Playback is an original form of improvisational theater. in which personal stories told by audience members are transformed on the spot into theater pieces by using movement, music and spoken word.

Artistic Director: Penny Clayton
Group Members:
Joanne Brauman, Benny Buettner,
Lawrence Furman, Marti Holtz,
Sylvia Israel, Martin Masters,
Laura Scott, Duncan Sylvester

Artistic Director:

Penny Clayton has been performing with Hudson River Playback Theater since 1998. She graduated from the School of Playback Theatre in 2006 and became a faculty member in 2008. She graduated from Empire State College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Theatre Arts: Playback Theatre for Social Change. Penny is currently on a leave of absence from HRPT, living in the San Francisco area, with plans to bring the “No More Bullying!” program to schools and training to other playback companies on the west coast.

Joanne Brauman- Joanne has a degree in Dance and Theatre. She has performed in various venues on the East and West coast. She has performed for fifteen years throughout California as an oriental dancer. She has a private practice utilizing movement modalities and cranial -sacral therapy.

Benny Buettner- (actor, magician, mime, clown, puppeteer) Benny has over twenty years professional acting experience in Europe and America. As a member of SAG he has been featured in films, such as Dr. Dolittle, The Princess Diaries and on TV in Nash Bridges. His Bay Area stage credits include performances at the Magic Theatre,  City Arts Theatre, various festivals and comedy clubs. He is the co-founder of Magic Circus, - providing educational and entertainment programs for children and adults. http://www.MagicCircus.com

Lawrence Furman -(magician, public speaker, body worker)

Marti Holtz- Marti is an award winning playwright, a veteran of twenty-five years in the performing arts as a featured actor in Shakespeare festivals, cabaret, street and political theatre. Marti has created numerous theatre based learning experiences for adults, children, corporations and disadvantaged populations

Sylvia Israel- Founder and former Creative Director of Bay Area Playback Theatre. Sylvia trained extensively with the School of Playback in upstate New York. Sylvia trained aAn experienced performance artist, Certified Psychodramatist and Trainer, Registered Drama Therapist, Sylvia teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Marin County and San Francisco. http://www.imaginecenter.net

Martin Masters-  Martin is a classically-trained mime and movement artist. He has been teaching, directing, producing and performing for over 30 years. Martin is also an accomplished character actor, stilt walker and improvisational teacher. He has appeared in over 30 commercials and movies.

Laura Falk Scott-  A former lawyer and gallery owner, Laura has studied acting with Allen Taylor and Armand Voulkas and was Project Director for Antenna Theater’s acclaimed educational outreach initiative, “The High School Project,” and is a school docent for SF MOMA.

Duncan Sylvester- Duncan got his start performing with the Earth Circus Performance Troupe, incorporating Dance, Stilting, and Acrobatics. He toured with them to England and Ireland: He has also worked with the Sonoma based experimental theatre group The Independent Eye. Duncan has worked in acute psychiatric hospitals for 20 years. He is an accomplished musician as well.