About

I was born in Scotland during the early 70’s. My parents were part of the ‘back to the land’ movement and were also practising Tibetan Buddhism. Our off-grid, stone cottage was nestled at the end of a remote valley, bordered by wild moors and trout-filled rivers. Our house was a home and gathering place for friends, family and travellers from around the world.  

When we moved to Tasmania my parents continued to farm. They also became engaged in the civil rights, feminist, anti-war and ecological movements. 

I feel grateful for these early years. The social, political and physical landscapes of my childhood still echo inside of me — informing many of the choices I’ve gone on to make in my adult life. 

During my late adolescence I discovered physical theatre, contemporary circus and the Roy Hart approach to voice. These approaches brought me into contact with my body, emotions and consciousness in new ways.  Improvisational practises taught me to listen, create and collaborate with others. I discovered a sense of freedom and connection that were seminal to my evolution and growth. I tasted firsthand the healing and empowering potential of the arts.  

In my early 20’s (now more than three decades ago!)I moved into the field of social work and community service. I worked in the disabilities sector, hospitals, child and family services, hospice care, and the prison service. For several years I worked with an agency that provided family therapy to youth at risk and their parents. I also started working as a psychotherapist in private practice.  

My early interest in the link between arts and personal/social change brought me to Playback Theatre and eventually to drama therapy. In 2008, I moved to San Francisco where I completed a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology and Drama Therapy through the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS). My time in the Bay Area introduced me to a range of artists, healers and activists who were exploring the intersection of community health, social justice and artistic practice. I joined the Kairos Theatre Ensemble where we used Playback Theater and Theatre of the Oppressed with migrant communities, marginalised youth, prisoners, homeless people and activists involved in various human rights and environmental justice movements. I also worked at the Living Arts Counselling Centre - providing psychotherapy and leading drama therapy groups for LGBT+ folks, spiritual leaders, migrants and the general public.

A growing interest in collective trauma healing and arts-based activism led me to Occupied Palestine where I began working with The Freedom Theatre, a Palestinian cultural organization based in Jenin Refugee Camp. During the four years I lived in Jenin, I led drama therapy groups for men and women impacted by political violence. I developed and led psychodrama training programs for Palestinian mental health workers. I also co-founded The Freedom Bus project, an initiative that used interactive theatre and cultural activism to bear witness, raise awareness and build alliances throughout occupied Palestine and beyond. The Freedom Bus was endorsed by many high-profile artists, activists, academics and Nobel Peace laureates including Alice Walker, Angela Davis, Desmond Tutu, Jonathan Fox, Jo Salas, John Berger, Judith Butler, Mairead Maguire, Maya Angelou, Noam Chomsky, Omar Barghouti, Peter Brook, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Shirin Ebadi, Vijay Prashad and others.    

With Jenin as a base, I began working across the Middle East, leading drama therapy workshops and helping to train and establish Playback Theatre troupes in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. My work as a trainer, facilitator and group therapist also took me to India, Kashmir, Mexico, Taiwan and other countries where I worked with communities impacted by violence, poverty and oppression.  

The 2011 revolution in Egypt led to a surge of grassroots initiatives dedicated to social change through arts, education and community building. This groundswell of innovative thought and action created a powerful and compelling environment that pulled me into its orbit.  

I began teaching in Egypt in 2012 and returned several times a year to lead workshops in Playback Theatre and Psychodrama. As the political situation began to deteriorate, the demand for these interventions grew.  People wanted spaces where they could process the grief, trauma and disillusionment that began to unfold across the country.

In response to this need, and in partnership with a close group of students from Egypt and Lebanon, I founded Dawar Arts, an independent community organisation based in Cairo. In the years since our inception, we have worked with thousands of people impacted by sexual and political violence, including migrants, refugees and the general public.