Tim Van Ness has been practicing Playback Theatre for almost thirty-five years. He founded three Playback companies in New England and also regularly consults with, trains, coaches, and guest performs for companies throughout the world. Van Ness is an accredited faculty member for the Centre for Playback Theatre and has taught programs for the School of Playback Theatre in the United Kingdom, the Skandinavisk Playbackteater Studio in Sweden, and the New York School of Playback Theatre. As consultant and coach, Van Ness uses theatre, storytelling, and action methods to help organizations live their values, develop their leaders, and nurture their culture. He also teaches for Inspiring Educators, a non-profit that provides leadership development for school leaders by helping them increase the success of students in underserved communities. A classically trained musician, singer-songwriter, and former music teacher in the Boston Public Schools, Van Ness has taught Playback to young people from various backgrounds including at-risk youth in western Massachusetts.