# Vivienne Garrett

Vivienne Garrett is an Australian-based theatre, film and television actress. She is a theatre director, acting and voice coach and also a qualified yoga instructor and therapist. She was born in Sydney and now lives in Western Australia. Garrett graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1970.
Her best known role was as rebellious teenager Rose Godolfus (later Myers), an original character in TV serial Number 96, her character was involved in numerous controversial storylines

## Early career

As a primary school student she was chosen to star in a theatrical production of The Little Mermaid where she was spotted by Geoff Harvey the then musical director for TCN-9 and subsequently began performing and singing on children's television talent show Comedy Capers. While still a teenager, her first screen acting role was in The Unloved produced by NLT Productions in 1968. After graduating from NIDA she toured with a Theatre in Education company and had guest roles in police dramas Homicide and Matlock Police.
Garrett is best known for her role of rebellious Rose Godolfus, the daughter of deli owner Aldo (Johnny Lockwood), in top-rated soap opera Number 96. She was a member of the original cast of Number 96 when it began in March 1972. Number 96 brought sexual situations and nude scenes to Australian television for the first time. Although series star Abigail became famous for being the first woman to appear topless on Australian television, in fact it was Garrett, who was topless in the serial's first episode, who deserves the credit. However the scene was screened only in Sydney. By the time the episode went to air in other localities in the days following, the shot had been cut by censors after complaints from viewers. Garrett remained in the show for five months, breaking her contract and leaving the series over a storyline where Rose was gang raped by a group of bikers in which the script called for her to be actually enjoying it.
After leaving Number 96 she had a guest role in Division 4 and also worked in theatre. She spent three years as a company member of Rex Cramphorn's celebrated Performance Syndicate appearing in productions including The Tempest, Shakuntala and the Ring of Recognition, Muriel, Berenice, and Scapin. They also devised original physical theatre pieces and worked with internationally acclaimed Jerzy Grotowski and his company.
She resumed the role of Rose for a limited number of episodes of Number 96 in 1975, and appeared in a recurring sketch in comedy series The Norman Gunston Show called The Checkout Chicks. This sketch, written by Bill Harding, was a send-up of melodramatic soap operas and set in a supermarket. It featured other former Number 96 actors – Abigail, Candy Raymond, Philippa Baker, Judy Lynne, Anne Louise Lambert, John Paramor and Johnny Lockwood.
In 1976 she travelled to India where she studied yoga, meditation and philosophy at an ashram for 12 months under the guidance of Baba Muktananda in Ganeshpuri. She wrote about the experience in 1977 for the lifestyle magazine Simply Living. Back in Australia, she worked on student films for Australian Film Television and Radio School and continued to act in theatre and on screen.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1976 | Caddie | Maudie's friend 2 | Feature film |
| 1979 | The Hero | The Actress / Lara Bell | Short film |
| 1983 | For Love or Money | Self | Documentary film |
| 1988 | Boundaries of the Heart | Freda | Feature film |
| 1993 | Blackfellas | Youth Worker | Feature film |
| 1998 | Seclusion | Angela | Short film |
| 2001 | Let's Get Skase | Ruth D’Amato | TV movie |
| 2020 | I Met a Girl | Female driver | Feature film |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| | Comedy Capers | Performer/singer | TV talent show |
| 1968 | The Unloved | | TV series |
| 1971 | Homicide | Carol Archer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1973 | Division 4 | Alison | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1971 / 1974 | Matlock Police | Angela / Beth Hill | TV series |
| 1972, 1975 | Number 96 | Rose Godolfus / Rose Myers | TV series, 50 episodes |
| 1975 | The Norman Gunston Show | Member of The Checkout Chicks | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1978 | Cop Shop | Ruth Forest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Mother and Son | Tessa | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1984 | Bodyline | Post Office Clerk | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Haydaze | Jill Simmons | TV series |
| 1993 | Ship to Shore | | TV series |
| 1996 | Sweat | Mary Rodriguez | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1998 | Minty | Pamela-Anne | TV series |
| | Streetsmartz | | TV series |
| 2001 | Let's Get Skase | Ruth D'Amato | Feature film |
| 2003 | The Shark Net | Mrs Halliday | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2019 | Lift | Lynne | TV series |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1950s | The Little Mermaid | | High school performance |
| 1967 | The Choephori (The Libation Bearers) | | University of NSW |
| 1969 | Antigone | | NIDA Theatre |
| 1969 | Student Graduation Plays | | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1970 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | | University of NSW & Old Tote Theatre |
| 1970 | Blood Wedding | | University of NSW, Old Tote Theatre |
| 1971 | Hamlet | | Phillip Street Theatre |
| 1972 | Dear Janet Rosenberg, Dear Mr. Kooning | | AMP Theatrette, Sydney |
| 1972 | Butterflies Are Free | | Twelfth Night Theatre |
| 1973 | Measure for Measure | | Union Hall, Adelaide |
| 1974 | Shakuntala and the Ring of Recognition | | Australian Mineral Foundation Theatre with Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate |
| 1974 | My Shadow and Me | | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1974 | Muriel | | Jane Street Theatre with Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate |
| 1975 | Berenice | | Sydney Opera House with Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate |
| 1975 | Scapin | | Sydney Opera House with Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate |
| | The Tempest | Miranda / Ariel | Rex Cramphorn's Performance Syndicate |
| 1975 | Mariner | | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1975 | Interplay | | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1978 | Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi | | Russell Street Theatre, Playhouse Theatre, Perth, Union Hall, Adelaide & Theatre Royal, Sydney |
| 1978 | As You Like It | Celia | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1979 | The Lady of the Camellias | | Sydney Opera House |
| 1979 | On Our Selection | Sarah | Jane Street Theatre & Nimrod Theatre |
| 1979 | Waiting for Godot | | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1979 | The House of the Deaf Man | | Nimrod Theatre |
| 1980 | The Bride of Gospel Place | | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1980 | The Dybbuk | Leye | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1982 | Variations | | Belvoir St Theatre & Nimrod Theatre |
| 1983 | Top Girls | Marlene | Nimrod Theatre |
| 1984 | The Servant of Two Masters | | Nimrod Theatre |
| 1984 | Extremities | | Sydney Opera House |
| 1985 | Cheapside | | Seymour Centre |
| 1988 | Europe | | Playhouse Theatre, Perth |
| 1988 | A Chorus of Disapproval | | Playhouse Theatre, Perth |
| 1988 | Rough Crossing | | Playhouse Theatre, Perth |
| 1988 | From Here to Maternity | | Princess May Theatre, Fremantle |
| 1990 | The Death of Minnie | Minnie | One-woman show by Barry Dickens |
| 1990 | The Christian Brothers | | The Studio Theatre, Subiaco |
| 1991 | The Popular Mechanics | | Playhouse Theatre, Perth |
| 1991 | Emma | | Old Customs House, Fremantle, The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Players, Civic Square, ACT |
| 1993 | Blood Moon | | Western Australia |
| 1993 | Witchplay | Batcha | Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. One-woman show by Tobsha Learner (Garrett also produced) |
| 1994 | The Lift | | Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts |
| 1994 | Brilliant Lies | | Playhouse Theatre, Perth |
| 1994 | Breaststroke | | SWY Theatre, Perth |
| 1995 | Dead Funny | Eleanor | Perth Theatre Company |
| 1995 | Subi Shorts Program 1: Family Running for Mr Whippy / The Price of Prayer / Darling Oscar | | Subiaco Theatre Centre |
| 1996 | Burning Time | Kel | Malthouse Theatre & Subiaco Theatre Centre |
| 1996 | Blackrock | | Subiaco Theatre Centre |
| 2001 | The Vagina Monologues | | Subiaco Theatre Centre |
| 2003 | Breaststroke | | Rechabite Hall, Perth |
| 2003 | Necessary Targets | J.S. | Darlinghurst Theatre |
| 2004 | Live Acts on Stage | | Playhouse Theatre, Perth |
| 2004 | The Vagina Monologues | | University of Sydney |
| 2005 | Necessary Targets | J.S. | Malthouse Theatre |
| 2007 | Life x 3 | | Playhouse Theatre, Perth |
| 2009 | Checklist for an Armed Robber | | Victoria Hall |
| 2009 | The Lonely Hearts Club | | Victoria Hall |
| 2010 | The Clean House | Anna | Cremorne Theatre for Black Swan State Theatre Company |
| 2011 | When the Rain Stops Falling | | State Theatre Centre of WA, Heath Ledger Theatre |
| 2012 | Biddies | | Australian tour |
| 2013 | Other Desert Cities | Silda | State Theatre Centre of WA, Heath Ledger Theatre for Black Swan State Theatre Company & Playhouse, South Bank for Queensland Theatre Company |
| 2016 | Lighten Up | Bronwyn | Stables Theatre, Sydney |
| 2016 | The Children | | Royal Court Jerwood Theatre for Theatre 180 |
| 2018 | Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | Emma Leech | State Theatre Centre of WA, Heath Ledger Theatre |
| 2020 | Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | | Online from WA |
| | The Crucible | | Old Tote Theatre |
| | Equus | | |

## Theatre awards

In 1995 Garrett won the Swan Gold Award for Most Outstanding Female Actor for her portrayal of Eleanor in Dead Funny for the Perth Theatre Company. In 2014 she won Best Female Support Actor for her role of Silda in Other Desert Cities for Black Swan State Theatre Company/Queensland Theatre Company. She has also been nominated for roles in Live Acts on Stage, Equus, The Clean House and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.

## Directing

Garrett has worked as a theatre director on productions of Breaststroke, Ursula's Ecstasy, The Spook, Margritte and Tartuffe. She has also directed more than twenty short story productions for ABC Radio National.

## Further work

Since 2006 Garrett could be heard on Australian television as a voice-over artist. She has also taught Stage and Screen Acting, Voice and Theatre Studies at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, University of Notre Dame Australia, TAFTA and NIDA.

## Studies

After graduating from NIDA with a BA in Dramatic Arts Garrett went on to post graduate studies in Voice and Shakespearean Text at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC, Canada.