High Desert Playback makes theater for social change in New Mexico and beyond. Our multi-racial, queer-centered ensemble “plays back” the real-life stories of our audience members, igniting community dialogue, cultural healing, and collective liberation.
What is “Playback Theater?”
According to the International Playback Theatre Network, playback theater is…
“…an interactive form of improvisational theatre in which audience members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot. Created in 1975, Playback Theatre is now used in over 70 countries around the world to help build bridges across differences and to honor the human condition. In addition to public performances, in person and online, Playback Theatre is used with all ages and in a wide variety of contexts–education, health, social services, businesses, and community organizations. Its applications include social dialogue, peace building, conflict resolution, organizational change management, team building, celebrations, and much more.”
Join us for our upcoming season of shows in Albuquerque!
“I have been waiting for Playback Theater to come to New Mexico- and these two inspired and committed artists seem to be the perfect ones to get us going!”
“We are so lucky to have a Playback theater company in town!”
Why choose “Playback Theater?”
The goal of High Desert Playback is to use the art of playback theater to mobilize and amplify the incredible racial and social justice work that already exists in the community.
We partner with other artists, activists, local governments, businesses, and community organizations for the purposes of:
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Playback theater is an amazing way to bring folks together to identify and address the challenges, opportunities, and issues that affect their lives. This type of community engagement is key to creating strong, connected, inclusive, and resilient communities.
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Witnessing each others’ stories in a structured and loving way builds our empathy muscles and strengthens trust among folks. A playback theater performance provides the perfect foundation for any community working to deepen their connections with each other and their shared understanding of social issues.
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Effective policy formation requires that leaders fully understand social issues from the perspective of folks in their community. By providing a stage for folks’ stories, playback theater is an awesome tool for the qualitative data gathering and issue analysis that policymakers need to better serve their constituents.
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At its core, playback theater is a celebration! A playback show is an opportunity for folks to come together, share their stories, learn about each other, and forge a sense of belonging.
Make a Donation
Your donation to High Desert Playback allows us to operate an organization that values artists as professionals and humans. We believe that no artist — especially LGBTQ+ and BIPOC folks — should be expected to work for free. We believe that our gifts are unique and essential to building the safe and inclusive communities that we all so desperately need.