Who is Tom Conroy?
I am currently performing the role of Detective Sergeant Trotter in Crossroads Live tour of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
For a while when I was a kid, I went around telling people I wanted to be a doctor because they make a lot of money. I guess those priorities must have shifted along the way. The older I get, the more it feels that you make some key decisions that lead you in a particular direction, and then life just sort of seems to happen to you from there.
Who inspires you and why?
Most days when I’m getting ready to go on stage and I’m searching for that magical alchemy of energy, focus and flow, I listen to the music of artists who inspire me. It can be pretty eclectic depending on my mood – from James Blake to Laura Marling to Fred, Again to Whitney Houston. On a two-show day recently, I listened to Stupid Love and thought “What would Gaga do? She’d go out there are destroy that stage. Do it.”
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
We’re all trapped in a capitalist hamster wheel, right. So, I guess within that, what do we have available to us? Trying not to be an arsehole. Being engaged in what is going on in the world. Listening before speaking.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
I recently went on a trip from Broome to Karijini National Park. There’s a sort of magic to that land. Ancient, red rock crumbling into the ocean, the vast open space of the Pilbara.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
Sydney’s coastline is never not stunning. On a beautiful warm day, I’d take them on the Spit to Manly walk, and tell them to pack their swimmers for swims along the way in those gorgeous little harbour beaches. Maybe we would finish with a beer in Manly by the beach, before jumping on the ferry home.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished rereading Deborah Levy’s The Cost of Living. It’s an extraordinary, short, memoir about her reclaiming her sense of self, as a woman, mother, daughter and writer, in the wake of a divorce. It’s a book I’ll return to again and again.
What are you currently listening to?
The sound of my washing machine whirring its way through the final stages of a wash.
Happiness is?
A slow start to the day over a pot of coffee.
What does the future hold for you?
I think the last few years have taught us that thinking you know what is just around the corner is foolish. Hopefully more acting work, some travel, time with friends and family. Maybe a dog?
Tom stars as Detective Sergeant Trotter in the 70th Anniversary production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap – opening at the Theatre Royal, Sydney from 8 October; before playing the Playhouse – QPAC, Brisbane from 3 November; Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide from 31 December 2022; and the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne from 17 February 2023. For more information, visit: www.themousetrap.com.au for details.
Image: Tom Conroy (supplied)