Primbee local Tony Barea is Wollongong born and bred, 50 years young and a member of local industry group Screen Illawarra. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am an Illawarra-based writer, actor and lived experience speaker with Black Dog Institute. Born and raised in the region to Spanish migrant parents, I turned to my passion for the creative arts in 2014 after quitting the life of a service station operator.

What do you do and what do you love about it?

I love telling stories. Be it writing, performing or in my speaking role, I get the greatest satisfaction when I’m manoeuvring around difficult subject areas. Stories that need to be told.

I have undertaken extensive training in both writing and acting since my career change. Three years' full-time training in the Meisner technique and screen acting, as well as countless workshops and masterclasses. I am represented by TCM and have appeared in film, TV, theatre, commercials as well as corporate videos.

Notable credits include Neighbours in 2021 and recently in Last King of the Cross and the soon-to-be-released One Night, much of which was shot in the Illawarra. I have also performed in numerous theatre productions with the most recent including Cosi (2023) and The Crucible (2022) at Wollongong Workshop.

I am passionate about mental health and volunteer regularly as a lived experience community speaker with The Black Dog Institute, where I speak on breaking down depression and building resilience. This role sees me speaking in person and via Zoom to deliver presentations to community groups.

How long have you been in this industry and what challenges have you faced?

I first became active in the industry in 2019 when I gained representation. I immediately started to make some inroads with regular auditions and loved being “in the room”. Covid slowed things considerably and changed the auditioning landscape, where self-taping has become the norm. I initially struggled with self-taping. It took me some time to get my recording set-up right. Covid also meant that many established actors returned to Australia. As an emerging mature-aged actor, this made it more difficult for me as I was now competing with established performers.

Thankfully, things have shifted for me, and I am regularly auditioning for bigger roles and certain that further opportunities are close.

What are you currently working on?

Currently working on a rewrite of a passion project, The Cardinal’s Sister, with script editor and Illawarra local Graham Thorburn. This project has been in development for the past five years, and I intend to complete and pitch for funding in the coming months. Part of that process includes producing my first short film in November, which will act as both a proof of concept for the feature and to further showcase my acting credentials.

I’m in rehearsal for Razor Gang Wars, where I play Inspector General Mitchel, a Deadhouse production that is to be performed at St James Church in Hyde Park in September. I’ll also be performing in Short and Sweet Illawarra this August.

I am currently serving as vice-president of Wollongong Workshop Theatre and will be producing The God Committee to be staged in November. Over the past 12 months, I also managed the procurement of funding for the refurbishment of some of the theatre amenities, including re-upholstering all our seats, new guttering and replacing all of our house lighting with LEDs.

Which Screen Illawarra workshop have you attended, and how has it helped you?

In June 2022, I attended the Alternate Pathways into the Screen Industry workshop. I found it very useful, as it helped to reinforce my understanding of my place within the industry and the different creative streams from which to hone my craft and subsequently make a living.

I also regularly attend the Screen Illawarra networking events, which have proven to be most rewarding. I have developed some great connections as a result of these events, and they are invaluable.

Find out more about Tony here and about Screen Illawarra's networking nights and upcoming workshops here