Gary Hartley

Gary Hartley is a writer, creative director and award-winning theatremaker.

As a fiction writer, he published his debut work, 4 VESTA, with Mirari Press in early 2026. His short stories include A Flat White, which was a finalist for the Arts24 x Kwela Books Lockdown Short Story Competition in 2020, and Formicarium, which was longlisted for the Disquiet Literary Prize in 2026. His latest piece, Site-Specific Work, is set to appear in the Mirari Press anthology Major Arcana in October 2026.

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His career began in media as a writer and producer for e.tv's The ShowBiz Report and The Style Report, interviewing notable figures from Bonang Matheba and Athol Fugard to Sir Ian McKellen and Rosita Missoni. As a theatremaker, he co-founded Horses’ Heads Productions, directing the Standard Bank AHA! Ovation Award-winning Scrape and producing the Standard Bank Ovation Encore prize-winning Wintersweet. 

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Gary is also the founder and editor-in-chief of SCAFFOLD, a platform dedicated to promoting, celebrating and archiving queer creators and culture. His work earned him recognition as one of the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2021.