Tim McGarry (Australian actor/playwright)

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Tim McGarry
Thumbnail Tim McGarry Actor.jpg
Born
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Playwright
  • Theatre Director
Years active1985present

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

Contents

Early life and education

McGarry was born in the inner Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst and 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. [2]

McGarry started acting on stage at the age of 13 with amateur theatre groups around Sydney. [3]

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. [4]

Career

McGarry made his professional debut in the WA State Theatre Company's production of The Sentimental Bloke [5]

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. [6]

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.[ citation needed ]

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. [7]

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.: [8]

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.[ citation needed ]

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. [9]

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". [10] and the play broke box office records [11]

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). [12]

His adaptation of Colleen McCullough’s novel Tim toured New South Wales in 2023, with a national tour planned for 2025. [13] The Parramatta Riverside Theatre is hosting a production of "Love Stories" by Trent Dalton in September 2025, with Tim McGarry as part of the creative team. [14]

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).[ citation needed ] [15]

Awards and nominations

[16] [17] [18] [19]

Theatre

YearTitleRoleCompany
1986 The Sentimental Bloke VariousWestern Australia Theatre Company
1987 Snoopy The Musical LinusHole in the Wall Perth
1989 Big River – The Musical National Tour Young FoolGordon Frost
1992 John Godber's Bouncers VariousRiverina Theatre Company
1992 Hating Alison Ashley LennieTheatre South
1993 Macbeth VariousTheatre South
1993 The Carthaginians PaulO’Punsky’s Theatre
1993 A Respectable Wedding HusbandCrossroads Theatre
1994 The Time Is Not Yet Ripe Sydney BarrettTheatre South
1997 The Suicide ProfessorKing’s Cross Theatre Company
1998 The Male Line BertieTheatre South
1999 The Information Ben ShawCompany and Sharp Belvoir
2001 Italian Stories VariousTheatre South
2003 Morris Gleitzman's Worry Warts VariousMonkey Baa Theatre Company
2005 Alana Valentine's The Prospectors StanMonkey Baa Theatre Company
2006 It's A Dad Thing National Tour TimTML Enterprises
2006 Hitler's Daughter VariousMonkey Baa Theatre Company
2011 I am Jack (Solo) VariousMonkey Baa Theatre Company
2015 Coming to See Aunt Sophie VariousShalom/Blumenthal Prod
2016 My Name is Asher Lev Ariyeh/JacobBlumenthal/Eternity Playhouse
2016 The Shadow Box BrianOld Fitz Theatre
2017 You Will Not Play Wagner MorrisBlumenthal/Eternity Playhouse
2017 Cyrano de Bergerac RageneauSport for Jove
2019 The God of Isaac VariousBlumenthal/Eternity Playhouse
2020 The Campaign VariousWhite Box/ Seymour Centre
2022 Tell Me Before the Sun Explodes AndrewKXT/Rockbottom Productions
2022 Before the Meeting RonWhite Box/Seymour Centre

Film and television

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

Directing

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

Published works

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

References

  1. 1 2 McGarry, Tim (15 September 2020). "When I Was Little: Tim McGarry". Sydney Opera House (Interview). Interviewed by Nguyen, Alice. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  2. https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/kids-families/when-i-was-little-tim-mcgarry
  3. https://shortaustralianstories.com.au/little-fictions-tim-mcgarry/
  4. https://www.artshub.com.au/news/sponsored-content/creative-education-for-your-busy-lifestyle-252457-2354133/
  5. https://shortaustralianstories.com.au/little-fictions-tim-mcgarry//2014/04/18/ ppbf-interview-with-tim-mcgarry-on-i-am-jack-and-bullying/ "Interview with Tim McGarry" (interview), 16th June 2016 (Retrieved 9th August 2025)]
  6. "Interview with Tim McGarry" (interview), 18th April 2014 (Retrieved 9th July 2023)
  7. "Interview with Tim McGarry" (interview), 18th April 2014 (Retrieved 9th July 2023)
  8. "The Peasant Prince (review)," Australian Stage,” 10 April 2006, (Retrieved 9 July 2023)
  9. https://australianstage.com.au/201801238573/news/industry-news/2017-sydney-theatre-awards-winners-announced.html
  10. "Boy swallows universe (review),The Guardian, 5th September 2021 (Retrieved 9th July 2023)
  11. "BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE" world premiere smashes box office records, 21 September 2021 (Retrieved 9 July 2023)
  12. https://www.seymourcentre.com/biographies/tim-mcgarry/
  13. Fortescue, Elizabeth (17 July 2023). "'I want it to be provocative': A unique love story takes centre stage". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  14. https://www.aussietheatre.com.au/news/ trent-daltons-love-stories-makes-its-sydney-premiere-this-september/
  15. https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/digital-show-programs/trent-dalton-s-love-stories-show-program/
  16. https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/digital-show-programs/trent-dalton-s-love-stories-show-program/#adaptor
  17. https://queenslandtheatre.com.au/uploads/resources/bsu-final-may-2019.pdf
  18. https://www.lmcm.com.au/media/pages/talent/tim-mcgarry/38215f8714-1742876571/timmcg-cv.pdf
  19. https://www.lmcm.com.au/media/pages/talent/tim-mcgarry/38215f8714-1742876571/timmcg-cv.pdf