Webpage Supplement to
Chapter 1: Playback Theatre
Hannah Fox
Re-Posted, August 28, 2007
Playback Theatre is an interactive, improvisational form used to illuminate life and incite dialogue. In playback theatre life stories are shared by audience members and then re-enacted spontaneously on stage.
Playback Theatre Sampler In this workshop you will play, awaken your senses, exercise yourselves as artists and humanitarians, practice compassionate listening, and learn the fundamentals of playback theatre. Bring water and wear loose clothing. Prerequisite: None
Core
Training with
Hannah Fox, November 2-5, 2007
In this
four-day intensive, you’ll learn all the basics, with lots of
opportunities to practice. Click here
for more information.
Ritual
The playback process can be referred to as a “ritual.” To fully
understand playback theatre, it is necessary to understand the
implications of this term. Jonathan Fox and others have written
extensively on this topic (***refer to Fox’s chapter called “A Ritual
for Our Time” in Gathering Voices or to an essay that I wrote called,
“Theatre, Ritual, and Community” [unpublished]), but I will mention a
few important points here. Because playback theatre is based on
peoples’ personal experiences, it is essential that we create a sturdy
container for this kind of intimate exchange. As mentioned earlier,
following the pattern of life, the stories told in playback range from
comic to tragic, from ordinary to extraordinary. Almost invariably,
during a playback event, there are emotionally charged moments and even
catharsis. An established protocol has evolved that is important to
adhere to in order for both the players and the audience to feel
comfortable and safe.
While it is necessary for playback theatre to remain flexible in order
to accommodate the various applications as well as cultural influences,
here are what I see as five basic elements that need to be in place.
1) Stories are volunteered
2) The teller’s story is about her/his own experience and s/he
watches the enactment
3) Stories are invited without prejudice or discrimination
4) The form is spontaneous
5) The stages of the technique are followed
These elements define playback theatre and help to make the experience
safe and meaningful. Although the form is spontaneous, it is this
formulaic aspect (there are places of repetition and predictability)
make it stable. Fox concludes, “Without a clear framework provided by
the rules, spontaneity can quickly turn into chaos, creativity into
confusion. With it, the members of the audience feel safe enough to let
themselves go into trance, allowing unforeseen breakthroughs” (Fox
& Dauber, 1999, 128).
Ref:
Grimes, Ronald L. Beginnings in Ritual Studies. Lanham, Maryland:
University Press of America, 1982.
---. Readings in Ritual Studies. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall, 1996.
(Please note why these
references are here, how they are relevant***)
Schechner, Richard. Essays on Performance Theory: 1970-1976. New
York: Drama Book Specialists, 1977.
Three Circles
Playback theatre is like a multi-faceted vehicle, journeying
along
several roads simultaneously. At once it is belongs in the artistic
arena, in the psychological and social realms, and in the world of
ritual. As critical as the ritual aspect is to the form’s success, so
are the entertainment and social components. Whereas the ritual
protocol in playback is somewhat rigid, the artistic and social
interaction realms are less constrained by rules. There is room in
these two circles for play and experimentation. It is in the social
interaction area that critical relationships are formed, i.e. between
the conductor and the teller and the conductor/actors and the audience.
In the artistic realm we are challenged to consider aesthetics. It is
in the overlapping area, where these three circles meet, that the most
successful playback theatre occurs. This graph illustrates how these
areas merge in playback theatre. (Shall we include the graph? I think
it is quite useful. Refer to Gathering Voices p. 127 )
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Cuba, which also has a handful of companies, will soon have a national
playback theatre company, endorsed by the Ministry of Culture. There
has also been a strong effort in Cuba to use the form to hear and see
stories about HIV/AIDS.
New Book:
Rowe, Nick.(2007). Playing the other: Dramatizing personal narratives in Playback Theatre. Philadelphia and London: Jessica Kingsley. ($35, pb, 224 pg. www.jkp.com or jkpmail@presswarehouse.com
New DVD: Paula Patterson, RDT/BCT is pleased to announce the release of
a 20 minute DVD documentary: Acting Healthy:
Playback Theatre in a Medical Hospital. The film
demonstrates the impact that playback theatre has had on the lives
of hospitalized adult and pediatric patients of Shands Hospital
at the University of Florida. Troupe members work at the bedside
and in public spaces throughout Shands Healthcare. The film
is available for $20 which includes postage and shipping within
the continental U.S. To order a copy contact Paula at: swampmail@aol.com
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