Performers

Julia Dilli has been interested in theatre and acting from a very young age and has built upon this through academic and artistic development.  She has a Grad. Dip. (Secondary Ed.) in Drama and English.  Artistically Julia has trained with Peter Hall at the Drama Action Centre and with numerous other teachers over the years.  Julia was a 1997 founding member of PaperBag PlayBack. She also works as a systematic therapist/counsellor and group facilitator for a not-for-profit organisation and in private practice.  Julia is currently undertaking studies in psychodrama.  

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Glenda Goldberg trained with Playback Theatre groups in Sydney, Switzerland and Germany after dabbling in acting and Theatresports®. She finds Playback an exhilarating form of theatre because it is always surprising and often profoundly moving. She enjoys the opportunity that Playback provides to share stories, reinterpret them and recognise one’s own experiences in the lives of others.

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Tamsin Angus-Leppan’s first love is performing improvised songs. In her professional life she has tried her hand at more serious pursuits like being a diplomat in China and doing a PhD. She currently works in the domestic violence sector.
Tamsin started dabbling in improv theatre 1994 while practising Commedia dell’arte with an Italian clown in Beijing. When living in Colorado in 2019 she was a member of the improv troupe, the Tongue in Chief Players.

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Pauline Manley is a doctor of dance and long-time performer of strange things. She is also an academic, a writer, teacher and slightly confused woman. Creative communities will save our world and so Pauline belongs and communicates.

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Anne McGrath’s life is woven through by a love of theatre. She trained in scripted theatre techniques at the Drama Studio Newtown, and then with Peter Hall at the Drama Action Centre in improvisational theatre forms – this is where she became passionate about Playback Theatre and Commedia Dell’ Arte.  Anne was an early member of PaperBag PlayBack (now Out of the Box). In 1999 Anne was the founding member of ‘Impromptu Theatrix’ which provided training in improvisational theatre forms and gave Anne an opportunity to further explore Commedia Dell’Arte. Anne has used improvisational theatre techniques in her work in schools to assist students to build confidence and communication skills.

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Daniela Newman’s creative life started as a photographer. When she discovered Drama Action, she instantly fell in love with drama, improvised theatre and playback. Daniela joined Paperbag Playback (now Out of the Box) a few years after its inception. She continued her drama training with Richard Hayes-Marshall’s mask and clown work. Her creative journey continued in the fine arts and she is now an art therapist for people with disabilities, utilising her drama training in her practice. After a long break from playback, Daniela rejoined the troupe in 2023. Her passion for playback is in the beautiful way it connects people together in community. It is a powerful form of telling our stories where we find links to each other.

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Peter O’Connell has worked for over three decades as a facilitator with both community and corporate groups. Originally joining Hunter Region Playback Theatre in 2000 he has remained an active playback performer and conductor ever since. Peter has trained with the Australian Institute of Group Leaders (AIGL), and is an adherent to the principles and practices of Open Space Technology. During his Alternative Dispute Resolution studies Peter explored the relationship between conflict resolution, group processes, and action methods including Playback. “For me Playback offers an elegant and powerful way for groups to gain a greater appreciation of what it is that they share in common

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Jackie Rawlings started dancing at the age of 3 and by 15 was teaching dance and movement. Jackie is now Choreographer, Principal Adjudicator, Teacher Trainer and Music Producer for the Australian BjP School of Physical Culture.  When she came to Playback Theatre in 2004 Jackie discovered the ancient tradition of telling and performing stories as a means of cultural sharing and is still passionate about transforming people’s life stories into theatre.  “To play back someone’s story is to give them a gift – to hold up a mirror and show them what their life looks like from the other side”.

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Sally Swain discovered Playback Theatre, once upon a time, at a 40th birthday party. She was instantly enchanted. Playback seemed a natural extension of childlike imaginary play filtered through embodied adult heart wisdom. In 1997, Sally initiated PaperBag PlayBack (now Out of the Box) to affirm and be affirmed, share stories and build community. As a long-time artist, art therapist and creativity coach, Sally loves simultaneously expressing creativity whilst serving others. She sees Playback as spiritual practice, centering on deep listening, authentic expression, trusting the process and knowing you don’t have to do it all yourself. She is still enchanted.

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