A new Australian play based on the novel of the same title by Colleen McCullough, Christine Dunstan Productions presents Tim at selected New South Wales venues this August.
Filled with notions of love, loss and acceptance, and set in the modern day, this seminal Australian story has been sensitively adapted for the stage by playwright Tim McGarry (Boy Swallows Universe, There’s A Sea in My Bedroom).
Central to the story is an unorthodox love that develops between Mary, a career-driven business executive in her mid-50s, and Tim, a handsome 25-year-old labourer with a mild intellectual disability.
Tim has grown up in a small but loving working-class family who have tried to shelter him from the cruelness of the world. He is often the brunt of ridicule by those around him, particularly his uncharitable work mates.
What begins as a chance meeting between them, soon develops into a life-changing relationship for both. Tim’s protective family grapple with a deep suspicion of sexual coercion, a disability system that has failed them and the devastating loss of Tim’s mother.
Whilst Tim’s disability is never labelled, it is a constant, underlying theme, embedded in a story that explores the importance of embracing differences, opening oneself to the fullness of life and the opportunities it has to offer.
Directed by award-winning director Darren Yap (Diving for Pearls, Miracle City, Letters to Lindy), Tim features Valerie Bader, Akkshey Caplash, Jeanette Cronin, Ben Goss, Andrew McFarlane and Julia Robertson.
Tim‘s gripping and controversial storyline catapulted Colleen McCullough to international fame. She remains Australia’s highest selling author, with over 80 million books sold worldwide.
Director: Darren Yap | Featuring: Valerie Bader, Akkshey Caplash, Jeanette Cronin, Ben Goss, Andrew McFarlane, Julia Robertson | Set Design: James Browne | Costume Design: Lucy M Scott | Lighting Design: Ben Hughes | Sound Design: Max Lambert | Movement Director: Nigel Poulton | Producer: Christine Dunstan Productions | Associate Producer: Vanessa Wright (Red Line Productions) | Adaptation: Tim McGarry
Tim will be presented at The Art House, Wyong (2 August), Civic Theatre, Newcastle (4 August), Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Nowra (9 & 10 August), Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith (11 & 12 August), Merrigong Theatre Company, Wollongong (16 – 19 August), The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (25 & 26 August) and Riverside Theatres, Parramatta (30 August – 2 September). For more information, visit: www.christinedunstan.com.au for details.
Image: Christine Dunstan Productions presents Tim (supplied)