Lou-anne Barker joined the Playback Theatre Company in early 1995 and since then has acted and conducted in many performances. She trained as a drama teacher, graduating in 1975 from the Melbourne College of the Arts. Her degree included training in movement, improvisation, music, speech and drama. She has also completed a two year counselling diploma around the use of the arts in a therapeutic way. She regularly does swing dancing and has been a member of a community choir. As an adult literacy teacher she uses her creative skills in engaging the students.
Juliet Chapman has been a member of the company since 1997. She has taken part in numerous in-house training and professional development workshops over that time. Juliet has worked in Melbourne with Jonathon Fox, founder of Playback Theatre, and Bev Hosking and Christian Penny, all accredited and expert teachers of Playback Theatre. She has performed in many different situations and for many groups. Juliet majored in drama in her Bachelor of Education course and took part in productions both as an actor and as a stagehand. She is a singer who writes songs for fun. She is currently working on a fantasy novel for teenagers. In her work as a facilitator and educator Juliet uses drama, story telling and action methods in her work.
Jan Colville has been a member of Hobart Playback Theatre Inc. since 2002. She has attended workshops with Jude Murphy and Bev Hosking and also dance and drama improvisation workshops in the Boiler Room. She started performing with Hobart Playback Theatre in 2003.
Rose Gregory joined Hobart Playback Theatre in 2007 after many years of involvement in various types of theatre and performance including acting, puppetry, stage management and singing in a choir. Looking for a new challenge, Rose felt that Playback Theatre was a great opportunity to develop her improvisation skills and grow as an actor. Rose works in the allied health field and believes in the healing power of story telling and its potential to enhance connections between people and their community. Rose has been involved in training sessions with Robin Davidson and Jude Murphy.
Andrew Koch has a varied background in piano, accompaniment and music improvisation. He has worked as a musician and actor with Hobart Playback Theatre since 1994. He attended the international Playback Theatre conference in Perth in 1997 and in Japan in 2003, as well as numerous training weekends with interstate and international facilitators. Andrew has had previous involvement in theatre as the executive producer of the youth theatre group “Rainbow Theatrics” which produced a number of dramas and musicals in Hobart in the 1980’s. He was also a member of the Hobart community choir “Sisongke” for many years.
Shirley O’Toole joined Playback Theatre because she believed in the contribution it can make to healing our culture. In the nine years since she became involved with Playback, Shirley has spent time and gained skills with three different companies. She got her grounding with the fledgling Hunter Region Playback, moved on to Brisbane where she served a six month apprenticeship and then returned to the Hunter as their primary musician. Her skills were welcomed by Hobart Playback Theatre and she served as musician in the company during 2004 -2005 and now shares the role with other company members while she continues development of her acting and conducting skills. Shirley continues to play music at Folk Clubs and other community events.
Luna Oestereich
Luna joined Playback Theatre in 2007 after becoming an 'addicted' audience member. She has since participated in improvisational theatre workshops with Jude Murphy, Robin Davidson and Ryk Goddard. Luna enjoys celebrating life through sharing and exploring creative ways of self-expression including dance, singing and theatre. She believes that Playback Theatre is a powerful opportunity for everyone involved to connect more deeply with themselves and others through hearing and sharing stories. After working many years in the outdoors, Luna now channels her physical energy and training in Psychology into creative ways of working with families. Another big story of her life is Salsa dancing.
Sue Ritchie joined the Hobart Playback Theatre Company in 2007, with the view to exploring an untapped side of her creative talents. For many years Sue sang with community choirs, as well as performing solo and in several musical groups as a singer and guitarist.Her involvement in the field of intellectual disability first introduced her to music therapy, and work in the social work field has given Sue a strong understanding of the human experience. She believes passionately in the healing powers of both music and narrative. Her training includes work with Robin Davidson, Jude Murphy and Ryk Goddard. She brings to the company an interest in exploring the holistic aspects required in performance including that of musician, lighting technician and acting, enjoying the challenges produced by improvisation theatre.
Leigh Tesch conducts and acts with the Company and has performed and trained since 1994. She has an extensive background in dance, performance, improvisation and clowning and has trained with an eclectic mix of teachers including Jonathon Fox, Jude Murphy, and Andrew Morrish. She currently works as a Clown Doctor at the Royal Hobart Hospital and performs with the ensemble The All Audreys. She has undertaken postgraduate study in dance movement therapy in the UK, and has a passion for the value of arts for our health. Leigh is skilled in leading and facilitating groups, drawing on a variety of action-based and community theatre methods to do this.
Kim Willing is a conductor and actor with the Company and has been a member since 1994. She has participated in training with the founder of Playback Theatre, Jonathan Fox, and with Mary Good, who brought Playback Theatre to Australia. Kim works as a facilitator with community, industry and Government organisations and has played a key role in bringing the arts into her work through the creation of the 'Exposing the Coast' photographic competition and exhibition as well as the Tasmanian Coastcare Festival. Kim facilitated the inaugural 'Playback in the Wild' gathering, held in Hobart for Playback practitioners from Australia and New Zealand.
Nel Smit (currently on leave) is a founding member of Hobart Playback and is an actor and musician. She is an educator with a passion for stories and has published a children’s story “My Patch”. She has a background in singing and has performed in choirs. Nel has performed with Playback extensively since 1994.
David Bloomfield (currently on leave) grew-up in Hobart before moving to Melbourne in 1998, where he was a foundation member of Rewind Playback Theatre Co from 2002 to 2004. He also enjoyed being regularly involved with Al Wunder’s Theatre of the Ordinary at the Cecil St Studio in Fitzroy and had a taste of Psychodrama and socio-drama. He was a member of Christian Artists' Factory (CAF) Theatre for six years performing original work around Melbourne as well as in Sydney as part of the Arts Program of the Sydney Olympics. He has been involved for many years in church amateur theatre. David became a member of Hobart Playback Theatre after returning to Hobart in March 2005.
Christina Giudici ( currently on leave) Christina has performed with Hobart Playback Theatre Company since 1994. She has worked as an actor, musician and conductor in performances. Recently Christina attended two courses at the School of Playback Theatre at Vassar College in the USA. The courses were run by the founder and co-founder of Playback Theatre, Jonathon Fox and Jo Salas. She has had training in singing (a’ Capella and gospel forms), drumming and rhythm and brings these skills to the Company. Christina has also worked and performed with Living Stories, a Playback Theatre company in Melbourne.
Ben Nahmani (currently on leave) joined Hobart Playback Theatre in 2007. after training in ballet at an early age. He later moved into the world of circus and physical theatre, performing at festivals, cabarets and other events. Ben's love of dance also drew him to Japan where he trained in Bhuto. Ben has particpated in various singing workshops including training with the Roy Hart theatre in France. As a social worker, Ben has initiated various community arts projects exploring the experineces of youth, refugees, older people, and families. In particular, Ben is interested in education, peace-building and community healing through the use of interactive and improvisational theater.
Information for people interested in joining the company. A description of how we operate and of some playback forms.