Touching
the sky
Creativity is as individual as a fingerprint. Three Trinity alumni reflect on the influence Trinity College has had on their lifelong journeys in arts.
David Lyons
David Lyons
THE ACTOR
David Lyons’ (TC 1994) journey to Trinity was through family tradition. ‘My father went to Trinity College, Dublin, and I followed my older sister to the Melbourne campus,’ he says. ‘I spent two years at Trinity and met people I took with me for the rest of my life. It was a joyous time.’
Coming from a regional school that didn’t have a lot of sporting opportunities, David was blown away by the choices on offer and immersed himself in football, rowing and the social side of the College. The one thing he didn’t do was join the Drama Society.
‘I’d acted in school productions and loved it,’ David explains. ‘I wanted to pursue it but let imposter syndrome get the better of me and took my foot completely off the pedal.’
One of his most vivid Trinity memories planted a seed that eventually took root and flourished ultimately into a garden. ‘I went to see a couple of College drama productions in the St Martin’s Youth Theatre and found myself wanting to be part of that kind of community,’ he says. ‘I yearned to be telling stories like the actors on the stage.’
Seven years on, after completing an honours’ year in politics and criminology and travelling overseas, working in a variety of jobs across Asia and Europe, David knew it was time to fulfil his dream.
David during his Trinity days.
David during his Trinity days.
‘When I arrived home and told my parents I wanted to be an actor, Mum pulled out a NIDA [National Institute of Dramatic Art] application form and smiled,’ he recalls.
Completing the course at NIDA, David then had a full-circle moment. ‘I was lucky enough to start straight off the bat with a production of Cyrano de Bergerac in St Martin’s, the very theatre that inspired me when I was at Trinity.’
Now living in Los Angeles where he’s been cast across the full spectrum of good guy to shady characters, played alongside blockbuster names including Cate Blanchett, Taron Egerton and Robert Redford, and dabbled in script writing and directing, ‘grateful’ is the word David uses when referring to his career.
‘Things I learnt through my education I look back on now and think, “Ah, that’s what they were talking about.” I was given a key, but I didn’t know where it fitted. Until I found the door.’
THE ACADEMIC
Immersed in TV news reports of the Vietnam War, the travails of US president Richard Nixon and the Black Power movement, Professor Deirdre Osborne (TC 1983) developed an interest in civil rights and social issues very early in life.
‘I grew up in Australia in a family where Black culture was valued and was part of my literary education,’ Deirdre explains. ‘I knew what was racist terminology and it’s a reflex for me to be aware of the weaponry behind discriminatory language and the deep-seated wounds it causes.’
Words and actions are central in Deirdre’s esteemed career. As a Professor of Literature and Drama in the UK, her teaching, publications and innovations have made a valuable contribution to equality.
‘I realised when I came to live in London in the 1980s, the people I was seeing were not the people on the TV, films or on the bookshelves of book shops,’ she reflects. ‘I would try to include the work of Black writers in any curriculum I was teaching, as well as at events and festivals.’
This focus on balancing the cultural landscape also led to Deirdre completing a PhD, co-founding the only degree in Black literature in the world and developing a conversation series called BLAK to Black to bring First Nations writers such as Tony Birch together with Black British writers such as Dorothea Smartt.
Despite living in the UK for most of her life, Deirdre is still connected to Australia and cites her time at Trinity as having had a significant influence. ‘It was a place that welcomed the arts and culture and didn’t dilute or stifle any kind of debate or bright ideas,’ she recalls.
Drama was a particular highlight, and Deirdre has fond memories of performing in A Game of Chess outdoors wearing ruffs and doublets, and of a spine-tingling rendition of St Joan by George Bernard Shaw in the atmospheric Horsfall Chapel. ‘The warmth, enthusiasm and sense of community at the College were things that helped ground me,’ she says.
'The warmth, enthusiasm and sense of community at the College were things that helped ground me.'
THE MEDIA PERSONALITY
Born in Singapore, Charmaine Yee (TCFS 2004) was always destined for an international education. ‘My father is a Malaysian man who studied in Canada,’ she says. ‘My parents had the foresight to see that my personality and drive was suited to a tertiary education in Australia.’
Charmaine describes her time at Trinity as one of curiosity during which she was encouraged to explore creativity. ‘If you could explain to me why a circle should be a square and convince me, I might think about it,’ she says. ‘That kind of openness is priceless.’
Drama also featured. ‘When you come from a more reserved Asian country and have speech and drama in a safe and fun environment, it builds confidence.’
Such self-belief and poise have guided Charmaine’s career. Armed with a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) with a double major in International Relations, she returned to Singapore and launched herself into the world of media as a radio presenter.
Building a loyal following at the popular Kiss92FM, she developed a niche for interviewing celebrities. ‘I used to fly to LA and sit down with stars to pick their brains,’ she says. ‘Hugh Jackman was my first big star, and I also loved interviewing The Rock [Dwayne Johnson] and Margot Robbie.’ Since marrying and becoming a mum, Charmaine has switched focus and wears many hats linked by a single thread of humanity.
‘It’s the cornerstone of everything I do. Whether it be making a keynote speech, teaching people how to craft a presentation, being an interviewer, or emceeing a celebrity event, I’m either engaging with an audience or guiding other people in the art of human connection,’ she says.
Trinity’s Foundation Studies Alum of the Year in 2023, Charmaine is keen for her daughter to follow in her Trinity footsteps. She also has a soft spot for Melbourne. ‘Who knows, maybe we’ll retire there one day.’
'My parents had the foresight to see that my personality and drive was suited to a tertiary education in Australia.'
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