Barbara Sisley

Barbara Sisley (1878–1945) was a teacher of speech and drama and a theatre director in Queensland, Australia. She founded and operated the Brisbane Repertory Theatre. Barbara Sisley was born on 19 March 1878 at Streatham, London, one of three daughters of Thomas Alexander Sisley, civil service clerk, and his wife Susan, née Sisley.^[1] Sisley moved to Australia when she was 11^[2] and died on the 18th of November 1945 as a result of a street accident in Brisbane.^[3] During the time following her death lectures were held in memorial.^[4]

She was taught at Queen's college and later moved to Melbourne in 1899, studying at Manuel College in Hawthorn. Sisley became one of Brisbane's first speech and drama instructors when she moved there in 1916, working at St Margaret's, Stuartholme Convent, and Somerville House. She influenced many women, such as Rhoda Felgate, Jean Trundle, and Daphne Roemermann, who became major parts of the Brisbane theatre scene. In the early 1900s Sisley helped create the Young Women's Christian Association Drama Group and the Brisbane Shakespeare Society, where they performed an annual play. In 1923 Sisley went back to England to study with Elsie Fogarty.^[5]

Barbara Sisley and others founded the Brisbane Repertory Theatre. Sisley organised their tours of their productions to places like Ipswich, Toowoomba, Stanthorpe, Rockhampton, and Townsville.^[6] She was a part of the Dramatic Society of the University of Queensland, founder of the Art of Speech Association, a member of the Shakespeare Society, the Dickens Fellowship, the Lyceum Club, Authors' and Artists' Association, C.E.M.A., and the advisory panel of the Australian Broadcasting Commission for Queensland.^[7]

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