by Tommy Murphy
June 1993
I thought I’d fax you some ‘scenes’ from my book to give you an idea of the tone.
(Timothy Conigrave)
Timothy Conigrave dies.
18 Oct 1994
Holding the Man is first published.
1995
Tim wins the UN Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction.
1995
Combination antiretroviral treatment is shown to be highly effective against HIV.
1996
AIDS deaths begin to decline in developed countries, due to the new drugs.
1997
Southern Africa becomes the epicentre of what is now a global pandemic.
2000
WHO calculates the total number of deaths from AIDS in 2008 is 2 million. 2.7 million were newly infected with HIV and 33.4 million are believed to be living with HIV.
2008
TOMMY MURPHY
Strangers in Between (2005) and Holding the Man (2006) were premiered by Griffin Theatre Company, Sydney, where Tommy was writer in residence. Both plays won the NSW Premier’s Award in successive years. Holding the Man was revived for the 2007 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, before transferring to Sydney Opera House, Company B Belvoir, Melbourne Theatre Company and Brisbane Powerhouse. Holding the Man also won the 2007 Australian Writers’ Guild Award (AWGIE) and the Philip Parsons Award. It received its West End premiere in May 2010.
Other plays include Saturn’s Return (Sydney Theatre Company at Wharf 2 in 2008, transferring to the main stage in 2009), Gwen in Purgatory (Company B Belvoir and La Boite Theatre Company in 2010, directed by Neil Armfield), an adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s 1932 play Blood Wedding (Royal and Derngate, Northampton) and an adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan (Company B, New Victory Theatre, New York, 2013).
Screen credits include Offspring, Spirited, and Matchbox’s 2014 Foxtel mini-series Devil’s Playground.
Tommy is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Director’s Course). His other works include young people’s theatre pieces Troy’s House (1997), an adaptation of Marlowe’s Massacre at Paris (2001), and Precipice (2007).
A Nick Hern Book
This stage adaptation of Holding the Man first published in Great Britain as a paperback original in 2010 by Nick Hern Books Limited, The Glasshouse, 49a Goldhawk Road, London W12 8QP, by arrangement with Currency Press Pty Ltd, PO Box 2287, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012, Australia, www.currency.com.au
This ebook first published in 2015
This adaptation of Holding the Man copyright © 2006, 2010 Tommy Murphy
Afterword and Timeline copyright © 2010 Tommy Murphy
Tommy Murphy has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this adaptation
Cover images by Micka Agosta
Cover designed by Ned Hoste, 2H
Typeset by Nick Hern Books, London
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 84842 108 0 (print edition)
ISBN 978 1 78001 669 6 (ebook edition)
CAUTION This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Applications for performance, including readings and excerpts, by amateurs or professionals should be addressed to the Cameron Creswell Agency, Level 7, 61 Malborough Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia, tel +61 (0)2 9319 7199, fax + 61 (0)2 9319 6866, e-mail [email protected]
No performance of any kind may be given unless a licence has been obtained. Applications should be made before rehearsals begin. Publication of this play does not necessarily indicate its availability for amateur performance.
