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Improvising Change

A STAGE FOR YOUR STORIES

Improvising Change is a Sydney based company focused on theatre for social development. We love sharing stories * creating stages for marginalized voices * encouraging creativity * applying theatre for social research, development  and  healing * supporting new writing * and making collaborative theatre!

MEET THE TEAM

Artistic Director and Founder
Joy Roberts
Joy's first theatre production was in 1992, producing and directing a play at her local community centre. Since, she has continued to gain experience and skill directing, facilitating, writing and producing theatre. In 2008, Joy completed with distinction an MA in Applied Theatre at Central School of speech and Drama, London. This degree led her to an interest in collaborative devised theatre: In 2009 she led two devising projects with people affected by Mental Illness; co-creating scripts that truthfully represent common narratives: ‘Care-full’ at Arcola Theatre and ‘Life Through a lens’ at Theatre 503. Between 2008-2012 Joy took part in several improvising groups: long-form and theatre-sports.  
Since 2011 Joy has been involved as director and writer in Sydney theatre festivals and events. She has directed over 30 short plays and readings, and had scripts she wrote performed at these events. She has directed full-length productions, including: ‘Mothers’ produced by Improvising Change at Tap Gallery (2014), ‘I love heart’ produced by Budding Theatre at Old Theatre 505 (2014) and ‘Rhymes with Silence’ Produced by Improvising Change at Project 107 (2015).  In addition, Joy has a degree in Psychology (2000), and has training in Youth Work (2002), Mental Health Support (2009-2015) and Psychodrama (2013-2015).  She has been supporting people in the community for 2 decades and has found ways to incorporate her love of theatre within Mental Health services. Joy develops and leads theatre groups in day-centres, drop-in centres and hospitals, using her improvising experience and psychodrama training to encourage participants’ creativity and personal development.

Devising Director/Choreographer 

Corinna Galliano

Corinna has over 20 years acting experience. She trained with “Teatro del Marchesato” theatre company (1994-1997) under the artistic direction of Nuccio Cantamutto, where she was exposed to Stanislavsky and Strasberg methods. Between 1998 and 2004, she was part of “Artisti Associati Teatro San Filippo” avant-garde theatre company in Turin. During these years she got in touch with the work of artists such as: Eugenio Barba, Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook, Meyerhold and The Living Theatre. 

In 2006 Corinna graduated from the “Accademia della spettacolo of Turin” Musical School, where she had the opportunity to study different forms of dance and explore the use of voice.  From 2007 she began training and working with professionals in the physical theatre arena, namely: Michela Lucenti, Antonio Castaldi, Antonio Pizzicato. After moving to Milan in 2009 she met dancer-actor-director Francesco Villano with who she collaborated for 6 years. 

Contact improvisation-dance and theatre-dance, inspired by Pina Baush, are the basis of Corinna's theatre research projects and play creations. She has led physical theatre training and directed short plays. Her debut directing a full-length play was “Bambole Spezzate” written by Roberto Cavalieri an emerging Italian writer,  in 2015 before relocating to Sydney.

Community Engagement

Sharon Denovan

Sharon has lived experience being a child of a parent with mental illness. She is a carer, wife, mother, and a speaker/educator with Remind, a part of One Door Mental Health. 

For the past 10 years, She has been an active member of ‘Beautiful Minds’, a community volunteer group, based in South West Sydney. Beautiful Minds raise awareness and funds to support mental health recovery in SWS in particular- the MH units at Campbelltown hospital. 

Sharon is the Events Coordinator at Beautiful Minds and has organised many events, such as: high teas, gala dinners and ‘Waratah Day’ (where every year 5,000 waratah plants are sold throughout SWS in one day during mental health month in October).