Nigel Wilton Triffitt (19 August 1949 – 20 July 2012) was an Australian theatre director, actor, designer and writer. Triffitt was born in Launceston, Tasmania. His parents were not married, and he was put up for

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...

soon after his birth, being adopted by the Triffitt family in

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, where he was raised. He studied at the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, it offers bachelor's, master's and vocational degrees in subjects including acting ...

in Sydney and the Drama Centre in London – both of which he was asked to leave. In the 1970s he worked in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, as Director of Student Theatre at

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

, Resident Director at

St Martin's Theatre St Martin's Theatre is a West End theatre which has staged the production of '' The Mousetrap'' since March 1974, making it the longest continuous run of any show in the world. The theatre is located in West Street, near Shaftesbury Avenue, i ...

. He toured

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

and the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

directing the Yellow Brick Roadshows. He gained prominence in 1978 as the creator of ''Momma's Little Horror Show'', a mixture of adult puppet theatre and visual theatre. Later works included ''Secrets'' (1983) and ''The Fall of Singapore'' (1987). Later he moved into directing dance, in collaboration with the

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

, with ''Wildstars'' (1979) and ''High Flyers'' (1985). Triffitt also designed and directed operas for the

Melbourne International Arts Festival Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...

: ''Metamorphosis'' (1984), '' Samson and Delilah'' (1984), and ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

'' (1990), and revivals of the musicals ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

'' (1991) and ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...

'' (1992). He also prepared the libretto to Neil Clifton's 1984 unrealised opera based on

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

's novel ''

The Loved One Loved Ones, Loved One, The Loved Ones, or The Loved One may refer to: Films *The Loved One (film), ''The Loved One'' (film), a 1965 American satire based on the Evelyn Waugh novel *The Loved Ones (film), ''The Loved Ones'' (film), a 2009 Australia ...

'', while Clifton Composer-in-residence with the

Victoria State Opera The Victoria State Opera (VSO), based in Melbourne, Australia, was founded in Melbourne in 1962. The company, founded by Leonard Spira, was a move into grand opera by the then amateur Gilbert and Sullivan-oriented Victorian Light Opera Co. The n ...

. As an actor, he appeared in films such as Howling V: The Rebirth (1989). Triffitt achieved commercial success with the tap dance show ''Tap Dogs'', which he designed (in collaboration with Dein Perry) and directed. ''Tap Dogs'' premiered at the

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...

in 1995 and continued to tour around the world until his death. He devised, designed and directed part of the Opening Ceremony for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 and the Opening Ceremony of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006. Triffitt had a reputation for being outspoken and opinionated. A journalist wrote in 1987: "Nigel Triffit enjoys criticism. He doesn't mind being called rude, enfant terrible or genius. It's bland reporting with no comment that bores him." He was openly gay. In 1994 he published a gay-themed novel ''Cheap Thrills''. Despite not being a Triffitt by birth, he maintained a blog on the history of the Triffitt family. Nigel had lived with AIDS for many years, and died of a stroke at home in Melbourne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Triffitt, Nigel 1949 births 2012 deaths People from Launceston, Tasmania Australian theatre directors Australian opera directors Alumni of the Drama Centre London Gay novelists Gay dramatists and playwrights Australian male novelists Australian LGBTQ novelists Australian LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights Australian gay writers Australian gay actors LGBTQ theatre directors 20th-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights Australian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian male writers