Applications of Playback Theatre Around the World
A Playback performance may begin with an explicit theme, and this thread links the stories that follow. On other occasions, the event is without a theme, and the hidden concerns of those present will emerge as the event unfolds.
The flexibility of the Playback form permits a high degree of sensitivity to the needs of specific groups. Here are some brief examples of how Playback Theatre has been used:
Social Activism
- A group in the Northern Territories of Australia performed for Aboriginal communities as part of a program to enhance self-esteem and recovery from substance abuse.
- Playback has been used to hear both sides on the Palestinian/Israeli issue.
- In Argentina, playback helped reconstruct collective memory of their social/political history.
Corporate Contexts
- An audience of Swiss engineers and accountants shared stories through Playback Theatre about organizational re-structuring.
- An audience of Post Office workers in Washington DC used Playback to address issues of task redundancy.
Education
- In Alaska, schoolchildren used Playback Theatre to deal with their grief over the death of a fellow student.
- In Hong Kong, teenagers perform playback as part of their community service program.
Psychotherapy/Counseling
Playback Theatre is used as an additional tool for psychotherapists in their group work.
In Chicago, a group of schizophrenic outpatients at a psychiatric unit met regularly to do Playback Theatre for each other, sharing their stories of coping with everyday life.
At Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, 10 volunteers from the Arts in Medicine Program do spontaneous playback performances for long-term care patients.
Community Events
- In Sydney, Australia, Playback Theatre was part of a wedding celebration.
- In London, England, it was performed at a Remembrance Evening.
- In Japan, a Playback group performed monthly for mentally handicapped people and their friends and family.
How might Playback Theatre be used in your organization or community? Performances and workshops can be theme-based and are designed to offer a fresher, more creative way to explore familiar issues by focusing on the heart of the story and the personal integrity of the storyteller.
Possible themes: Leadership, Community Building, Celebrating Success, Diversity, Stress and Conflict, Serious Illness/Healing, Power and Powerlessness, Love, and Transition.