Who is Sandy Gore?
Sandy Gore went straight from school to NIDA and has been a professional Actor for the last four decades.
What would you do differently to what you do now?
My childhood dream was to study Veterinary Science but Biology defeated me. I had no other game plan and once it became apparent that scholastically I would not make the grade I was rudderless. In the last term of school my English teacher recommended I audition for NIDA. I was accepted into the course and thought then that at some point I would segue my Arts degree over to Veterinary Science… and I’m still thinking about it! A happy circumstance and a wonderful outcome! The Acting profession has provided me with enormous satisfaction and I do believe that without it my life would have been half lived.
Who inspires you and why?
Great Artistry inspires me. If I could have a dinner party for eight guests it would be a struggle to narrow it down. Off the top of my head? Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare, Jacqueline du Pre, Tom Roberts, Anton Chekhov, Charlie Chaplin, W.B.Yeats, Russell Drysdale and to include a current artist, William Barton.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I would travel the world spreading the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. An old adage we have lost sight of and unless we start paying attention to it our civilisation will eventually implode.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Holidays for me are about adventure and new discoveries – I was in Antarctica early this year. But for general relaxation? I love Pearl Beach and Patonga where you can still spy the odd fifties beach shack and pretend to be back in more innocent times.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take then to, and why?
Pretty much anything set around our glorious harbour. A ferry ride to Manly Beach and lunch at Shelly Beach, the Bondi to Bronte walk, the Bridge Climb, Headland Park, Taronga Zoo, and finally a walk through Royal Botanic Gardens.
What are you currently reading?
Shellshock – a new play by Justin Fleming and directed by Wayne Harrison which is about to open at Riverside Theatres. When the season of Shellshock is completed then I shall finish reading two books – H is for Hawk and Chasing The Light.
What are you currently listening to?
The Spanish accent, as I have to speak a little Spanish in Shellshock.
Happiness is?
Spending time with my daughter and son-in-law and sitting down to dinner with friends. A home cooked meal of seafood pasta some crusty bread and a few decent bottles of red… Bliss!
What does the future hold for you?
More of the same I hope. Life for me is about remaining curious and new discoveries.
A graduate of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sandy is a well-known face on the Australian stage and screen. Her television credits include Rake, Grass Roots (Series 1 & 2), Brides of Christ, Farscape, Murder Call, Prisoner, A Country Practice, Newly Weds and Rafferty’s Rules; for film, Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, Now Add Honey, Evil Angels, Lorenzo’s Oil, Undercover and Paws.
On stage, she has in excess of forty-five leading credits to her name, including the Sydney Theatre Company production of Uncle Vanya, performing at The Kennedy Center of Performing Arts in Washington DC and the Lincoln Centre in New York. Other Sydney Theatre Company work includes Calpurnia Descending, Under Milk Wood, Love Lies Bleeding, Scenes from a Separation, Morning Sacrifice, Amy’s View, Medea, Les Parents Terrible, Gift of the Gorgon and Antony and Cleopatra.
Other stage credits include Small and Tired for Belvoir Street Theatre, As You Like it, The Rivals, Electra, The Alchemist, Pygmalion, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Uncle Vanya for the Melbourne Theatre Company, The Taming of the Shrew for Bell Shakespeare, and Wit, Retreat from Moscow and Becky Shaw for the Ensemble Theatre.
She is most proud of creating roles in new Australian plays including David Williamson’s Jugglers Three and Sons of Cain, Ray Lawler’s Kid Stakes and Other Times, Alex Buzo’s Makassar Reef, Rooted and Big River and Nick Enright’s Daylight Saving and Chasing the Dragon. Recently Sandy was the associate director for The Sydney Opera House, RMI and Wayne Harrison Productions on Nora and Delia Ephron’s Love, Loss and What I Wore.
Sandy will be appearing in Justin Fleming’s highly anticipated production of Shellshock at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre: 30 July – 8 August 2015. For more information, visit: www.riversideparramatta.com.au for details.
Image: Sandy Gore