AFTER 30 years of acting, directing, producing and designing shows and sets, Moree thespian Tim Barklay has finally put pen to paper.

A Moree Arts Community Theatre keystone for the past decade, Tim has been part of some big productions over the years.

His debut with MACT came in 2016 in The Red Barn, followed by directorial roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rhinoceros and Much Ado about Nothing.

Tim also performed in The Red Barn, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rhinoceros, 12 Incompetent Jurors and Much Ado About Nothing and co-directed last year’s Sound of Music with  Stevie Drenkhahn.

Now, after all these years, he’s written Walking Shadows, about a man navigating his relationship with his adult daughter 10 years after the death of his wife.

David Powell, Petra Mitchell and Tori Lockrey rehearse for Walking Shadows, a play written by Tim Barklay (Image Supplied).

Walking Shadows explores ideas of love, grief, family and faith and will play three 7pm shows at Moree Town and Country Club on June 12, 19 and 20 as well as 2pm on June 14.

“I have never really thought about writing, although I’ve done everything else in the theatre,” Tim said.

“I was encouraged by a few friends, and lots of advice from my wife, Lesley, who is an author herself.

“I found the writing process an absolute blast – this is my first script, but it won’t be my last,” he said.

Tim said Walking Shadows came about for two reasons.

“I’ve been wanting to produce a small, intimate show for a few years, and after the mammoth production that was The Sound of Music, I felt like it was time,” he said.

“I’d read a bunch of scripts for small cast shows, but none of them were really speaking to me.”

Toward the end of our run on Sound of Music, Tim developed an idea for a potentially interesting piece of stagecraft – two identical sets, side-by-side, with one representing the present, and one representing the past.

“I started thinking about who might inhabit those spaces, and just started writing,” he said.

“Over the course of a few months, the story and the characters developed into the current show – a non-linear story that explores what it means to lose a loved one.”

Half of the story takes place in the present, with Daniel, a middle aged man who was never able to properly grieve the death of his wife Lily, navigates a relationship with his 22-year-old daughter Samantha.

Tim plays Daniel, with younger Daniel played by David Powell, who had lead roles in MACT’s Sound of Music and Much Ado About Nothing.

Daniel’s daughter Samantha is played by Talitha Mitchell, with young Samantha played by Petra Mitchell. Tori Lockrey takes the part of Lily.

Talitha, Petra and Tori all starred in last year’s MACT production of Sound of Music, named Community Event of the Year at the Moree Plains Australia Day Awards earlier this year.

“The other half of the story follows Daniel, Samantha and Lily ten years earlier,” Tim said.

“The past and the present are interwoven, exploring grief, family, love and faith.”

Walking Shadows

When: Friday June 12 at 7pm; Sunday, June 14 at 2pm; Friday, June 19 at 7pm; and Saturday, June 20 at 7pm

Where: Moree Town and Country Club

Cost: $15

Tickets: Walking Shadows at TryBooking