Ailsa Piper

Australian writer, director and performer (born 1959)

Ailsa Piper

Piper at the Byron Bay Writers' Festival in 2012

Born|

Ailsa Mary-Ellen Piper

1959 (age 65-66)

Western Australia, Australia

Years active| 1980s–2005
Spouse| Peter Curtin (1987–2014; his death)

Ailsa Mary-Ellen Piper (born 1959) is an Australian writer, director and performer.

## Career

[edit]

### Acting

[edit]

Piper worked as an actor in theatre in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne from the early 1980s until 2000. She made her first appearance on TV in 1984 in the made-for-television film Man of Letters, but is best known for playing Ruth Wilkinson in long-running soap opera Neighbours from 1996 until 1999. She reprised the role in a cameo for the series' 20th anniversary special in 2005.[1]

Piper is also an accomplished narrator of audio books, and continues to work in this field. In 2016, she narrated "Hope Farm" by Peggy Drew and "The Natural Way of Things" by Charlotte Wood. She also performs a monologue based on the influence of poetry in her life and in particular, on her walking. This was first broadcast on ABC Radio’s "Poetica" programme, and has since been adapted by Piper for live performance.

### Writing and directing

[edit]

Piper has written for ABC Radio, for the theatre, and for The Age, The Australian, Slow Living magazine and Eureka Street as well as various online journals.

In 2000, she was a co-winner of the Patrick White Playwrights' Award for her drama Small Mercies.[2] In 2012, Bell Shakespeare produced a version of The Duchess of Malfi, which was co-adapted by Piper.[3] Piper has directed for Red Stitch, the Melbourne Theatre Company, the VCA, WAAPA and Shy Tiger Productions. Her production of The Night Season was nominated for a Green Room Award for direction.

While working on Neighbours, Piper studied an MA in Creative Writing at University of Melbourne, which prompted her to start writing books. In 2012, her first book, a travel memoir called "Sinning Across Spain" was published by Melbourne University Press.[4] Her next book, "The Attachment: Letters from a Most Unlikely Friendship", detailing a collection of letters between herself and a Catholic priest, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2017. It was co-authored by Tony Doherty. Her third book, "For Life: A Memoir of Living, Dying – and Flying", published by Allen & Unwin and released in 2024, is a story of recovery from grief and trauma. It took her eight years to write.[5]

Piper has served on numerous boards, and has five times judged the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards – four times for Drama and once for Fiction. She chaired the judging panel for the 2016 and 2017 NSW Premiers Award for Drama.

Piper is an accomplished moderator/interviewer and regularly hosts conversations at literary festivals or libraries.

## Personal life

[edit]

Piper was married to Australian television actor Peter Curtin from 1987 until his death in 2014.[6]

## Credits

[edit]

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1982 | Kicking Around | Leigh | 10 episodes
1984 | Man of Letters | Winnie Harmstrung | TV movie
1986 | A Country Practice | Patricia Reynolds | 1 episode
1990 | Embassy | Renare | 1 episode
1991 | The Flying Doctors | Mary Baldwin | 1 episode
1992 | Lift Off |  | 1 episode
1991–1992 | Kelly | Maggie Patterson | 26 episodes
1993 | Time Trax | Carla Gilford | 1 episode
1996–1999; 2005 | Neighbours | Ruth Wilkinson | 241 episodes
2002 | Blue Heelers | Glenys Hopper | 2 episodes
2002 | Guinevere Jones | Amanda | 1 episode
2003 | The Saddle Club | Whitney | 2 episodes
2003 | MDA | Dr Carol Westerman | 1 episode

### Theatre

[edit]

#### As actor

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1977 | Martello Towers | Vivien Martello | The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth with National Theatre
1979 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Nurse Flinn / Sandra | The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth
1980 | Spring Awakening |  | The New Dolphin Theatre, Perth
1980 | A Midsummer Night's Dream |  | The New Dolphin Theatre, Perth
1980 | The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds |  | The New Dolphin Theatre, Perth
1980 | Vanities | Kathy | The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth
1981 | Charley's Aunt |  | His Majesty's Theatre, Perth
1981 | The Elephant Man | Pinhead / Princess Alexandra | Playhouse, Perth with National Theatre
1981 | Traitors | Ekaterina / Guard / Peasant | The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth
1981 | Upside Down at the Bottom of the World | Victoria | The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth
1981–1982 | Summer of the Seventeenth Doll |  | The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth
1982 | Cloud Nine |  | The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth
1986 | Some Night in Julia Creek | Gillian | Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC
1986 | Hurlyburly | Darlene | Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC
1988 | These Days |  | Melbourne Athenaeum with Melbourne Ensemble Theatre
1989 | Coralie Lansdowne Says No | Coralie Lansdowne | Studio Theatre, Melbourne, Monash University, Melbourne, West Gippsland Arts Centre with Playbox Theatre Company
1993 | A Happy and Holy Occasion | Mary O'Mahon | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Hobart with Playbox Theatre Company
1994 | Boccaccio: Tales from the Decameron |  | Florentino Restaurant, Melbourne for Melbourne Fringe Festival
1996 | Gary's House | Christine | Q Theatre, Penrith, Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Gold Coast Arts Centre, Hobart with Playbox Theatre Company
2000 | Goodbye Mrs Blore | Dr Julia Lewis | Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre with HIT Productions

#### As writer / director

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1992 | Horrortorio | Devisor | La Boite, Brisbane
2001 | Patrick White Playwrights Awards | Playwright (Small Mercies) | Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC
2001 | The Twilight Series | Coordinator | Collins St Baptist Church, Melbourne with Playbox Theatre Company
2005 | The Night Season | Director | Red Stitch Actors Theatre, Melbourne
2006 | Controlled Crying | Director | Chapel Off Chapel, Melbourne
2006 | Hellbent | Adaptor | Red Stitch Actors Theatre, Melbourne
2012 | The Duchess of Malfi | Adaptor | Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare

[7]

### Audio book narration

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Author

|
|

2016 | "Hope Farm" | Peggy Drew
2016 | "The Natural Way of Things" | Charlotte Wood

### Books

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Publisher

|
|

2012 | "Sinning Across Spain" | Melbourne University Press
2017 | "The Attachment: Letters from a Most Unlikely Friendship" | Allen & Unwin (co-written with Tony Doherty)
2024 | "For Life: A Memoir of Living, Dying – and Flying" | Allen & Unwin

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Green, Kris (15 April 2005). "More Neighbours returns confirmed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
2. ^ "Patrick White Playwrights' Award & Fellowship". Sydney Theatre Company. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
3. ^ McAlister, Jodi. "The Duchess of Malfi (Bell Shakespeare)". Australian Stage. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
4. ^ Carbone, Suzanne (18 April 2012). "You sin, you win with pilgrim Piper". The Age. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
5. ^ "Ailsa Piper – Words, Wonder, and Homecoming". Santa Maria College. 20 August 2024.
6. ^ Cuthbertson, Debbie (21 May 2014). "Acting world mourns death of Peter Curtin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
7. ^ "Ailsa Piper". AusStage.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Ailsa Piper at IMDb

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data
* Australia

Artists|

* Australian Artists

People|

* Trove