What Is It?
Playback Theatre is an original form of improvisational theatre in which audience or group members tell stories from their lives, and watch them enacted on the spot by an ensemble of actors. Unlike classic comedy improvisation, Playback doesn't aim strictly for laughs: A story may be funny, thoughtful, sad.
The Magic of Playback
"When it works, which is 90 percent of the time, Playback Theatre creates an intense burst of mysterious, lovely, life-affirming human energy."
- Jaime Meyer, Minneapolis Star Tribune
How Does It Work?
Playback is an improvisational storytelling form in which audience stories are played back on the spot by an ensemble of trained actors. After a story is told there is no pre-planning, just a musical interlude as the actors set up for the scene. When the music stops the story begins! The focus is on illuminating the essence or heart of the story. Several or more stories are done in an evening of Playback Theatre. The audience sees that their stories are honored in a creative, dynamic way.
Playback is also done in a workshop setting where the participants of the workshop become the actors and storytellers. These workshops are designed to serve the specific needs of the community or organization. Workshops come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on the group or organization goals.
Where Is Playback Done?
All over the world. From its origins in upstate New York in 1975 , Playback Theatre is now performed on seven continents in more than 50 countries. In Finland , for example, 13 nationally subsidized professional Playback companies work in prisons, schools, hospitals, senior homes, public theatres, corporations, and on the streets. Here are some specific examples .
What Are the Benefits?
In a Performance Setting:
- Creates a comfortable forum to hear and tell personal stories
- Builds community quickly in a creative and engaging way
- Honors individual's voice
In a Workshop Setting:
- Group members have an opportunity to be actor, musician and teller
- Encourages group members to take risks and build group trust
- Opens up spontaneity and play
Playback Theatre compared to individual or group therapeutic methods:
- Playback is not considered therapeutic as it is a public and group experience, not a private and individual experience, typical to the western therapeutic model.
- Playback balances ritual, social interaction and aesthetic elements to lead a group through a transparent process that builds trust and comfort for personal disclosure.
- Playback is not concerned with healing pathology. It is concerned with sharing and witnessing group members' stories.
- Stories tend to answer one another and themes begin to emerge. It can be described as an extended conversation through personal narrative.