
Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology), Master (Queensland University of Technology)
Dr David Megarrity is a writer, composer, musician and performer converging music, performance and projected image. Recipient of a Lord Mayor’s Performing Arts Fellowship in 1998, his performance inventions include Backseat Drivers (QT’s first overseas tour), Ukulele Mekulele (La Boite), Show (QTC), The Empty City and Bear with Me for Metro Arts and Windmill. His works have played at the Sydney Opera House, around Australia and abroad. Publications include plays for young people such as Gate 38 and anthology Destinations (Playlab). He’s been finalist in the George Landen Dann Award, Inscriptions Edward Albee Scholarship, Queensland Premier’s Drama Award and Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award (2016). Created with Jonathon Oxlade, picture book The Empty City (Hachette) was selected by the Children’s Book Council of Australia as a Picture Book of the Year ‘Notable Book’ (2008). His stage adaptation was a finalist in the 2012 Queensland Theatre Company’s Queensland Premier’s Drama Award (QPDA) and premiered at the Brisbane Powerhouse. David won the QPDA for his play The Holidays. This show premiered in 2020. Having played in many bands and composed songs and soundtracks for stage, screen and radio David has released 13 albums of original music in various audio incarnations. Recent music-driven performances include faux folk duo Warmwaters, “the surprise hit of the Queensland Cabaret Festival” (Brisbane Times 2014), and Tyrone and Lesley whose album Optimism was dubbed Ukulele Record of the Year by Ukulelehunt. David’s short film collaborations won a number of awards and nominations, including Official Selection Cannes International Film Festival 2000. Full time artist and part-time Senior Lecturer in Drama at the Queensland University of Technology, he received the 2008 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence (Innovative and Creative Practice), and completed his PhD in 2015. ‘as close as Brisbane has to a Renaissance Man’ Rave Magazine David blogs about music in performance at https://lifeinthelongtail.wordpress.com/
Projects (Chief investigator)
Additional information
Having been published, produced, programmed and performed across music, theatre, film, television and children's literature, David has specialized in teaching creative practice units. His industry experience in a many roles, from teacher to writer, to director, to performer, to composer, to independent producer enables him to apply expertise and versatility to his teaching portfolio, which has seen him master the teaching of elements of drama, playwriting, community cultural development, theatre history, Work Integrated Learning and much else.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Winner of the 2018 Queensland Premier's Drama Award
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Arts Queensland (Individual) grant to attend Grand Northern Ukulele Festival in UK
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2012
- Details
- Finalist Inscriptions Edward Albee Playwriting Scholarship
- Type
- Other
- Reference year
- 2012
- Details
- Finalist, Queensland Music Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2011
- Details
- Finalist in the 2012/3 Queensland Premier's Drama Award
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- QUT Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence (Innovative and Creative Practice)
- Type
- Other
- Reference year
- 2008
- Details
- Picture Book of the Year Notable Book
- Megarrity, D., Vincent, S. & See, J. (2017). Recording optimism: Capturing live performance in the recording studio. Presented at: Recording optimism: Capturing live performance in the recording studio. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/119028
- Megarrity, D., (2015). Destinations: 3 Large Cast Plays for Young People [Artefact]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/89983
- Megarrity, D., Fenton, D., Lucas, B. & Pittman, R. (2015). De Profundis (Theatre Soundtrack). Presented at: De Profundis (Theatre Soundtrack). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/90704
- Megarrity, D., Fenton, D., Monsour, L., Oxlade, J. & Stibbard, L. (2013). The Empty City (production). Presented at: The Empty City (production). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/68131
- Megarrity, D., Vincent, S., Balodis, J. & Futcher, M. (2012). Bear With Me. Presented at: Bear With Me. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/56013
- Megarrity, D., (2008). Together Alone: Balancing sole authorship and collaborative approaches to performance making. VDM Verlag Publishing Group. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/19372
- Megarrity, D., (2007). Gate 38 [Textual]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/225645
- Megarrity, D., (2003). Show [Play]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/41228
- Megarrity, D., (2002). Ukelele Medulele [Play].
- What feels true?: Sifitng through Belongings (2012)
- 'indig-curious. The challenge for non-Indigenous performers in accessing Indigenous culture and ideas in theatrical forms' (2010)
- But What I Really Want to do is Write: Adapting the Mike Leigh Method for Writers for the stage (2009)
- Drama and the Dreaming (2009)
- Myth-Making in the Great South Land: the creation of large-scale personas in small-scale stories (2008)
- The Collaborative Impact: Writing a Play with the Collaboration of Actors (2008)
- "The Space Between" Representing 'Youth' on the Contemporary Australian Stage (2006)