What Is Playback Theatre?
You have heard of Playback Theatre and it sounds cool so, you wanna check it out. But, you can’t quite picture it. You aren’t sure what to expect.
We got you!
Here’s your brief guide to what Playback Theater is, what happens in a show, and how it is a powerful tool for social change.
What is Playback Theatre?
Playback Theatre is an improvisational art form where audience members who choose to share moments and stories from their real lives and performers play them back on the spot using theater, music, movement, and ritual.
Playback Theatre was created in 1975 by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas in the Hudson Valley, NY and is now practiced all over the world in over 70 countries.
“Playback Theatre means listening, empathizing, and deeply feeling into another person. It means being witnessed in your life and your experience. It means connecting to others on a deeply human level.”
- Johnny Olesen, Company Member
High Desert Playback actors Lasha Helena Kirker, Danielle Simone, and Dalilah Naranjo perform at our annual LGBTQ+ Pride show.
What Happens in Playback Theatre?
Here's a taste of what you can expect when you go to a Playback Theatre show:
ONE: The ensemble enters and we share and act out our own real life stories to model Playback Theatre for the audience. This is where we get to show you that vulnerability is welcome and that each and every story is a work of art.
High Desert Playback Artistic Associate, Danielle Simone, performs her story for a group of middle school students on Albuquerque’s West Side.
TWO: We warm up the audience by inviting you to share feelings or moments from your day or week. We play these back using short forms. This is where the magic starts to happen…where we all begin to get more comfortable with each other as these shorter enactments reflect our collective emotional experience.
An audience member shares a moment from her life at our annual Playback Theatre Gathering for Racial Healing at Explora in Albuquerque
THREE: A volunteer from the audience comes up on stage to share a longer story. The Teller is interviewed by the Conductor and invited to pick an actor to play them in their story. The audience watches the Teller watch their story enacted. Deep connections are made. This is often the moment when people realize they're witnessing something profound.
High Desert Playback Co-Founder and Artistic Director Allison Kenny conducts a long form story of an audience member.
FOUR: We do this again and again, creating a red thread, linking us together through our stories. Each narrative builds on the last, revealing unexpected connections and shared experiences across different races, genders, ages, and backgrounds.
FIVE: Music is a huge part of the entire ritual. The Playback musician uses instruments and vocals to help carry the stories, create meaning, and set the tone. You'll notice how a simple beat or melody can completely transform the emotional landscape of a moment.
High Desert Playback musician, Jessie Lane, shows supports the Playback Theatre through multiple instruments.
SIX: Finally, we close by joyfully reviewing moments from the evening before taking our final bow.
“Playback Theatre is a chance to connect and open the door for needed conversations that may not happen otherwise…the epitome of the phrase ‘you are not alone.’”
- Lasha Helena Kirker, Company Member
High Desert Playback company members (left to right): Noe Field-Perkins, Johnny Olesen, Lynn Johnson, Lasha Helena Kirker, Danielle Simone, Tatiana Isabel Gil, and Dalilah Naranjo. Not pictured: Allison Kenny and Jessie Lane
Do I have to tell a story at a Playback Theatre show?
Not at all! Although Playback Theatre is a participatory art form, it is also a consensual one. You never have to tell a story if you don’t want to. Whether you choose to share a moment from your seat, share a longer story from the stage, or simply witness the stories of your neighbors, you are 100% valuable to the experience.
An audience member enjoys hearing and seeing the stories of her neighbors at a community event in our work with the City of Albuquerque Planning Department
How Does Playback Theatre Support Social Change?
Here at High Desert Playback, we use the art of Playback Theatre to mobilize and amplify social change work. Playback Theatre is applied worldwide in work with refugees, systems impacted communities, students of all ages, corporate teams, therapeutic sessions, and so much more.
In our work with local governments, social impact businesses, and non-profit organizations in New Mexico, we have applied Playback Theatre in the following ways:
Activating civic engagement campaigns
Supporting students and young leaders
Challenging social isolation while honoring the stories of our elders
Promoting statewide advocacy efforts
Participating in community protests
Engaging and lifting up social change leaders and activists at conferences and special events
Facilitating courageous conversations about race, community rupture, mental health, and social cohesion
Playback Theatre has shown up in communities time and time again as a “magical” way to activate, belonging, connection, resilience, clarity, Peace and Reconciliation, release and relief, and deep and meaningful healing.
Playback Theatre is a vital form of art for social change because it is flexible and responsive. It remains relevant over time and space because of its ability to adapt to the cultural context in which it lives. And Playback Theatre will continue to inspire and transform audiences and artists for generations to come.
“Playback Theatre is my love language. My calling. My activism. My care work. Our offering toward collective liberation.”
- Allison Kenny, Co-Founder + Artistic Director, High Desert Playback
Allison Kenny and Lynn Johnson, Co-Founders of High Desert Playback, conduct a Playback Theatre show for Equality New Mexico’s LGBTQ+ Statewide Summit in Albuquerque
To learn more about the art of Playback Theatre, there are many incredible resources on the International Playback Theatre Network (IPTN) website.
Interested in learning more about how to bring Playback Theatre to your community? Let’s connect.
