Improvisational theatre based on real audience stories.
Playback Theatre is a unique form of improvisational theatre where audience members share true, personal stories, and the actors transform them into spontaneous performances.
There are no scripts, or pre-planned sets; instead, music, movement, and performance are used to play back the teller’s experience on the spot.
It’s a powerful form of theatre that draws the audience, storytellers and players together in a ritual space where it’s possible to explore personal, social and political themes.
It’s not improv as you know it. The actors’ task is to find creative ways of honouring the teller’s story without mimicking or mocking – using all the treasures of theatre to give a gift back to the storyteller.
What is this?
A course of evening classes and/or weekend workshops in Woodbridge followed by a sharing or performance of some kind. After that I’d like to develop a small ensemble taking playback into different places and spaces.
Format, dates, costs etc will be confirmed nearer the time.
Who it’s for
It’s for people who’ve got some improvisation, acting or drama therapy experience under their belt, and who want to explore ways of creating improvisational theatre with more substance.
It’s theatre for the people by the people – so you don’t need to be the finished article as a performer. Playback includes everything human stories contain – depth, emotion, uncertainty, humour and absurdity – and you’ll need to be able to ‘go there’.
I’m also looking for actor-musicians or musical improvisers who are interested in impromptu underscoring and song.
How Playback Works
As a very brief overview, a Playback Theatre show relies on four main roles:
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Conductor: The host who acts as the bridge between the audience and the performers. They guide audience members to share brief feelings or longer life stories.
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Teller: An audience member who volunteers to share a personal experience, often from the “Teller’s chair” on stage.
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Actors: A troupe who listen closely to the story and immediately improvise a scene or ‘form’ that captures the heart, emotion, and essence of what was shared.
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Musicians: An instrumentalist who provides live, improvised music to support and enhance the emotional tone of the performance.
After a scene is played back, the actors look at the teller to give the story back, and the conductor give them a chance to reflect on seeing their own life events mirrored on stage.
If you like playing at the edge of human expression and connection there’s a lot in playback. There are moments when the audience listens in rapt attention to the teller, and I’ve noticed that most conductors carry a packet of tissues in their pocket to help the tellers dry their eyes.
There are lots of resources about playback online – it started in 1975 and is popular worldwide. But to make it easier to get started, you can find out more here and here.
About the teacher
Alex Menhams. I’m fairly new to playback but I’m an experienced facilitator and learning designer used to working with new material. As part of this shared exploration of playback, I plan to bring in some guest teachers from the UK playback scene for classes or weekend workshops.
Register your interest
Register your interest I’ll be in touch with more information as things shape up.
Sharing your details below is not a commitment, it’s just an invitation to connect and find out more.
