Playback Theatre

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

— Maya Angelou

I began practising Playback Theatre in 2007. I started my journey as a member of the Hobart Playback Theatre group in Tasmania, Australia. I then moved to the USA where I joined Kairos Theatre – a social justice ensemble that used Playback Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed with disenfranchised communities in the Bay Area and Central Valley, California.  

During my time in the USA I trained with the founders of Playback Theatre, Jo Salas and Jonathan Fox. I have also trained with Armand Volkas, Aviva Apel-Rosenthal, Jiwon Chung and others.

In 2012 I graduated from the Playback Theatre Leadership program and went on to become an Accredited Playback Theatre Trainer through the Centre for Playback Theatre, New York. 

Where my Playback Journey Began

If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.  

— Joanna Macy

In 2016 I completed a PhD at the University of New England, Australia. My research explored the use of therapeutic and applied theatre for cultural activism and collective trauma response. The bulk of my fieldwork occurred in Occupied Palestine where I co-founded The Freedom Bus project, an initiative that uses Playback Theatre and other art forms to bear witness and raise awareness about the impact of Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism and the military occupation of Palestinian lands.

While living in Palestine, I began leading Playback Theatre workshops in other parts of the Middle East, helping to train and establish Playback troupes in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon.  During that time, I co-founded the Arab School of Playback Theatre (ASPT), based in Adonis, Lebanon. ASPT is an affiliate school of the Centre for Playback Theatre and offers accredited workshops throughout the Middle East. 

Playback Theatre in the Middle East

view of dancers from above casting long shadows on the earth

Research and Writings on Playback Theatre

My research and writings on Playback Theatre, sociodrama and drama therapy have been published in book chapters and in some of the world’s leading drama and applied theatre journals including Applied Theatre Research, Research in Drama Education, The Drama Review, International Playback Theatre Journal, The British Journal of Psychodrama and Sociodrama, and the Drama Therapy Review. 

I now teach and mentor Playback Theatre groups and practitioners around the world. In addition to introductory courses, I lead Playback trainings on conducting, trauma-informed practice, social change and the integration of psychodrama and drama therapy with Playback Theatre. I also offer Playback workshops that explore the application of Viewpoints, and the Roy Hart Voice Method.

Getting in Touch

If my approach resonates with you, you are welcome to get in touch to ask questions and explore whether working together might be a good fit.

Contact Details