Tim is a young labourer with a disability. Mary is a successful mid-50s business executive. What begins as a chance meeting between them soon develops into a life-changing relationship for both.
Exploring notions of love, loss and acceptance, and set in the modern day, Colleen McCullough’s seminal Australian story has been sensitively adapted by playwright Tim McGarry for the stage.
McGarry is an award-winning writer, director and dramaturg. His adaptations with Eva Di Cesare and Sandra Eldridge include: Hitler’s Daughter from the novel by Jackie French, Thursday’s Child from the novel by Sonya Hartnett, Pete the Sheep from the picture book by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley, and The Peasant Prince from the novel by Li Cunxin. McGarry’s adaptation of Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe was staged in 2021.
Praise for previous works:
The Peasant Prince is a vivid piece of storytelling that is skilful, theatrical and inspiring … It was a loving and honest adaptation of Li’s treasured memoir.
Peter Pinne, Stage Whispers
The Peasant Prince is vital, exuberant, aspirational, and inspirational.
Richard Cotter, Australian Stage
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.
Bronwyn Lea, The Guardian
Educational Resources: http://christinedunstan.com.au/pdfs/Tim_Education_Resources.pdf
