OUR PURPOSE
is to facilitate an exchange of personal stories in a manner that promotes connection, meaning, and resilience.
OUR HISTORY
The Listening Hour is the brainchild of Jonathan Fox, who is also a co-founder of Playback Theatre, a story-based approach to community theatre based on acting out on the spot real stories of audience members.
Playback Theatre practitioners develop skills in deep listening, spontaneity, and building a positive atmosphere. Initial guides for the Listening Hour have been drawn from this community.
OUR TEAM
JONATHAN FOX
Founder and CEO
Jonathan has focused his career on narrative communication, mainly through his work with playback theatre, which he co-founded.
At Harvard University he studied with Albert Lord, one of the pioneers in the discovery of oral story-making.
He has an MA in political science, a credential in psychodrama and group work, and a D. Phil. h.c. from the University of Kassel for his artistic and scholarly work in theatre. He is an author and widely traveled workshop leader.
IGOR LUZHANSKY
Technology
Igor is focused on bringing technology to the Listening Hour community. His primary activity is running a high-tech business. Besides that, he has completed the Playback Leadership course and trains Playbackers in Ukraine.
He has 2 Engineering Degrees in Computer and Data Science, as well as an MBA with honor from Berlin Stainbais University.
BEATA SOMOGY
Communications
Bea has dedicated her professional career to informal education, working with groups of students and adults outside of classrooms. She is cofounder of different PT Companies and applied PT projects and a teacher of the Hungarian School of Playback Theatre. She has MAs in Hungarian, French, and in DIE studies.
OUR TRAINERS
ŞENIZ TURAN
Izmir, Turkey
Turkish, German, English
Şeniz is a freelance Creative Drama instructor and Playback Theatre trainer. I work in schools as well as in social and cultural centers with children, adolescents and adults. I am currently working with children with special needs. My main focus of work is to make researches about different ways and possibilities of self-expression.
WARREN NEBE
Johannesburg, South Africa
English
Warren is a Drama Therapist, the Founder of Drama for Life (DFL) and Africa Regional Director, of the International Association of Creative Arts Somatic Education (IACASE). He is particularly interested in Listening Hours for teams, organisations, and communities, grief and focus groups, vision quest groups, LGBTIQ and diversity groups.
MICHAEL CHENG
Singapore
English, Mandarin
Michael is an applied drama practitioner with a deep commitment to honour individual voices, and to build community, one story at a time. He is looking to build and support Listening Hour groups in social service organizations and schools.
PARA PARANTHAMAN
Olso, Norway
Norwegian, English, Tamil
Apart from my professional work, Para volunteers with the Red Cross and other organizations on activities, using theater, interaction and dialogue to promote the health (physical and mental) of vulnerable people in the society.
ABDULLAH JATAL
Beirut, Lebanon
Arabic, English
Abdullah - or Abodi - is a psychotherapist, and a drama therapy practitioner. He also works as an artistic consultant for many NGOs. He started training theater performers 7 years ago specializing in improvisational theater, Theater of the Oppressed and Playback Theater. He is co-director of Laban' Improv troupe and a co-founder of its psychosocial troupe (Wasl).
EDWARD DANTIS
Manila, Phillipines
English, Filipino
Edward is an artist-teacher-learner and hearer of stories, ready to accompany you anytime. Let your heart speak and let this be the hour.
MICHELLE LINMIN ZHANG
Shenzhen, China
English, Cantonese, Mandarin
Michelle is a Playback Practitioner, an IAF Certified™ Professional Facilitator (CPF) and an Organization Development Consultant. Through LH, she is keen to support local women by witnessing their positive changes in narratives.
JENNIE KRISTEL
Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA
English
Jennie is an expressive arts therapist, Playback Theatre trainer and university professor. She works with a trauma informed approach. Jennie has been offering monthly Listening Hours including to ongoing groups that have experienced struggles and/or trauma.
MARKUS HUEHN
Kassel, Germany
German, English
Markus is co-founder and accredited Playback Theatre trainer of the German speaking PT-School. Since he graduate 1999, M.A./ educational science, he is working as a self-employed trainer in the areas of education, group processing and theatre. As an LH guide and playbacker Markus is trusting in the creative potential and spontaneity of human beings, groups and companies.
RÓZSA DÁNIEL
Budapest, Hungary
Hungarian, English, French
Accredited Playback Theatre Trainer, leader of the Hungarian School of Playback Theatre, conductor, actor. His main focus is to promote personal growth and social change using the (re)connecting power of arts. He is a committed Playback Theatre teacher and community organizer teaching and performing also in international cooperations in and over Europe (Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Hungary, India, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine). Teaches in Hungarian, English and French. PT actor from 2001, founder, conductor and former leader (2008-2012) of Pepita Playback Company. Actor of Pszínház (PsyTheatre Company).
MEG CHRISTIE
Portland, USA
English
Meg is a founding member of Portland Playback Theatre, performing and conducting since 2006, artistic codirector since 2017. She has been guiding Listening Hours throughout the pandemic. Meg is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice. Her practice is grounded in the expressive arts, employing sandtray, visual arts, drama therapy, music and working with symbolism, metaphor and embodied processes.
AKI KOMORI
Kawasaki, Japan
Japanese
Acting Director of Training
Aki is an accredited Playback Theatre trainer and an occupational therapist. She is interested in training health care workers and members of younger generations. She also wants to train guides who can offer LH to mothers.
MICHAEL KENNEDY
English
East Greenbush, NY, USA
Michael is the Artistic Director of Creative Action Unlimited. She has 35 years of experience in facilitating creative group work and working with individuals, organizations and communities to support connection and positive change.
JOSEFINE KRUMM
German
Sarmenstorf/Aargau, Switzerland
Josefine is an accredited Playback Theatre Trainer, dramatherapist, teacher in health and social sector, nurse and a master of advanced studies in health promotion and prevention. As an LH Guide and playbacker, she witnesses narratives and brings them into a form, which makes issues seen and heard.
NATALIIA VAINILOVYCH
Ukrainian, Russian
Kyiv, Ukraine
Natali's bio: accredited trainer of Playback Theatre, conductor, actress. Education: sociology, social work, psycho-social training by Kurt Levin approach, art-therapy. Professional fields: group trainer, a practitioner of Theater of the Oppressed, Documentary Theater, Performance. LH special interest: inclusion (different social groups), business, informal education.
BEATA SOMOGYI
Hungarian, English, French
Budapest, Hungary
Bea is an Accredited Playback Theatre Trainer, teacher of the Hungarian School of Playback Theatre. Co-founder of Pepita Playback Theatre and FineArt Playback Group. Most interested in applied PT especially with marginalized groups of society. Besides Playback Theatre, passionate about peace work and promotion of conscious participation in civil society.
Inspired by the humanity and professionalism of Milton H. Erickson. Volunteering as Secretary of the Board of Centre for Playback Theatre and Chair of its Affiliate Schools Committee.
HIROMI YOSHIKAWA
Japanese
Mihara, Hiroshima, Japan
Hiromi is an Occupational therapist. Her speciality is working with students, practitioners, and consumers in health care.
PARSAPU SURESH KUMAR
English, Hindi, Telugu
Secunderabad, India
He directed a good deal of leadership, gender and theatre projects and workshops. He is an accredited trainer of Playback Theatre. Besides, he sees LH connects people with individual stories.
SARAH URECH
English, German, French, Spanish
Rosendale, NY, USA
Sarah Urech is senior strategist for the Omega Women's Leadership Center at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, a holistic education center and nonprofit organization based in Rhinebeck, NY. She is a certified coach and psychodramatist, and has performed and taught Playback Theatre in 19 countries for nearly three decades. She is a certified Listening Hour guide and since the Listening Hour form’s emergence in 2020 has offered Listening Hours to participants in Lebanon, Japan, Australia, Chile, Europe and North America.
SARAH RIFAAT
English, Arabic
Cairo, Egypt
Sarah is a graphic designer, applied theater practitioner and facilitator/trainer with experience in working on social and environmental issues.
SWARNA SABRINA FRANCIS
English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu
Hyderabad, India
Swarna Sabrina Francis has 18 years of experience in facilitating the social development and has creatively lead several theatre and leadership workshops for disadvantaged individuals and communities. She is the co-founder of Hyderabad Playback Theatre. Listening Hour is the simplest tool which allows us to be there for the group and guide the flow of session with a simple structure.
OLGA SANACHINA
Russian, English
Moscow, Russia
Olga is a psychologist, free artist and performer. She likes to use art-methods for personal development and support of people. Her art skills based on playback theatre technics, performance art methods, psychodrama.
She likes LH as a tool of service people to listen them with open heart and create connection between them
Right now, she is interesting to work with people who have immigrated to another country or moved to another city and trying to adapt there.
She is ready to support people in crisis and transformational time in their life.
She worked a lot in business companies, so she is good to work with business teams, social workers teams and so on.
She opens for other topics, too.
