What is playback theater?
Playback Theatre is an original form of improvisational theatre in which audience members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot. The actors use sound, embodied movement and song to express the emotional essence of the teller's story.
Playback Theatre, as we know it, was first developed by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas
in Upstate New York during the applied theatre movement.
Playback Theatre, as we know it, was first developed by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas
in Upstate New York during the applied theatre movement.
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History
The original Playback Theatre Company came together in 1975 and was founded and developed by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas. This was part of the applied theatre explorations of the 1970s. Theatre companies and practitioners were searching for ways to reach out to their audiences, bring theatre closer to the everyday reality of the community, and break away from the scripted literary tradition of theatre performance. Jonathan Fox was inspired and influenced by his experiences in Nepal, where he witnessed ritual and theatre deeply embedded into the rhythms of community life. Playback Theatre also draws inspiration from indigenous, oral traditions of storytelling where people gather together to hear and share the new and old stories – the world of news, myths, legends and folktales. Since 1975, Playback Theatre has spread across the world with companies and practitioners in over 26 countries. It thrives in a variety of settings, existing as community theatre gatherings as well as a professional service to both the business and social sector. -- adapted from Playback Theatre UK |
Experience
You arrive in a theatre, in a park, in someone's back yard. Sit down on a blanket or in a chair. And the silence begins. The ensemble enters ceremoniously. A musician and a conductor, too. There is a theme for the evening -- "Letting go".
. . . They welcome you, asking a question: “What is your biggest feeling about letting go?” After a pause, you raise your hand hesitantly: “Right now I am feeling...” you begin with your feeling and continue to briefly explain. Before you know it, your story is recast by the actors in quick movements, rhythmic sounds and snippets of story, creating a curious, lively sculpture of your experience. You can’t help but smile. They got it. -- adapted from River Crossing Playback Theatre |
Digital Playback
During the recent COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines, playback theatre has adapted and the art form has continued to emerge and evolve. Digital playback theatre performances, workshops, rehearsals and trainings happen digitally over Zoom. It is a different experience than the in person events and rehearsals we have known -- and yet, it is an artform of its own merit.
Digital playback requires actors, directors and musicians to take a physical theatre tradition and adapt it into a screen acting practice. We play with screen space, sound, props and musical instruments in new ways. In December 2020, Playback North America hosted the UnConference on Playback for social impact, a month long digital playback conference. The UnConference hosted over two dozen workshops and playback performances in Zoom rooms. Participants gathered from all over the United States as well as internationally. Life finds a way. -- written by Mollie McElroy of Central VT Playback |