AUTHOR/ACTOR: C.M. COVINGTON aka CHRIS KIRBY:

Two names - two lives.

Chris Covington gave himself the stage name ‘Chris Kirby’ when he left school in Adelaide, South Australia. And, by the time of his first identity crisis, his new label had gained him enough notoriety to make reverting to the family name a bad career move.

His comedic skills had made him a popular teenage host on a daily t.v. kid’s show. He later moved to Sydney from where he built a solid reputation on stage and television all around the country.

In the late Sixties he was asked to perform on the famed ED SULLIVAN SHOW in New York. Then on to England where he appeared on SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM, A BLACKPOOL SUMMER SEASON with TOMMY COOPER and touring with KEN DODD.

In the early Seventies he continued his success in Australia touring as opening act for big names such as TOM JONES, SHIRLEY BASSEY, JOHNNY MATHIS, CHARLES AZNAVOUR and a host of others. He worked with Hollywood song and dance man, DONALD O’CONNOR who invited him to the U.S. to open for him at HARRAH’S CLUB in Reno and with TONY BENNETT in Lake Tahoe.

Chris lived in America for the next twelve years where he developed his acting and writing skills. He wrote under the Covington by line, a way to keep his dual occupations separate. He made side trips home for concert and television appearances. In 1974 he hosted THE CHRIS KIRBY SHOW a Saturday night talk show on Sydney’s Channel 9. Then back to the U.S. and a burgeoning career – several acting roles, commercials, casino appearances, corporate presentations and his own variety special on CBS.

Came the Eighties and Chris was invited back to Australia to appear on a ROYAL VARIETY CONCERT at the Opera House. On another trip back he hosted a fifteen week comedy news series, HEADLINES, which he co-wrote with old friend, LARRY BURNS.

In the late 80’s he decided to return to Australia permanently where he pursued his writing and acting career. He had developed a unique approach to the ventriloquism aspect of his work and he embarked on a search for a way to do something innovative with it. Meanwhile, he co-wrote a stage play, THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF TOBY MOON, wrote and performed for the CORPORATE area, made numerous commercials for television, wrote another play, THE ANGEL KEY and became a regular episode writer for NEIGHBOURS AND E-STREET. He developed a couple of sitcoms for REDLICH PRODUCTIONS, one of which was piloted by Channel Nine.

All this time his search for innovation continued. Something was gestating. The result is "LIPS". Now his two careers have merged in this startling piece of tragi-comedy theatre which has delighted audiences and reviewers everywhere it has played.

He’s passionate about “LIPS” and says he has never enjoyed himself on stage so much in either of his lives.

The Australian born Director, Actor, Teacher, trained originally at Sydney’s Independent Theatre and continued studies at the Universities of Oklahoma and Minnesota where he completed a PhD in Performance Studies.

Bill has worked extensively over the last 25 years in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. He was head of the Professional Actor Training Programme at Florida State University for 10 years and has held teaching posts at Gustavus Adophus College, the University of Minnesota, the Julliard School, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Western Sydney and Ballarat University College.

Bill has acted/directed at the Guthrie Theatre (Minneapolis) Theatre De Lys (NYC) The Louisville Actors’ Theatre, the Burt Reynolds Jupiter Theatre, the American Conservatory Theatre (S.F.) The Dallas Theatre Center and the Oklahoma Theatre Centre among others.

His most recent Sydney directorial activities have been A-FRAMED and SPEED THE PLOW (Old Fitzroy) and A PINT OF PINTER, ROOTED and STINGRAY (Stables Theatre). In 1993 he founded the ACTORS’ SPACE in Sydney, a unique place where he works with professionals as they explore and define their craft. It was at the Actors’ Space that a cabaret show called A MAN AND HIS DOLLY metamorphosed into the exciting, unique and fully rounded LIPS.