Murray promises memorable night

SANDUSKY — A local man who's broken through in Tinsel Town returns to his native land later this month, performing a pair of homecoming shows at an iconic venue. Tim Murray, a 2006 Sandusky High School graduate who now lives in Los Angeles, California, invites the community to see his stand-up comedy routine at Harlequins Coach House Theatre on Wayne Street. The performance on Tuesday, Aug. 30 sold-out, but tickets remain for his act on Monday, Aug. 29. People can visit Google and enter "Tim Murray events Eventbrite" to access information about purchasing tickets. "I chose to do the show there (at Harlequins) because that's where I did 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' in high school, and I love that place so much," Murray said. "It's an amazing spot for comedy. I did my first-ever hour of stand-up at Harlequins in 2019. Now I'm excited to bring new material to Sandusky." Murray then previewed what attendees can expect. "I'm doing a lot of jokes about my current day job, teaching improv in rehab centers and mental health facilities, a lot of gay jokes and adding some songs from my brand new musical comedy cabaret, 'Tim Murray is Witches!' premiering in New York City this October and then playing in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Diego." Setting the stage Murray received some big breaks for his acting career over the past year or so. Among the most notable, he recently: • Scored a role as a minor character in "Swan Song," a 2021 movie filmed in Sandusky; It follows a former city resident's odyssey about rediscovering a life's passion while confronting the ghosts of his past. The main character briefly interacts with Murray. • Starred as a supporting character in an episode of "The Other Two," a TV series streaming on HBO Max; "It's a super-funny comedy about two siblings whose little brother becomes famous overnight," Murray said. • Wrote a script for his aspiring short film, "Everybody's Fave," which has been filmed and is now in an editing phase This past fall, in Sandusky, he hosted a fundraiser for the movie in development. Among those in attendance: his dad, John, and mom, Susan, who both still reside in the city. "I really like making people laugh, and I really like storytelling as a means to helping people escape their lives," said Murray, who's performed in dozens of renowned comedy clubs across North America and Europe. While his personal and professional lives do center on being a funny guy, Murray does take on a more serious tone when digging deeper into his drive for film. "I'm all about supporting the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community," said Murray, who's gay. "Growing up, I never saw the kind of gay stories I wanted to see. I want to write gay stories for gay people." Beyond making "Everybody's Fave" a reality, his ultimate goal revolves around creating, writing and starring in his own TV show. During his rare spare time, he's also writing a second script for a potential pilot. "It would be a comedic outlet for gay stories in a way that 'Friends' really helped people escape their lives," Murray said. "I want to have something like that for gay people." Murray encouraged young people with dreams of acting or performing to get involved in local productions. For instance, as a teenager, he took part in shows at the Sandusky State Theatre. "It's great to see another Sandusky talent succeeding in the arts," said Chris Parthemore, the state theater's executive director who also served as a producer for "Swan Song." Parthemore vouched for Murray to act in the movie because of his "wonderful sense of humor and creative ability."