.J. Allen and Philip Donaghy in David Hayman's award-winning stage production of "Coming Clean" at the Bush Theatre in London. [3] In 1983, he appeared in the series Metal Mickey as a student organiser, and in 1984 he had appearances in The Jewel in the Crown and Now and Then. In 1985 he portrayed the lead character of Pip with the "tousled charm of a young Tommy Steele" in a Peter Coe production of Dicken's "Great Expectations" at the Old Vic Theatre in London opposite Roy Dotrice, Sheila Burrell, Leon Greene and Tony Jay. [4] [5] Country Life noted that Ian McCurrach's "glamorous-looking Pip narrates his childhood experiences as if engaged in a loud oratorical exercise." [6] In 1986 he appeared in Storyboard, and in 1987 played an editor in Ron Peck's crime thriller film Empire State . In 1988 he portrayed a Swedish student in an episode of Inspector Morse , [7] and in 1989 had a role as Adian Fielding in the series Mystery!: Campion. Interested in travel, McCurrach took full advantage of his appearances in theatre world tours, visiting unusual destinations such as Burma and Oman. [1]

McCurrach has since worked as a director, notably with Ann Cleary, who was a joint founder with McCurrach of the subsequently dissolved, Strathcona Theatre Company. [8] [9] [10] [11] He produced ten plays for the Young Vic Theatre of London. [1] McCurrach is also interested in working for children with special needs and behavioural problems and works for Artsreach. [11]

Journalism

After 2001, he shifted his interest to journalism. In May 2001 he launched a career as a freelance journalist, and has authored a weekly travel column in The Independent on Sunday since 2009. [1] His travel and lifestyle articles have also featured in the Evening Standard , The Independent , The Times , The Sunday Times , The Sunday Telegraph and The Scotsman and numerous magazines including NOW , Hello! and Conde Nast's HSBC Premier. [1]

Publications

In 1999, McCurrach published the book Special Talents, Special Needs: Drama for People with Learning Disabilities with Barbara Darnley, which was published by Jessica Kingsley. [1] [11] The book is an instructor's guide for the teachers and facilitators who work with those people who have learning disabilities; it is based on the experience of the two authors over a 15-year period in theatre. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Great Expectations</i> 1860–1861 novel by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a Bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. The novel was first published as a serial in Dickens's weekly periodical All the Year Round, from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. In October 1861, Chapman & Hall published the novel in three volumes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy West</span> English film, stage, and television actor

Timothy Lancaster West, CBE is a retired English actor and presenter. He has appeared frequently on stage and television, including stints in both Coronation Street and EastEnders, and Not Going Out, as the original Geoffrey Adams. He is married to the actress Prunella Scales; from 2014 to 2019, they travelled together on UK and overseas canals in the Channel 4 series Great Canal Journeys.

<i>Private Lives</i> 1930 play by Noël Coward

Private Lives is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetually stormy relationship, they realise that they still have feelings for each other. Its second act love scene was nearly censored in Britain as too risqué. Coward wrote one of his most popular songs, "Some Day I'll Find You", for the play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Stephens</span> British actor

Toby Stephens is a British actor who has appeared in films in the UK, US and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, for which he was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, William Gordon in the 2005 Mangal Pandey: The Rising film and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the 2006 BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre. From 2014 to 2017, he starred as Captain Flint in the Starz television series Black Sails, followed by one of the lead roles in the Netflix science fiction series Lost in Space from 2018 to 2021. He currently stars as the Greek God Poseidon in Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Charleson</span> Scottish actor

Ian Charleson was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. He is also well known for his portrayal of Rev. Charlie Andrews in the 1982 Oscar-winning film Gandhi.

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the Evening Standard newspaper. They are the West End's equivalent to Broadway's Drama Desk Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Hyde</span> Australian-born English actor (born 1948)

Jonathan Stephen Geoffrey King, known professionally as Jonathan "Nash" Hyde, is an Australian-English actor. Hyde is perhaps best known for roles as Herbert Arthur Runcible Cadbury in the comedy film Richie Rich (1994), Samuel Parrish and Van Pelt in the fantasy adventure film Jumanji (1995), J. Bruce Ismay in the epic romantic film Titanic (1997), Culverton Smith in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Warren Westridge in creature feature film Anaconda (1997), Dr. Allen Chamberlain in the adventure horror film The Mummy (1999), and Eldritch Palmer in the FX TV series The Strain. Although an Australian citizen, he has mostly lived in the United Kingdom since 1969, after his family left Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Duncan</span> Scottish actress

Lindsay Vere Duncan is a Scottish actress. She is the recipient of three BAFTA nominations and one Scottish BAFTA nomination, as well as two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her work on stage. She has starred in several plays by Harold Pinter. Duncan's film credits include Prick Up Your Ears (1987), The Reflecting Skin (1990), City Hall (1996), An Ideal Husband, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Mansfield Park, Under the Tuscan Sun, AfterLife, Starter for 10 (2006), Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010), About Time (2013), Birdman (2014), and Blackbird (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupert Penry-Jones</span> British actor

Rupert William Penry-Jones is a British actor, known for his performances as Adam Carter in Spooks, Clive Reader in Silk, DI Joseph Chandler in Whitechapel, and Mr. Quinlan in the American horror series The Strain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Gipps-Kent</span> English actor (1958–1987)

Simon Gipps-Kent. 20th-century English theatre and film actor in the 1970s–80s, known for his teenage portrayals of British royalty and nobility. He was born into a show business family in Kensington, London. His television debut was on the BBC in 1971 followed with a London West End theatre debut in 1972. He continued to act on stage, film and television until the year before his death in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clive Mantle</span> English actor (born 1957)

Clive Andrew Mantle is an English actor. He played general surgeon Mike Barratt in the BBC hospital drama series Casualty and Holby City in the 1990s, and Little John in the 1980s fantasy series Robin of Sherwood. He returned to Casualty in 2016 as Mike Barratt for the show's 30th anniversary.

<i>Great Expectations</i> (1999 film) British TV series or programme

Great Expectations is a 1999 television film adaptation of Charles Dickens’s 1861 novel of the same name. It was aired on BBC Two in the UK, and on Masterpiece Theatre in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Mathias</span> British actor

Sean Gerard Mathias is a Welsh actor, director, and writer. He is known for directing the film Bent and for directing highly acclaimed theatre productions in London, New York City, Cape Town, Los Angeles and Sydney.

The Ian Charleson Awards are theatrical awards that reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors under age 30. The awards are named in memory of the British actor Ian Charleson, and are run by the Sunday Times newspaper and the National Theatre. The awards were established in 1990 after Charleson's death, and have been awarded annually since then. Sunday Times theatre critic John Peter (1938–2020) initiated the creation of the awards, particularly in memory of Charleson's extraordinary Hamlet, which he had performed shortly before his death. Recipients receive a cash prize, as do runners-up and third-place winners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Lowden</span> British actor (born 1990)

Jack Andrew Lowden is a Scottish actor. Following a four-year stage career, his first major international onscreen success was in the 2016 BBC miniseries War & Peace, which led to starring roles in feature films. He has received several awards including two BAFTA Scotland Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award.

C. J. Allen is a British television and stage actor, active from 1982 to 2006.

Coming Clean is a 1982 British play by Kevin Elyot. The play premiered in 1982 and was Elyot's first professionally produced play.

Kingsley Ben-Adir is a British actor. He has performed in several plays in London theatres. His television roles include pathologist Marcus Summer in ITV's Vera (2014–2018), private detective Karim Washington on Netflix's The OA (2019), Colonel Ben Younger in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders (2017–2019), and the Skrull Gravik in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries Secret Invasion (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Darnley</span> British music hall comedian, song writer, recording artist and theatrical producer

Herbert Darnley, real name Herbert Walter McCarthy, was a British music hall comedian, song writer, popular early recording artist and theatrical producer, active from the 1890s until the early 1940s, who claimed descent from Edmund Kean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Newham</span> British psychotherapist (born 1962)

Paul Newham is a retired British psychotherapist known for developing techniques used in psychology and psychotherapy that make extensive use of the arts to facilitate and examine two forms of human communication: the interpersonal communication through which people speak aloud and listen to others, and the intrapersonal communication that enables individuals to converse silently with themselves. His methods emphasise the examination of traumatic experiences through literary and vocal mediums of expression, including creative writing, storytelling, and song. He is cited by peers as a pioneer in recognition of his original contribution to the expressive therapies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ian McCurrach". Journalists Directory. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  2. ↑ Lentz 1994, p. 850.
  3. ↑ Elyot 2004, p. 3.
  4. ↑ Herbert 1985, p. 8.
  5. ↑ Green 1985, p. 70.
  6. ↑ "Rich Pickings". Country Life. London: 181. 1985.
  7. ↑ "Inspector Morse:The Settling of the Sun". Radio Times. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Strathcona Theatre Company Limited". duedil.com. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  9. ↑ Herbert 2000, p. 902.
  10. ↑ Whitaker 1999, p. 1191.
  11. 1 2 3 "Ian McCurrach". Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  12. ↑ McCurrach & Darnley 1999, p. 8.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.