Ernest MacIntyre, a veteran of the South Asian theatre scene in Sydney passed away on 17 Dec 2025.
His plays, based in his native Sri Lanka, were staged across Australia and in his country of origin.
His work formed the basis of a 2009 PhD thesis – submitted to The University of Madras by T. Sumathy Thangapandian.
Dr Thamizhachi Thangapandian – now a Member of Parliament in India representing the seat of South Chennai – wrote this piece in tribute.
We are grateful to Ernest ManIntyre’s daughter, UNSW epidemiologist and academic Professor Raina MacIntyre, in facilitating the publication of this piece in Indian Link.
Vale Ernest Macintyre, (26/9/34 – 17/12/2025), renowned Sri Lankan playwright and satirist. We reviewed his penultimate work:
‘Macintyre uses Wilde’s structure to expose the fallacy of ‘race’ as an exclusively biological characteristic.’
~ Adam Raffelhttps://t.co/r3jEth6Dqr— Mascara Literary Review (@mascarareview) December 20, 2025
Tribute to Ernest Thalayasingham MacIntyre
It is deeply painful to come to terms with the passing of Ernest Thalayasingham MacIntyre(26 September 1934 – 17 December 2025). The news has left a silence that feels both personal and profound.
For me, this is not only the loss of an extraordinary playwright and thinker, but the loss of someone who shaped my intellectual journey at its very beginning. Ernest MacIntyre wrote the Preface to my first book, Island to Island, which emerged from my doctoral research on his works, titled “Diasporic Longing and Changing Contours of Resistance in the plays of Ernest Thalayasingham Macintyre.” That gesture was not merely academic generosity. It was an act of faith, encouragement, and quiet mentorship that I will always hold close.
I knew him first through his work. Through his plays, his satire, his deep political consciousness, and his unwavering commitment to theatre as a living, breathing social force. He was a pioneer of Sri Lankan English theatre and an equally vital presence in Australian theatre, articulating the grief, longing, resistance, and resilience of diasporic life with rare clarity and compassion.
In recent days, I have found myself returning again and again to the Preface he wrote for my thesis. Reading it now, I am reminded of his intellectual sharpness, his generosity of spirit, and his belief that literature and theatre must bear witness to histories of displacement and struggle. His words continue to guide me, even in his absence.
Beyond the scholar and dramatist, Ernest MacIntyre was, to me, a father figure – someone I looked up to with deep respect, awe, and admiration. His presence offered reassurance. His encouragement gave courage. His legacy will remain a guiding light.
My heartfelt condolences to his family, to his loved ones, and to all those whose lives he touched through his work and his kindness. May they find strength in the immense legacy he leaves behind.
Ernest MacIntyre’s voice will not fade. It will continue to live on in theatre, in literature, and in the countless minds he shaped across homelands and islands.
With remembrance, gratitude, and sorrow.
