Meet the Company
Since 1989 Bellingen Playback Theatre Co has been earning the respect of government, community, and business organisations alike as a highly skilled and professional company.
We travel within a radius of 400 kms of the NSW mid-north coast town of Bellingen to perform Playback Theatre in corporate, community, and educational settings, as well as government departments.
Click on a name to read more about our current members;
Persia
Wildwood, Deborah
Ryan, Josephine
Robinson, Christel
Wecker, Sylvia
Georgi, and Michele
Balharry.
Persia Wildwood co-founded Bellingen Playback Theatre in 1989 and performs as Conductor, Actor and Musician with the Company.
She holds an Arts Degree with majors in Indonesian and French. She trained at Sydney Drama Action Centre in Playback Theatre, Clowning and Circus Skills. Along with Playback Theatre Persia has performed in Street Theatre, Clowning, Cabaret Bands and Duos and has created many themed theatre pieces and songs for agencies and special events.
Persia is consultant Trainer to other Playback Theatre companies and teaches Playback Theatre throughout the Northern Region, NSW, Australia. Also a musician, she plays reeds and percussion with Bellingen Big Band, Louise Gore Band and Middle Eastern Music and Dance troupe "Tarab".
Alongside her performance work, Persia is a practising astrologer with a special interest in the Astrology of the Moon. Go to www.astrologyofthemoon.com.au
Persia says, "Through Playback Theatre I explore and develop many of my favourite skills and interests. I connect with universal story, collaborate with others to make music and theatre, step into the unknown and risk being alive!"
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Deborah Ryan has spent many years studying Dance Theatre and the Creative Arts. Her first performance was aged 3 (dressed in a fluorescent green & orange Pixie costume) and she has been “treading the boards ever since! She holds qualifications in Ballet, Nursing and Hatha Yoga.
Deborah is an accomplished Choreographer and Dance director who has explored many fields of dance & movement expression. For more than 25 years, she has been teaching and developing her own style of Yoga.
Other interests include gardening, cooking and Viticulture. Deborah enjoys travelling to remote wilderness and has travelled extensively within Australia. She is fascinated by its diverse wildlife, ancient terrain its history and culture. Since childhood, she has always felt a strong connection with the Earth and its Elements. Some of her happiest moments have been ‘Going Bush.
Deborah has been involved with Bellingen Playback Theatre since its inception in 1989 and continues to feel inspired and passionate about its ability to foster and sense of community and to touch upon the Universal Human condition.
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Josephine Robinson joined Bellingen Playback Theatre in 1990. She brings over 21 years experience as a performer to the company. Josie is deeply committed to the art and magic of Playback and adds passion, sensitivity and humour to her performance work. She has been involved with many different performing groups over the years and was a founding member of Akta Fakta, The Bellingen Company of Clowns and the Bellingen Community Arts Council.
Josie was a dancer and choreographer with the Bellingen Creative Dancers and Middle-Eastern band Mosaique. She has presented a number of her own radio programs for Community Radio 2BBB FM.
Her skills include dance, drama, street theatre, singing and clowning. Josie has a degree in Social Science and has worked as the Community Planning Officer with Bellingen Shire Council for 9 years.
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Christel Wecker joined Bellingen Playback in 1997 and performs as the company musician. She began her musical career conducting the village parade band in Daseburg, Germany and later was a member of the theatre circus "Traumflieger".
Since coming to Australia in 1990 she has performed in street theatre troupes, vocal ensembles and the Bellingen Clown Parade Band.
Christel currently performs as vocalist, guitarist and saxophonist with Ninety-Nine-And-A-Half-Wont-Do and she works in community services. She is an inventive and playful musician who brings joy and colour to all her performance work.
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Sylvia Georgi joined the Bellingen Playback Theatre Company in 2006.
She has held a life-long passion for theatre and performance starting with her first role as Sleeping Beauty aged four in kindergarten. Since then she has been involved in a number of productions in Germany and Australia.
Sylvia loves the form of playback theatre. She says: "It invites the spontaneous and the unexpected, a platform for being in the moment and letting a story unfold itself. Playback is full of surprises, a sacred and beautiful space for the expression of human experience in all its forms."
Sylvia holds a degree in Social Welfare and works as a Family and Relationship Counsellor.
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Michele Balharry first pranced on stage to the Baby Elephant Walk as a little three year old pacaderm - with a ballet teaching mother it was inevitable. She continued dancing, tapping and highland flinging her way to adulthood, found her voice singing madrigals and choral works, and starred as a chook in one of Chaucer's plays.
Following a brief spell to create a brood of her own Michele continued performing, primarily as a vocalist with a number of groups including the a cappella choir the Spangled Drongos, contemporary Australian vocal group the Muu Muus, a wandering troupe of 16th century songsters called the Mad Riggles, 30's style jazz trio the Satin Bowerbirds & the Blue Pegs, and the Bellingen Big Band where, by strange coincidence, she also plays the egg.
At present Michele is mother & wife, and spends a portion of each day in the garden with her hens.
Michele joined Bellingen Playback in 2006.
"Playback is a pretty special experience - for everyone involved".