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Vivienne Garrett

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Vivienne Garrett
Born
Sydney, Australia
EducationNational Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • theatre director
  • former restaurateur
  • drama/elocution tutor
  • yoga instructor/therapist
[1]

Vivienne Garrett is an Australian-based theatre, film and television actress. She is a theatre director, acting and voice coach and also a qualified yoga instructor and therapist. She was born in Sydney and now lives in Western Australia. Garrett graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1970.

Her best known role was as rebellious teenager Rose Godolfus (later Myers), an original character in TV serial Number 96, her character was involved in numerous controversial storylines[2]

Early career

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As a primary school student she was chosen to star in a theatrical production of The Little Mermaid where she was spotted by Geoff Harvey the then musical director for TCN-9 and subsequently began performing and singing on children's television talent show Comedy Capers. While still a teenager, her first screen acting role was in The Unloved produced by NLT Productions in 1968. After graduating from NIDA she toured with a Theatre in Education company[3] and had guest roles in police dramas Homicide and Matlock Police.

Garrett is best known for her role of rebellious Rose Godolfus, the daughter of deli owner Aldo (Johnny Lockwood), in top-rated soap opera Number 96. She was a member of the original cast of Number 96 when it began in March 1972. Number 96 brought sexual situations and nude scenes to Australian television for the first time. Although series star Abigail became famous for being the first woman to appear topless on Australian television, in fact it was Garrett, who was topless in the serial's first episode, who deserves the credit. However the scene was screened only in Sydney. By the time the episode went to air in other localities in the days following, the shot had been cut by censors[4] after complaints from viewers.[5] Garrett remained in the show for five months, breaking her contract and leaving the series over a storyline where Rose was gang raped by a group of bikers in which the script called for her to be actually enjoying it.[6][7]

After leaving Number 96 she had a guest role in Division 4 and also worked in theatre. She spent three years as a company member of Rex Cramphorn's celebrated Performance Syndicate appearing in productions including The Tempest, Shakuntala and the Ring of Recognition, Muriel, Berenice, and Scapin. They also devised original physical theatre pieces and worked with internationally acclaimed Jerzy Grotowski and his company.[citation needed]

She resumed the role of Rose for a limited number of episodes of Number 96 in 1975, and appeared in a recurring sketch in comedy series The Norman Gunston Show called The Checkout Chicks.[citation needed] This sketch, written by Bill Harding, was a send-up of melodramatic soap operas and set in a supermarket. It featured other former Number 96 actors – Abigail, Candy Raymond, Philippa Baker, Judy Lynne, Anne Louise Lambert, John Paramor and Johnny Lockwood.

In 1976 she travelled to India where she studied yoga, meditation and philosophy at an ashram for 12 months under the guidance of Baba Muktananda in Ganeshpuri.[citation needed] She wrote about the experience in 1977 for the lifestyle magazine Simply Living. Back in Australia, she worked on student films for Australian Film Television and Radio School and continued to act in theatre and on screen.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Type
1976 Caddie Maudie's friend 2 Feature film[8]
1979 The Hero The Actress / Lara Bell Short film
1983 For Love or Money Self Documentary film
1988 Boundaries of the Heart Freda Feature film
1993 Blackfellas Youth Worker Feature film
1998 Seclusion Angela Short film
2001 Let's Get Skase Ruth D’Amato TV movie
2020 I Met a Girl Female driver Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Type
Comedy Capers Performer/singer TV talent show
1968 The Unloved TV series
1971 Homicide Carol Archer TV series, 1 episode
1973 Division 4 Alison TV series, 1 episode
1971 / 1974 Matlock Police Angela / Beth Hill TV series
1972, 1975 Number 96 Rose Godolfus / Rose Myers TV series, 50 episodes
1975 The Norman Gunston Show Member of The Checkout Chicks TV series, 6 episodes
1978 Cop Shop Ruth Forest TV series, 2 episodes
1984 Mother and Son Tessa TV series, 1 episode
1984 Bodyline Post Office Clerk TV miniseries, 2 episodes
1993 Haydaze Jill Simmons TV series
1993 Ship to Shore TV series
1996 Sweat Mary Rodriguez TV series, 1 episode
1998 Minty Pamela-Anne TV series
Streetsmartz TV series
2001 Let's Get Skase Ruth D'Amato Feature film
2003 The Shark Net Mrs Halliday TV miniseries, 1 episode
2019 Lift Lynne TV series

Theatre

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[9]

Year Title Role Notes
1950s The Little Mermaid High school performance
1967 The Choephori (The Libation Bearers) University of NSW
1969 Antigone NIDA Theatre
1969 Student Graduation Plays Jane Street Theatre
1970 A Midsummer Night's Dream University of NSW & Old Tote Theatre
1970 Blood Wedding University of NSW, Old Tote Theatre
1971 Hamlet Phillip Street Theatre
1972 Dear Janet Rosenberg, Dear Mr. Kooning AMP Theatrette, Sydney
1972 Butterflies Are Free Twelfth Night Theatre
1973 Measure for Measure Union Hall, Adelaide
1974 Shakuntala and the Ring of Recognition Australian Mineral Foundation Theatre with Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate
1974 My Shadow and Me Jane Street Theatre
1974 Muriel Jane Street Theatre with Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate
1975 Berenice Sydney Opera House with Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate
1975 Scapin Sydney Opera House with Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate
The Tempest Miranda / Ariel Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate
1975 Mariner Jane Street Theatre
1975 Interplay Jane Street Theatre
1978 Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi Russell Street Theatre, Playhouse Theatre, Perth, Union Hall, Adelaide & Theatre Royal, Sydney
1978 As You Like It Celia Jane Street Theatre
1979 The Lady of the Camellias Sydney Opera House
1979 On Our Selection Sarah Jane Street Theatre & Nimrod Theatre
1979 Waiting for Godot Jane Street Theatre
1979 The House of the Deaf Man Nimrod Theatre
1980 The Bride of Gospel Place Jane Street Theatre
1980 The Dybbuk Leye Jane Street Theatre
1982 Variations Belvoir St Theatre & Nimrod Theatre
1983 Top Girls Marlene Nimrod Theatre
1984 The Servant of Two Masters Nimrod Theatre
1984 Extremities Sydney Opera House
1985 Cheapside Seymour Centre
1988 Europe Playhouse Theatre, Perth
1988 A Chorus of Disapproval Playhouse Theatre, Perth
1988 Rough Crossing Playhouse Theatre, Perth
1988 From Here to Maternity Princess May Theatre, Fremantle
1990 The Death of Minnie Minnie One-woman show by Barry Dickens
1990 The Christian Brothers The Studio Theatre, Subiaco
1991 The Popular Mechanics Playhouse Theatre, Perth
1991 Emma Old Customs House, Fremantle, The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Players, Civic Square, ACT
1993 Blood Moon Western Australia
1993 Witchplay Batcha Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. One-woman show by Tobsha Learner (Garrett also produced)
1994 The Lift Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
1994 Brilliant Lies Playhouse Theatre, Perth
1994 Breaststroke SWY Theatre, Perth
1995 Dead Funny Eleanor Perth Theatre Company
1995 Subi Shorts Program 1: Family Running for Mr Whippy / The Price of Prayer / Darling Oscar Subiaco Theatre Centre
1996 Burning Time Kel Malthouse Theatre & Subiaco Theatre Centre
1996 Blackrock Subiaco Theatre Centre
2001 The Vagina Monologues Subiaco Theatre Centre
2003 Breaststroke Rechabite Hall, Perth
2003 Necessary Targets J.S. Darlinghurst Theatre
2004 Live Acts on Stage Playhouse Theatre, Perth
2004 The Vagina Monologues University of Sydney
2005 Necessary Targets J.S. Malthouse Theatre
2007 Life x 3 Playhouse Theatre, Perth
2009 Checklist for an Armed Robber Victoria Hall
2009 The Lonely Hearts Club Victoria Hall
2010 The Clean House Anna Cremorne Theatre for Black Swan State Theatre Company
2011 When the Rain Stops Falling State Theatre Centre of WA, Heath Ledger Theatre
2012 Biddies Australian tour
2013 Other Desert Cities Silda State Theatre Centre of WA, Heath Ledger Theatre for Black Swan State Theatre Company & Playhouse, South Bank for Queensland Theatre Company
2016 Lighten Up Bronwyn Stables Theatre, Sydney
2016 The Children Royal Court Jerwood Theatre for Theatre 180
2018 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Emma Leech State Theatre Centre of WA, Heath Ledger Theatre
2020 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Online from WA
The Crucible Old Tote Theatre
Equus

Theatre awards

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In 1995 Garrett won the Swan Gold Award for Most Outstanding Female Actor for her portrayal of Eleanor in Dead Funny for the Perth Theatre Company. In 2014 she won Best Female Support Actor for her role of Silda in Other Desert Cities for Black Swan State Theatre Company/Queensland Theatre Company. She has also been nominated for roles in Live Acts on Stage, Equus, The Clean House and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.

Directing

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Garrett has worked as a theatre director on productions of Breaststroke, Ursula's Ecstasy, The Spook, Margritte and Tartuffe. She has also directed more than twenty short story productions for ABC Radio National.

Further work

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Since 2006 Garrett could be heard on Australian television as a voice-over artist. She has also taught Stage and Screen Acting, Voice and Theatre Studies at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, University of Notre Dame Australia, TAFTA and NIDA.

Studies

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After graduating from NIDA with a BA in Dramatic Arts Garrett went on to post graduate studies in Voice and Shakespearean Text at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC, Canada.

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Notes

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  1. ^ Giles, Nigel. "Number 96: Australian TVs Most Notorious Address
  2. ^ Giles, Nigel. Number 96: Australian TV's Most Notorious Address. Melbourne Books
  3. ^ Giles, Nigel. Number 96: Australian TV's Most Notorious Address, Melbourne Books Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781925556001
  4. ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 pp 44–45
  5. ^ Clarke, David and Steve Samuelson. 50 Years: Celebrating a Half-Century of Australian Television, Random House: Milsons Point, NSW, 2006. ISBN 1-74166-024-6 p 142
  6. ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 45
  7. ^ "First woman to appear topless on Australian TV has no regrets". minisites.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015.
  8. ^ Atterton, Margot. (Ed.) The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz, Sunshine Books, 1984. ISBN 0-86777-057-0 p 86
  9. ^ https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/2501