Ailsa Piper

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

Early life Piper attended Santa Maria College, a Catholic day and boarding school located in Attadale, Perth. She graduated in 1976. Her work in theatre took her from Western Australia, to Sydney, and then to Melbourne.

Her parents divorced when she was a child, when Piper's mother left him for another man, six years into their marriage. Her father, who had grown up on a West Australian wheat farm, remarried, but his second wife died of an aneurysm at the age of 50. Five years after her stepmother's death, Piper's mother died at the age of 57.

Career

Acting 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.

Piper is also an accomplished narrator of audio books, and continues to work in this field. In 2016, she narrated "Hope Farm" by Peggy Frew 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 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. In 2012, Bell Shakespeare produced a version of The Duchess of Malfi, which was co-adapted by Piper. 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. 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.

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 and interviewer and regularly hosts conversations at literary festivals or libraries.

Personal life Piper was married to Australian television actor Peter Curtin from 1987 until his death in 2014.

Credits

Television 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

As actor 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 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

Audio book narration Year Title Author 2016 "Hope Farm" Peggy Frew 2016 "The Natural Way of Things" Charlotte Wood 2017 "The Writer's Room" Charlotte Wood 2025 "Stone Yard Devotional" Charlotte Wood

Books 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