Conigrave Timothy - Holding the Man

Tommy Murphy HOLDING THE MAN adapted from the book by Timothy Conigrave NICK HERN BOOKS London www.nickhernbooks.co.uk ContentsFor TimHolding the Man was commissioned and first produced by Griffin Theatre Company at the SBW Stables Theatre, Sydney, Australia, on 9 November 2006, with the following cast:

TIM	Guy Edmonds
JOHN	Matt Zeremes

With Jeanette Cronin, Nicholas Eadie, Robin McLeavy, Brett Stiller

Director	David Berthold
Set Designer	Brian Thomson
Costume and Puppet Designer	Micka Agosta
Lighting Designer	Stephen Hawker
Composer and Sound Designer	Basil Hogios

This production was revived at the Stables during the 2007 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, and subsequently at Sydney Opera House; Company B Belvoir, Sydney; Brisbane Powerhouse; and Melbourne Theatre Company at the Merlyn Theatre, Malthouse. The play received the 2007 New South Wales Premiers Literary Award for Best Play and the Australian Writers Guild Award (AWGIE) for Best Play. The play received its North American premiere at the New Conservatory Theater Center, San Francisco, on 29 September 2007, directed by Matthew Graham Smith. The New Zealand premiere was by Silo Theatre at the Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland, opening on 7 August 2009, directed by Shane Bosher. The play received its European premiere at the Trafalgar Studios, London, on 4 May 2010 (previews from 23 April), with the following cast:

TIM	Guy Edmonds
JOHN	Matt Zeremes

With Simon Burke, Oliver Farnworth, Anna Skellern, Jane Turner

Director	David Berthold
Set Designer	Brian Thomson
Costume and Puppet Designer	Micka Agosta
Lighting Designer	James Whiteside
Composer and Sound Designer	Basil Hogios
Producers	Daniel Sparrow and Mike Walsh Productions Neil Gooding Productions Matthew Henderson Suzie Franke Gerry Ryan
Associate Producer	Jaqueline Kolek
Associate Director	Adam Spreadbury-Maher

Characters TIM JOHN

At home	In hospital/at the clinic
DICK, Tims father	DOCTOR ONE
MARY-GERT, Tims mother	DOCTOR TWO
BOB, Johns father LOIS, Johns mother	DR SHEPHERD, a psychiatrist
At school and college	Elsewhere
KEVIN	NEIL ARMSTRONG
JULIET	HOUSTON
BISCUIT	MISSION CONTROL
JACKIE	SCARECROW
DERGE	MARIE, Juliets mother
ERIC	DOOR-BITCH
RHYS	QUEEN
BARTENDER
At university	QUEEN TWO
LEE	HARRY, a one-night stand
WOODY	NEW ROMANTIC
ROSE	FRANCO, a lover
PETER	RICHARD, an AIDS patient
WAITER
In the theatre/at NIDA
DIRECTOR
TEACHER
NIDA ACTORS
ACTOR ONE
ACTOR TWO
ACTOR THREE
THEATRE DIRECTOR

Suggested Allocation of Roles This adaptation was originally written for six actors: two actors playing Tim and John and the remaining four playing all the other characters, with meaningful and appropriate doubling where possible. It could also be performed with a larger cast.

For the original Australian and UK productions, the doubling was as follows:

	TIM
	JOHN, MISSION CONTROL (voice)
	MARY-GERT, JACKIE, RHYS, ROSE, QUEEN, LOIS CALEO, HARRY, NIDA DIRECTOR, DOCTOR TWO, ACTOR and NIDA ACTOR
	NEIL ARMSTRONG (voice for puppet), SCARECROW, DICK, BOB CALEO, DERGE, QUEEN TWO, WOODY, FRANCO, DOCTOR ONE, THEATRE DIRECTOR and NIDA ACTOR
	JULIET, ERIC, BARTENDER, PHILIP (New Romantic), NIDA TEACHER, ACTOR, DR SHEPHERD and NIDA ACTOR
	KEVIN, MARIE, BISCUIT, LEE, DOOR-BITCH, PETER, RICHARD (voice for puppet), ACTOR, WAITER and NIDA ACTOR

ACT ONEOneThe actor playing TIM enters. ACTOR PLAYING TIM (to the audience). Lets begin. A small puppet spaceman enters. TIM (to the audience). At the end of the sixties the world seemed very exciting for a nine-year-old. Things were changing at an incredible rate. School. School.

Meanwhile, TIM, nine years old, is sitting cross-legged next to KEVIN, watching the TV. NEIL ARMSTRONG. Okay, Houston, Im on the porch. HOUSTON MISSION CONTROL. Roger, Neil. And were getting a picture on the TV. NEIL ARMSTRONG.

Im at the foot of the ladder. Going to step off the LEM now. Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. KEVIN. Is it really there? Tim, are they up there now on the moon? KEVIN touches TIMs leg. TIM. Yeah.

NEIL ARMSTRONG. And Kevins touching my leg. Houston, do you copy? HOUSTON MISSION CONTROL. Roger, Neil. Were checking that. TIM.

The teachers are crying. Why? Theyre crying. KEVIN puts his arm around TIM. HOUSTON MISSION CONTROL. Were getting a heart rate off the graph, Neil. Yeah. I know. I know.

KEVIN puts his lips to TIMs cheek. TIM. Dont. KEVIN. I wish you were a girl. NEIL ARMSTRONG. Kind of stirring, a buzz coursing through me.

HOUSTON MISSION CONTROL. Roger, Neil. Just ride it out. KEVIN. Tim TIM. KEVIN. KEVIN.

Maybe we shouldnt play poofters any more. TIM (aside). My God, Im a poofter. TwoBackstage at a shopping centre. TIM is alone. Enter an actor costumed as the SCARECROW from The Wizard of Oz. SCARECROW.

Who are you? Youre not supposed to be backstage. TIM. Im Tim Conigrave. SCARECROW. Who? TIM. I am a friend of Juliets.

Shes in the centre-court floor-show with you. SCARECROW. Oh, youre Tim. TIM. Yes, why? What have you heard about me? SCARECROW. TIM. TIM.

Must be terrifying in front of an audience. Your show was really good today. SCARECROW. Yeah, well, it pays the bills. Im not really I mean, a lot of my ideas werent taken on board. Some.

I went to NIDA. TIM. Whats that? SCARECROW. Acting school. The national drama school. I left after second year because it can be limiting thats the decision I made but I mean I also do voice-overs and write but this isnt really me because Im saving up to go to the States.

Juliet says you think you might be gay. TIM. What? She told you? SCARECROW. Yes. TIM. SCARECROW. SCARECROW.

Im a bit of a role model for her and the others. I only wanted to say, mate, dont you think its a bit early to make that decision? Youre only fifteen, arent you? TIM. Its not really a decision. SCARECROW. Youve got your whole life ahead of you. I know. SCARECROW. SCARECROW.

Do you have doubts? TIM. No. Not since primary school. Now I have unrequited fantasies. SCARECROW. Which is sweet but just dont close off your options.