Kerry James Casey (9 November 1954 – 25 November 2015) was an Australian actor, writer, director, and performance teacher. He worked in bilingual theatre in Australia with companies using Greek, French, Vietnamese, and Italian languages and cultures in performance.
Biography
Kerry Casey was born on 9 November 1954 in Wagga Wagga. He was the third child of James Casey and Joan (nee Gaffney). He grew up primarily in country New South Wales (Wagga Wagga, Captains Flat, Milton) before his parents moved to the Sydney suburb of Bondi in the late 1960s. He was educated at St Gregory's College, Campbelltown, Marcellin College Randwick and Vaucluse Boy's High School (where contemporaries included George Smilovici).
He undertook a Bachelor of Arts with a Diploma of Education at the University of New South Wales. It was during this time he met his future wife, Maria Moutoudis. He had three children by her.
Aside from teaching, he had a career as an actor and director for over thirty years.
He completed a Master of Arts in Creative Writing towards the end of his life at the University of New South Wales. In 2014, he published his Masters Thesis, The diggers and the IRA: a story of Australian and New Zealand Great-War soldiers involved in Ireland’s war of independence, exploring his Irish family's WW1 history and the stories of members of the Irish diaspora from Australia and New Zealand who fought for Ireland in its war of Independence from the United Kingdom.
He died on 25 November 2015, following a long battle with cancer.
1981–95 Hat, Cane and Suitcase 14 years as a street and event performer –character based improvisations incorporating audience participation, original texts, mime, juggling, acrobatics, magic and rope walking.
1989 The Remedy, Giallo, Sydney Metropolitan Opera. The Parade Theatre
1990 Witnesses, Cicada Theatre Co
1992–1995 The Leaping Loonies. 4 years with the MO AWARD winning. Slapstick/acrobatic/improv troupe completing 2 national tours, live TV appearances and countless performances in schools, clubs, pubs, parks, stadia, theatres and country shows.
August 1996 Conversations With Charlie Citymoon & Variasians Theatre Festival
2008 Rehearsal classes for Sidetrack Production of Checkpoint Zero.
2008 NIDA workshops in Meyerhold Biomechanics.
2006-7 Director of Australian Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA).
2004-6 NIDA: Film and the Actor's Body. Movement for film acting and Meyerhold Biomechanics.
2004-6 Australian Institute of Music tutor in Music Theatre and Acting.
1983–2005 Ensemble Studios classes in Mime, Mask and Commedia dell'Arte.
2003-4 Centre for Cross Cultural Relations, ANU; lectures and workshops with Greg Denning in Academic Performance and Making Theatre.
2003/4 Classes at Aerialize and Legs on the Wall in Voice, Speech and Text in Physical Performance.
1998–2001 Conservatorium of Music High, created program and gave lectures and classes in The Instrumentalists Use of the Body in Making and Playing Music.
1996 Bell Shakespeare, classes in Mime for Steven Berkoff and company.
1995 Odyssey House, The Body, Performance and Addiction, for recovering addicts.
1990 Arundel House, RPAH, Performance Therapy.
1989 Sydney Metropolitan Opera, Commedia dell'Arte and Opera Buffa.