The team | Promitoplayback

Elizabeth Couture

Élisabeth Couture (Ph.D. Laval University) has developed her teaching skills during the past 20 years as a faculty member at Concordia University’s Theatre Department. She is an accredited trainer from the Center for Playback Theatre (New Palz,New York) and holds a certification as a psychodramatist from the International Center of Expressive Psychotherapy in Yamachiche, Québec. Artistic director of Ateliers l'Aquarium et le Globe, she is co-founder with Davis Rodrigues Melendez of the Associated School of Playback Theatre of French language.

Nadia Cicurel

Nadia discovered Playback Theater in 2008 in South America. Having always dreamed of mixing her passion for theater and her aspirations for a fairer and healthier society, this particular theatrical world has created wings for her. There, she also learned about Theater of the Oppressed and clown. In 2011, continuing her studies in Theater and Development at Concordia, she got involved in Promito Playback and started working for RECAA, an association of seniors who use forum theater for a culture of respect. More recently, she co-founded La Collective, théâtre de l'opprimé and entered the fabulous world of puppetry.

Caroline Desgagnes

Caroline graduated as a social work technician in 2007. Her experiences lead her to consolidate her skills in individual support, group facilitation and coordination. As a professional social worker for rehabilitation, she brings groups abroad. Caroline confirms what lights her up: supporting people to evolve through mobilizing projects. Passionate about theater since childhood, she enrolled in the bachelor in drama education profile (2014-2018) with the aim of practicing community theater. Since then, she has trained in different practices: Theatre of the Oppressed and Playback Theater. She joined Promito Playback in 2017.

Antonia Judith Hayward

Antonia is a multidisciplinary artist with multiple origins. Born in France into a family of committed artists, she quickly learned music and later on theater.

In 2007 she discovered and trained in the techniques of Theatre of the Oppressed with the Compagnie du Théâtre de l'Opprimé in Paris. She was immediately fascinated by these tools which combined her artistic passion and her social commitment. She joined the company and took part in all of its work for more than 10 years.

When she arrived in Montreal in 2018, she discovered Playback Theater and joined Promito Playback.

Lydia Desjardins Duchesne

Julian is a Colombian-Canadian actor, director and poet. A playback performer since 2013, Julian has played with three different troupes and is founder of RANT, a spontaneous theatre methodology that borrows from Playback Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed.

In addition to his 18-years of experience on the stage, Julian has studied at Bishop’s University, Concordia University and CELCIT (Argentina).

Julian has been with Promito since 2018.

Lydia Desjardins Duchesne

Lydia works in the field of social intervention. Her experiences with various communities have led her to work on the need to combine "social justice" and "healing" using the arts and the narrative approaches. Lydia began her artistic training in the Outaouais region of Quebec at a very young age, and continued with various community-based and semi-professional groups across Canada. In 2019, she became more interested in intervention theater and was introduced to the Theatre of the Oppressed and Playback Theatre. Lydia is currently perfecting her aesthetic by participating in workshops around the world.

Laurie Dumont - Ball

Laurie is a bilingual performer, director, writer and theatre teacher. She is a Performance Creation graduate from Concordia University (Theatre Department, BFA with Distinction) as well as an Acting graduate from John Abbott College’s Professional Theatre program. As an artist with roots from India and Quebec, Laurie was raised by a family of storytellers who deeply value discipline, detail, and colour, which is what Laurie consistently strives to bring to her work. She first discovered Playback Theatre while studying at Concordia and had the pleasure to join Promito Playback in 2021.

Lydia Desjardins Duchesne

In addition to his 18-years of experience on the stage, Julian has studied at Bishop’s University, Concordia University and CELCIT (Argentina).

Julian has been with Promito since 2018.

Marie Corseri

Marie is trained in France at the conservatory of Fontenay aux roses in classical danceand contemporary and at the conservatory of Bourg la Reine in dramatic art. After university studies in cinema and theater and training as an actress in Paris, she decided to leave in 2008 for Canada in Montreal. She discovers the Théâtre de l'Opprimé there thanks to the Collective, tO and the Théâtre Playback with the troupe Promito Playback. She is overwhelmed by the poetic power and impact of these forms of social theater. Marie is also engaged as a drama teacher with adults living with disabilities and in collective theater projects where pleasure, meaning and commitment coexist. Improvisational theatre, clowning and writing are passions. Every day of her life she tries to make the three coexist.

Melanie Cullin

Musician and multidisciplinary artist, Mélanie makes creativity the link between the different languages she manipulates. She develops a musical approach based on improvisation and on the encounter between the arts, which she uses within the collective Myriade. Also trained in theatrical acting, clowning and dramaturgical writing, she also collaborates in the creation of several youth shows for which she provides interpretation, sound design, writing or staging. The creation of his Tableaux-Musique show has brought him, since 2018, to children's hospitals, early childhood centers and specialized schools. Of Spanish and French origin, the question of exile is one of the main drivers of his artistic research. It is with joy that she joined the Promito-théâtre team in 2022 and learned about the many riches of social theatre.