Melbourne Theatre Company today paid tribute to actor Beverley Dunn who died on 27 November.
Beverley had a long and enduring relationship with MTC, having first appeared in the 1954 production of Quiet Weekend as part of the inaugural season at the Union Theatre Repertory Company – the precursor of MTC.
She subsequently performed for the Company many times, the final of which was in The Dame on the Ten Dollar Note in 2009. Her other significant MTC appearances include Enlightenment, Humble Boy, The Visit, Sweet Bird of Youth, the national tour of Life After George, Little Murders, In Celebration and Scenes from a Separation. Her celebration of Dame Mary Gilmore, To Botany Bay on a Bondi Tram, toured Australia, the United States and Britain to acclaim. She reprised the role of Mary Gilmore 25 years later in The Dame on the Ten Dollar Note.
Executive Director & Co-CEO Virginia Lovett said, ‘Beverley will always be part of MTC history. From the Company’s earliest days to the opening season at Southbank Theatre in 2009, she was there on our stages. A much loved actor, Beverley was a regular theatre-goer long after her final performance and a treasured member of the MTC Community. She will be greatly missed.’
Beverley began her career at 16, playing in hundreds of radio plays both in Australia and for the BBC in London. In addition to her theatre roles in Australia, she worked widely in both film and television. Her television credits include a five-year stint on Bellbird and two years on The Flying Doctors. Her film appearances include Brilliant Lies, Ground Zero and Shine.
Beverley also performed with Playbox in The Sick Room, All Souls and A Happy and Holy Occasion, which won her a Green Room Award. She toured Australian and Britain in The Importance of Being Earnest with Patricia Routledge and Australia in the tour of Hotel Sorrento.
Beverley also appeared with both the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and West Australian Symphony Orchestra in a number of dramatic concerts and she narrated dozens of audio books for which she won several awards. Her first solo show, As We Are – An Anthology of Australian Writing, toured throughout Australia.
Published on 7 December 2021
