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 for some time he lived in the New South Wales town of Cootamundra.
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 BlokeInterview with Tim McGarry
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."Interview with Tim McGarry" (interview), 18th April 2014 (Retrieved 9th July 2023)
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.
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.:"The Peasant Prince (review)," Australian Stage,” 10 April 2006, (Retrieved 9 July 2023)
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"."Boy swallows universe (review),The Guardian, 5th September 2021 (Retrieved 9th July 2023) and the play broke box office records "BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE" world premiere smashes box office records, 21 September 2021 (Retrieved 9 July 2023)
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.
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. In 2025 Tim's adaptation of Trent Dalton’s Love Stories. produced by Brisbane Festival and QPAC, toured QLD, NSW, NT, ACT and New Zealand. He also created a new work Being Beethoven for CDP Theatre Producers.
His adaptation of Tim Winton’s The Shepherd’s Hut premiered in Black Swan State Theatre Company’s 2026 season. Additionally, McGarry's new musical adaptation of Nick Bland’s The Very Cranky Bear, featuring original music by Gabbi Bolt, premieres at the Sydney Opera House in December 2026 ahead of a national tour.
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 2007 - Winner, Helpmann Awards for Hitler's Daughter (Writer) 2010 - Winner, Helpmann Awards for Thursday's Child (Writer) 2010 - Winner, Glugs Award - FOX (Writer) 2015 - Nomination Helpmann Award, Pete the Sheep (Writer) 2016 - Winner, Sydney Theatre Critics Award, Best Production for Children - The Peasant Prince, The True Story of Mao's Last Dancer (Director) 2016 - Winner, Glugs Award, Best Production for Children - The Peasant Prince, The True Story of Mao's Last Dancer (Director) 2016 - Nomination, Glugs Awards, Best Independent Production, for My Name is Asher Lev (Actor) 2018 - Winner, Sydney Critics Special Award - Recognition of Contribution to theatre for young audiences throughout Australia 2019 - Winner, Sydney Theatre Critics Award, Diary of A Wombat (Writer)
Theatre Year Title Role Company1986The Sentimental Bloke Various Western Australia Theatre Company1987Snoopy The Musical Linus Hole in the Wall Perth1989Big River – The Musical National Tour Young Fool Gordon Frost1992John Godber's Bouncers Various Riverina Theatre Company1992Hating Alison Ashley Lennie Theatre South1993Macbeth Various Theatre South1993The Carthaginians Paul O’Punsky’s Theatre1993A Respectable Wedding Husband Crossroads Theatre1994The 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 Company2005Alana Valentine's The Prospectors Stan Monkey Baa Theatre Company2006It's A Dad Thing National Tour Tim TML Enterprises2006Hitler'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 Jove2019The God of Isaac Various Blumenthal/Eternity Playhouse 2020The Campaign Various White Box/ Seymour Centre 2022Tell Me Before the Sun Explodes Andrew KXT/Rockbottom Productions2022Before the Meeting Ron White Box/Seymour Centre2025The Seagull Tim McGarry KXT/Montague Basement
Film and television Year Title Role Company1991A More Fortunate Life Dad/BrotherTheatre Ink 1995Lilian's Story Bus DriverCML Films 2000Goddess of 1967 DetectiveClara Law Films 2004All SaintsGarth WilkinsonSeven Network2006All SaintsTonySeven Network2009Underbelly 3 Peter ThompsonUB III Pty Ltd2011Sex: An Unnatural History ColonistSBS TV2015Manny Lewis DoctorBeyond Screen2016Hacksaw Ridge Local ManCross Creek Pictures2016Home and Away Funeral CelebrantSeven Network2017RisenHome OwnerOpening Acts Films 2018Rake (season 5) Seth Gilbert ABC TV2022Wellmania Steven RogersFreemantle Media/Netflix
Directing Year Title Company2013 Swing Baby Swing Sydney Opera House Family Program2014 Sydney Opera House Family Program2016 Monkey Baa Theatre Company2018 Sounds Like Australia Sydney Opera House Family Program2019 Music for the Dreaming Sydney Opera House Family Program2020 There's a Sea in my Bedroom Australian Chamber Orchestra2022Dear Santa Australian Chamber Orchestra2024Princess and the Pea and the Brave Escapee Australian Chamber Orchestra2026Pinocchio, a Nose Knows Australian Chamber Orchestra
Published works A number of McGarry’s adaptations have been published including: 2007 Jackie French's Hitler’s Daughter – Currency Press 2010 Morris Gleitzman's Worry Warts - Playlab Press 2011 Sonya Hartnett's Thursday’s Child 2015 Jackie French's Pete The Sheep – Currency Press 2018 Li Cunxin's The Peasant Prince – Currency Press 2022 Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe – Harper Collins/Fourth Estate 2023 Colleen McCullough's Tim – Currency Press
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