Playback Theatre is spontaneous theatre created through an interactive collaboration between performers and audience.
Playback Theatre is a unique form of improvisational theatre founded in 1975 in New York by Jonathan Fox, Jo Salas and the original Playback Theatre company. There are now companies and practitioners all around the world.
Someone tells a story or relates a moment from their lives, chooses actors to play different roles, then watches as their story is immediately recreated and given artistic shape and meaning. Performances are facilitated by a ‘conductor’ who talks to the audience and shapes the story for the actors to ‘playback’.
The Conductor asks open questions and invites responses from the audience. One person volunteers to speak and the actors respond with an artistic enactment for everyone to watch. The Conductor asks another question which generates a response from someone else in the audience and another enactment follows, and so on. In this way a conversation amongst audience members is facilitated by the company which can be open or focused on a specific theme. The enactments give everyone a chance to feel the fullness and truth of someone’s experience. Witnessing the enactments draws people together in our common humanity.
Playback Theatre allows a high degree of sensitivity to the needs of any specific group. It is used in educational, therapeutic and social change settings, as well as artistic settings. It fosters community dialogue, empathy, and reflection by transforming personal narratives into artistic expression.
How It Works
- The Conductor: Facilitates the performance by engaging with the audience, inviting them to share stories, and guiding the flow of the performance.
- Audience Members: Share personal experiences, feelings, or reflections.
- Actors: Improvise scenes based on these stories using movement, dialogue, and music.
- Musician: Provides live music to enhance the emotional tone and atmosphere.
Key Features of Playback Theatre
- Improvised Performance: Stories are enacted without scripts, relying on spontaneous creativity.
- Audience Participation: The audience’s stories drive the performance, making each show unique.
- Community Building: It encourages connection, understanding, and sharing across diverse experiences.
History and Origins
- Founded: In 1975 by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas in New York.
- Influences: Draws from psychodrama, oral storytelling traditions, and community theatre practices.