Tommy Murphy is from Queanbeyan NSW and he is a graduate of NIDA’s Directing program. His first play For God, Queen and Country won both the ACT (1996) and the Sydney Theatre Company Young Playwright’s Award (1997) and was performed by Canberra Youth Theatre. A second play, Troy’s House, written and directed by Tommy, had seasons at Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS), Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), The Old Fitzroy and the Cultural Centre of Queanbeyan. It was also produced at La Mama last year. See Helen Thomson's review in the Age.

Tommy was a member of SUDS 1999 to 2003 and in that time held the office of President, acted in seven productions as well as directing and inventing new theatrical forms such as The Operating Theatre Festival, The 24 Hours Non-stop plays and Lockdown. Tommy was commissioned by ATYP to adapt Christopher Marlowe’s The Massacre at Paris and this play was performed in repertory with Marlowe’s Edward II in March 2001 in productions directed by David Berthold. He also contributed scenes to Re:Macbeth directed by Timothy Jones at ATYP.

For the Sydney Festival in 2002, Tommy contributed to 360 Positions in a One Night Stand for Kicking and Screaming Theatre. Helen Thomson reviewed its Melbourne production the following year. This play united five writers to share characters and write two scenes each for the ten-scene piece. It has had three subsequent productions. Tommy also wrote for Kinderspiel in the Sydney Festival: a collaboration between ATYP and carrousel Theatre and Parkaue in Berlin performed at the Sydney Opera House.

Tommy’s play Bendy had its third production this year. ATYP developed and produced the play in July 2002. Bendy was also the graduating students’ show for the Faculty of Creative Arts at Wollongong University in September 2002. It was produced in 2004 at Newtown High School for the Performing Arts. Tommy wrote for ABC Television’s The Fat in 2003. His one-act play Try Hard was performed at NIDA in August 2004. Strangers in Between, 2005 Griffin, was nominated for Sydney Theatre Awards in 2005 and an AWGIE in 2006 and won the 2006 New South Wales Premier’s Award for Best Play. He directed Snapped for ATYP’s project 3 Little Fears and Speedy Mustard for Stablemates. He is currently writing a feature film for Emile Sherman and Margaret Fink and a play for The Cranbrook School.