Image: Martin Mantle as Dr Rank alongside Lisa Goldzieher as Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, directed by Ruth Thompson for Chalk Circle Theatre Company in A1 Theatre at UNE.

A tribute by Dr Julie Shearer, UNE Lecturer in Theatre Studies

It is with the deepest sadness that we mourn the passing of Dr Martin Mantle, truly a man of ‘many parts’. He was an extraordinarily talented member of the Armidale theatre community, an inspirational teacher of Theatre, Communications and Literature in the School, and a gifted UNE academic and alumni. He was a generous mentor, treasured creative collaborator and beloved friend to many. He will be terribly missed.

Martin had a long connection with UNE. He completed two Bachelor degrees, starting with a degree in Economics before being lured from the positivist path of empirical knowledge to the subjectivist rough and tumble of Theatre Studies and the School of Arts. There he completed an M.Litt., and a doctorate (2005) entitled: ‘In the blink of an eye: a study of the representation of the figure of the blind man in selected theatre, cinema and television with particular reference to the television police drama Second Sight’, under the supervision of the poet, Felicity Plunkett. In this work, he made a distinct contribution across theatre and media disciplines to the newly emerging field of disability studies. Martin was part of a tight-knit, lively group of PhD students working in the Milton and Arts Buildings during this time, who had an active and significant presence in School activities and in the Armidale cultural scene.

As an accomplished actor, writer and director, Martin’s contributions traversed both ‘town’ and ‘gown’. Speaking to his collaborators and friends, the affection they have for him and the respect for his magnitude of talents are overwhelming. There are too many productions to mention individually, but when asked to name their favourites, the ones on everyone’s lips are: his compelling Emcee in Cabaret; his superb production of The Laramie Project; and his recent moving performance as Lyle Delaney in Hannie Rayson’s Inheritance for AMDS. At UNE, he played Talthybius in Ruth Thompson’s Trojan Women and the Archaeologist in her production of Historia. He and Ruth co-founded Chalk Circle Theatre Company with the goal of offering high-calibre theatre experiences to regional NSW high school students and their teachers. Two iconic productions from Chalk Circle featured Martin as actor, Ruby Moon (2010) and Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (2013), which he also adapted giving it a 1950s Australian context.

With a passion for classical theatre, Martin was a key contributor to UNE’s Outdoor Shakespeare Festival, playing Iago with charismatic intensity in Adrian Kiernander’s Othello on the lawns of Booloominbah, opposite local Indigenous actor, Victor Briggs, in the title role.  In As You Like It, directed by Laszlo Szabo at the Pavilion in the Armidale Showground, he was a droll, melancholic Jacques.  Martin’s direction of an inventive, avant-garde Midsummer Night’s Dream was likewise a triumph.  In addition, his commitment to cultural outreach in the region and to theatre as a valuable social good were exemplified by his work with Ros Foskey on a touring production, Mature Men Matter, about regional men’s mental health, sponsored by UNE Rural Futures. 

It was as an educator, however, that Martin’s interdisciplinary dexterity and generous nature were most apparent.  He would always go ‘above and beyond’ for his students and was remarkably kind.  He offered the same generosity of approach, time and care with the weakest of his students as with the strongest, and he had a genuine commitment to the value of education for all. A natural, vocational teacher, Martin loved his work at UNE, and several units benefited longer-term from his contributions, particularly Scriptwriting, which he developed following in the inspirational footsteps of Andrew McCue, and Speaking in Public, for which he was one of the original coordinators.  In addition, he made varied and valued contributions to teaching in the foundational units of English literature with Jennifer McDonnell; and in Media and Communications, including Australian Cinema, and Screenwriting.  He was involved in the UNE online mentor program with secondary-school students working on their Extension 2 projects for the HSC English curriculum, and on the English Regional Learning days.  In more recent years, he has continued his commitment to learning and mentorship at the Armidale Library, notably with the unique ‘Youngster.co’ service for which Martin trained young people to deploy their digital native skills helping seniors and the wider community with tech. 

Finally, Martin was a wonderful friend to so many of us.  Writing this tribute, I have been inundated with examples of his generosity and kindness, his commitment and passion for creative projects, and his life-long love of learning.  Academic and professional staff alike valued Martin’s collegiality and his commitment to all that he undertook in and for the School. We were struck by his wit, erudition and interest in theatre, literature, film and television, society and culture.  He is remembered with great love, warmth, and sincere gratitude for having known him.

Martin’s family: his father Les, brother Douglas, sister Kirsty, brother-in-law John, and nieces and nephews, Cassandra, Joshua and Courtney, invite those who would like to celebrate his life to a Memorial on Tuesday 8 November at the Armidale Playhouse in Beardy Street, at 5.30pm. 

They request that you don’t send flowers, but instead give to World Vision.  His sister, Kirsty, suggests that we stop to admire a garden in Martin’s memory, or pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read and remember his love of literature.