{{Short description|Australian actor, activist and author}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2011}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Timothy Conigrave | image = Timothy Conigrave.jpg | birth_name = Timothy Fairfax Conigrave | birth_date = {{birth date|1959|11|19|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1994|10|18|1959|11|19|df=y}} | death_place = [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]] | death_cause = [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS-related illness]] | partner = John Caleo (1980 – 1992; Caleo's death) | notable_works = ''[[Holding the Man]]'' | education = [[National Institute of Dramatic Art]] ([[Bachelor of Fine Arts|BFA]]) }} '''Tim Conigrave''' (19 November 1959 – 18 October 1994) was an [[Australians|Australian]] [[actor]], [[activist]] and author of the internationally acclaimed memoir, ''[[Holding the Man]].''
==Education and career== Conigrave was born in [[Melbourne]], and attended the Jesuit-run [[Xavier College]], and later [[Monash University]], where he appeared in [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s ''[[Man Equals Man|A Man's a Man]]'' and [[Ariane Mnouchkine]]'s ''1789''. Following graduation, he worked with St Martin's Youth Arts Centre. Under the direction of [[Helmut Bakaitis]], Alison Richards, and Val Levkowicz he performed in the touring productions of ''The Zig & Zag Follies'', ''Cain's Hand'' and ''Quick-Eze Cafe''. In July 1981 he performed in the Australian Performing Group's (APG) production of ''Bold Tales'' at [[The Pram Factory]], under the direction of Peter King. Also in 1981 he worked on [[Edward Bond]]'s ''[[Saved (play)|Saved]]'' for the Guild Theatre Company and completed his first play, ''The Blitz Kids'', which was performed at the La Mama Theatre (Adelaide) in August that year.
Conigrave later moved to [[Sydney]] to study at [[National Institute of Dramatic Art]] (NIDA), graduating in 1984. Two years later he was instrumental in initiating the acclaimed ''Soft Targets'' (1986) project at Sydney's [[Griffin Theatre Company]], where for a period he served on the board of directors.
He appeared in such plays as ''[[Brighton Beach Memoirs]]'', ''As Is'', and ''On Top of the World''. He was also a playwright, producing works including ''Thieving Boy'', ''Like Stars in My Hands'' and ''The Blitz Kids''.
He was a member of [[The Globos]], a musical comedy cabaret group, performing at Sydney's [[Kinselas]] nightclub in the mid-1980s. And in the late 1980s and early 1990s he was a Peer Education Officer with the AIDS Council of NSW (ACON), running the Fun and Esteem project.
==Memoir==
===Book=== His major work, the autobiographical ''[[Holding the Man]]'' (1995), is the story of his 15-year relationship with John Caleo. They met as students at Xavier College; Caleo was captain of the Australian Rules Football team and Conigrave wanted to be an actor. Conigrave finished the book shortly before dying of an [[AIDS]]-related illness. The book was published by [[Penguin Books]] in Australia in February 1995, and also in Spain and North America. It won the 1995 [[United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights|United Nations Award for Non-Fiction]].
===Play=== ''Holding the Man'' has been adapted into a multi-award-winning play by [[Tommy Murphy (Australian playwright)|Tommy Murphy]]. The premiere production was directed by [[David Berthold]] at Griffin Theatre Company. It later played a return season at Griffin, February – March 2007, where it also sold out, before transferring to the [[Sydney Opera House]] for a third sell-out season, 9–26 May 2007. [[Company B (theatre)|Company B]] at the [[Belvoir St Theatre]] hosted a fourth season 22 September – 4 November 2007. A fifth season played at the [[Brisbane Powerhouse]] in early March 2008, with a sixth following as part of [[Melbourne Theatre Company]]'s 2008 season, 19 March – 26 April 2008. In 2010 it played in London's [[Trafalgar Studios]]. There have also been productions in San Francisco, Auckland, New Zealand, and more recently a 2014 production in Los Angeles directed by [[Larry Moss (acting coach)|Larry Moss]] and featuring Nate Jones, [[Adam J. Yeend]], [[Cameron Daddo]] and [[Roxane Wilson]], as well as a successful run in the summer of 2018 at Chicago's Pride Films and Plays.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/2018/08/08/holding-the-man-review-pride-films-and-plays/ |title=Review: ''Holding the Man'' (Pride Films and Plays) |work=Chicago Theater Beat |date=8 August 2018 |accessdate=21 July 2019 |archive-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706202944/http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/2018/08/08/holding-the-man-review-pride-films-and-plays/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Film=== On 27 August 2015 [[Holding the Man (film)|a film version of ''Holding the Man'']] opened in cinemas across Australia. The film is directed by [[Neil Armfield]] and features [[Ryan Corr]] (Tim) and [[Craig Stott]] (John).
A documentary based on the lives of Tim Conigrave and John Caleo, ''Remembering the Man'', premiered at the [[Adelaide Film Festival]] on Sunday 18 October 2015. ArtsHub applauded the film as "powerful and engaging; a fitting tribute to Tim Conigrave, the author of an ur-text of the AIDS pandemic, and his husband, John Caleo."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://screen.artshub.com.au/news-article/reviews/film/richard-watts/remembering-the-man-249614 |title=Remembering the Man |first=Richard |last=Watts |publisher=ArtsHub Australia }}</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'' said "this film goes straight (so to speak) to the gay pool room" when it placed the ''Remembering the Man'' on its list of Australia's 10 best LGBT films.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/07/i-will-survive-australias-10-best-ever-lgbt-films |title='I will survive!': Australia's 10 best LGBT films |first=Luke |last=Buckmaster |date=6 April 2016 |work=[[The Guardian]] }}</ref> ''FilmInk'' called the film a "Beautifully crafted documentary" and noted that "Despite the tragedy that is at the heart of this documentary, it, like ''Holding The Man'', is a peculiarly uplifting and hopeful film. Operatic even. Tim would have liked that."<ref>{{citation |title=Remembering the Man |work=FilmInk }}</ref> ''Remembering the Man'' won the Audience Awards for best documentary at the [[Adelaide Film Festival]] 2015,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://adelaidefilmfestival.org/news/media-releases/2015-audience-award-winners-announced |title=2015 Audience Award Winners Announced |date=29 October 2015 |publisher=[[Adelaide Film Festival]] |access-date=16 April 2016 |archive-date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408053426/http://adelaidefilmfestival.org/news/media-releases/2015-audience-award-winners-announced |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sydney's [[Mardi Gras Film Festival]] 2016<ref>{{cite web |url=http://queerscreen.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/MGFF2016-Wrap-Press-Release.pdf |title=Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival on Tour Sydney Winners Announced |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427074504/http://queerscreen.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/MGFF2016-Wrap-Press-Release.pdf |date=14 March 2016 |accessdate=16 April 2016 |archivedate=27 April 2016 }}</ref> and the [[Melbourne Queer Film Festival]] 2016.<ref name="mqff.com.au">{{cite web |url=http://www.mqff.com.au/pages/film-awards |title=Melbourne Queer Film Festival - Film Awards |website=www.mqff.com.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410220225/http://www.mqff.com.au/pages/film-awards |archive-date=2016-04-10}} </ref> The film also won the David McCarthy Award for best documentary at the [[Melbourne Queer Film Festival]] 2016,<ref name="mqff.com.au"/> the jury prize for best documentary at the [http://mifofilm.com MiFo LGBT Festival] 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mifofilm.com/winners|title=OUTshine Film Festival - Winners|website=mifofilm.com}}</ref> and the award for Best Documentary (Biography) at the 2015 [[ATOM Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atomawards.org/2015-tertiary-industry-awards/ |title=TERTIARY & INDUSTRY AWARDS NIGHT : The 2015 ATOM Awards |website=atomawards.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621174738/http://atomawards.org/2015-tertiary-industry-awards/ |archive-date=2015-06-21}} </ref> The documentary's directors, Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe, were nominated for best direction of a feature documentary at the 2016 Australian Director's Guild Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adg.org.au/lib/pdf/MR-Nominations-announced-for-2016-ADG-Awards.pdf |title=The 2016 Australian Directors Guild Awards Nominations are Revealed |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616154142/http://www.adg.org.au/lib/pdf/MR-Nominations-announced-for-2016-ADG-Awards.pdf |date=12 April 2016 |accessdate=16 April 2016 |archivedate=16 June 2016 }}</ref>
==Theatre credits==
=== As actor === {|class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Type |- | || ''[[Man Equals Man|A Man's a Man]]'' || || [[Monash University]] |- | || ''1789'' || || [[Monash University]] |- | 1980 || ''The Zig & Zag Follies'' || || Touring production |- | || ''Cain's Hand'' || || Touring production |- | || ''Quick-Eze Cafe'' || || Touring production |- | 1981 || ''[[Saved (play)|Saved]]'' || Barry || [[University of Melbourne]] with Guild Theatre Company |- | 1981 || ''Bold Tales'' || || [[The Pram Factory]] with [[Australian Performing Group|Australian Performing Group (APG)]] |- | 1983 || ''[[Peer Gynt (opera)|Peer Gynt]]'' || Peer Gynt 5 / Pastor || [[National Institute of Dramatic Art|NIDA Theatre]] |- | 1983 || ''[[Ivanov (play)|Ivanov]]'' || || [[National Institute of Dramatic Art|NIDA Theatre]] |- | 1964 || ''Welcome the Bright World'' || Dr Mencken || [[University of New South Wales|UNSW]] [[National Institute of Dramatic Art|Parade Theatre]] |- | 1984 || ''[[Pericles, Prince of Tyre|Pericles]]'' || Cienon / Fisherman || [[University of New South Wales|UNSW]] [[National Institute of Dramatic Art|Parade Theatre]], [[Canberra Theatre Centre|Playhouse Canberra]], Community Arts Theatre, Newcastle |- | 1984 || ''[[Street Scene (play)|Street Scene]]'' || || [[University of New South Wales|UNSW]] [[National Institute of Dramatic Art|Parade Theatre]] |- | 1986 || ''[[Brighton Beach Memoirs]]'' || Stanley || [[Comedy Theatre, Melbourne]] with The Fabulous Globos |- | 1987 || ''[[Shadowlands (play)|Shadowlands]]'' || Director || Bay Street Theatre |- | || ''As Is'' || || with The Fabulous Globos |- | Mid-1980s || Cabaret shows || || [[Kinselas]] nightclub with The Fabulous Globos |}
=== As writer / other === {|class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title ! Role |- | 1981 || ''The Blitz Kids'' || Playwright |- | || ''Thieving Boy'' || Playwright |- | || ''Like Stars in My Hands'' || Playwright |- | 1986 || ''Soft Targets'' || Devisor |- | 1986 || ''On Top of the World'' || Production Coordinator |- | 2006 || ''[[Holding the Man (play)|Holding the Man]]'' || Author (based on Conigrave's 1995 memoir) |}
==Book== {|class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title ! Type ! Publisher |- | 1995 || ''[[Holding the Man]]'' || Autobiographical novel || [[Penguin Books]] |}
==Later life and death== Conigrave and Caleo were diagnosed with HIV in 1985. They remained relatively healthy until 1990. In 1991, Caleo was diagnosed with cancer. Conigrave nursed Caleo, despite fighting his own illness. John Caleo died on [[Australia Day]], 26 January 1992, aged 31. Tim Conigrave died on 18 October 1994, aged 34.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.alphabrett.com/TimConigrave/article.html Outrage Magazine July 1997 - with photos of Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513153539/http://www.alphabrett.com/TimConigrave/article.html |date=13 May 2021 }} * [http://www.griffintheatre.com.au Griffin Theatre Company website] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070708193834/http://www.holdingtheman.net/ North American distributor and promoter of Holding The Man book and play] * [https://www.amazon.com/Holding-Man-Timothy-Conigrave/dp/0978825950 Holding the Man on Amazon, with reader reviews] * [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3671542/ Holding the Man on IMDB] * FindAGrave.com entries for [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/159447621/timothy-fairfax-conigrave Timothy Conigrave] and [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/159447351/john-robert-caleo John Caleo]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conigrave, Timothy}} [[Category:1959 births]] [[Category:1994 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights]] [[Category:20th-century Australian LGBTQ people]] [[Category:20th-century Australian male actors]] [[Category:20th-century Australian male writers]] [[Category:20th-century Australian memoirists]] [[Category:AIDS-related deaths in Australia]] [[Category:Australian gay actors]] [[Category:Australian gay writers]] [[Category:Australian LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights]] [[Category:Australian male dramatists and playwrights]] [[Category:Australian male stage actors]] [[Category:Gay dramatists and playwrights]] [[Category:Male actors from Melbourne]] [[Category:National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni]] [[Category:People educated at Xavier College]] [[Category:Writers from Melbourne]]