Terry Isobel MacTavish (born 1950) is an actor and teacher from

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, New Zealand.

Early life and family

MacTavish was born in Taiwan in 1950, where her parents MacDonald MacTavish, a

Scottish Free Church Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

minister, and

Shona Dunlop MacTavish Shona Katrine MacTavish (née Dunlop; 12 April 1920 – 18 June 2019) was a New Zealand dancer, teacher, author, choreographer and pioneer in liturgical dance in the Asia-Pacific. She was known as "the mother of modern dance in New Zealand". ...

, were working at the English Presbyterian Church Mission in

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...

. Her mother taught English and ballet to the local children. The family later moved to South Africa, where MacTavish's parents worked as missionaries: her father died there in 1957, and she returned to New Zealand with her mother and two siblings to live in Dunedin.

Career

MacTavish's acting career started with the Southern Players at age 18. She went on to perform in productions at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

and the

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre on Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. Since 1989 the theatre has hosted the long running play ''The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by author, playw ...

. For 47 years MacTavish taught at Queen’s High School, Dunedin, including being head of drama. She was part of the educational group that developed drama in a new arts curriculum in New Zealand including establishing drama as an NCEA subject. MacTavish was also part of Allen Hall at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

in the 1960s. In 2008, MacTavish and Ross Johnston revived a play they had performed in 1975 at the

, Pinter's ''

Old Times ''Old Times'' is a play by the List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter. It was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in London on 1 June 1971. It starred Colin Blakely, Dorothy Tutin ...

'', directed by

Lisa Warrington Lisa Jadwiga Valentina Warrington (born 1952) is a New Zealand theatre studies academic, director, actor and author. She has directed more than 130 productions, and established the Theatre Aotearoa database. In 2014 she was awarded a Lifetime A ...

. MacTavish's 1975 performance had been described as "dark, textured and petulant", while her 2008 interpretation of Anna was "sophisticated and mysterious". In 2011, she played the "flamboyant medium" Madame Arcati, in Noel Coward's ''

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * ''Blithe Spirit'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...

'' at the Globe Theatre, Dunedin. In May 2013, MacTavish and Emerita Professor

Jocelyn Harris Jocelyn Harris is an academic known for her studies of Jane Austen's creative process, and for her promotion of the teaching and study of women's literature at the University of Otago. Harris was a founding member of the Dunedin Collective f ...

presented ''Women Behaving Badly'', a selection of readings from

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

, at the Globe. One reviewer called MacTavish's performance as Elizabeth I in Friedrich Schiller's '' Mary Stuart'' at the Globe in 2016 "mesmerising".

Honours and awards

In the

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

, MacTavish was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to theatre and education. In 2021, she was recognised as a distinguished alumna of

Columba College Columba College (Irish language, Irish: Coláiste Choilm) is an integrated Presbyterian school in Roslyn, Otago, Roslyn, Dunedin, New Zealand. The roll is made up of pupils of all ages. The majority of pupils are in the girls' secondary, day ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacTavish, Terry 1950 births Actors from Dunedin Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit 20th-century New Zealand actresses 21st-century New Zealand actresses Schoolteachers from Dunedin Living people