As we approach the end of 2026, this is your call to gather as a community. To hold and celebrate each other. To tell and listen to each other’s stories. To honor where we’ve been and where we’re going. To grieve and heal and laugh, together.
It’s time to share what you’ve been holding, so you don’t have to hold it all by yourself.
In Playback Theatre, audience members share true stories from their lives, and we bring them to life on the spot through theater, music, movement and ritual. In The Weight of It All: An Afternoon of Playback Theatre, we’re asking: What are you carrying? What might you be ready to put down?
You don’t have to share a story out loud to belong here. Just show up. Every story played back is a reminder that your story is a work of art.
These themes carry into “Lift”, a new play by High Desert Playback co-founder Allison Kenny, coming Feb 5 and 6, 2027.
The Weight Of It All: An Afternoon Playback Theatre
🗓️Sunday December 13, 2026
⏰2:00-3:30PM
📍Warehouse 505, 202 Central Ave, SE, ABQ
🎟️ Tickets are “Pay What It’s Worth” following the show. Advance reservations are highly encouraged.
Reserve Your Seats Below 👇🏾
Featuring: Dalilah Naranjo, Danielle Simone, Johnny Olesen, Lynn Johnson, and guest actor, Vicki Dello Joio
About High Desert Playback:
High Desert Playback makes theater for social change in New Mexico and beyond. Our multiracial, queer + trans-centered ensemble uses the art of playback theatre to mobilize and amplify social issues through community outreach, engagement, dialogue, and celebration.
Founded in 2023 by Allison Kenny and Lynn Johnson, we are a queer, Black, women-owned social enterprise and a fiscally sponsored project of Arts Hub. High Desert Playback is the first and only professional Playback Theatre company in New Mexico.
About Warehouse 505:
Warehouse 505 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise and community venue dedicated to supporting Albuquerque and New Mexico youth through creative arts, music, ESTEAM education, youth entrepreneurship, and career readiness.
Established in 2009 as Warehouse 508, we provide inclusive, enriching spaces where young people learn, build skills under mentorship, grow confidence, and develop real-world employment experiences – strengthening connections between youth and the broader community. Warehouse 505 is a Peaceful, Sober, & Clean Environment.
FAQs:
Question: How do I pay for tickets?
Answer: All tickets are "Pay What It's Worth" which you will pay AFTER the show (cash, credit card, or check). We believe everyone deserves to experience the transformative power of Playback Theatre! Pay what feels right after the show, because YOUR story matters whether you can give $10, our suggested ticket price of $35, $100, or more. Any amount helps us ensure work like this can continue in New Mexico and beyond.
Question: If I come to your show, do I have to tell a story?
Answer: Playback Theatre is a participatory art form, this is true. Folx share moments and stories from their lives and we play it back on the spot. HOWEVER, Playback Theatre is also a consensual art form. You never have to tell a story if you don’t want to. Ever.
When you’re at a HDP Playback Theatre show, there are 3 ways to participate:
🥹A WITNESS - You come in. You find your seat. You watch and listen to the stories being told and enacted. Hopefully you will also laugh and cry and allow the stories of the strangers around you to become part of your story too.
🙋🏽A TELLER FROM YOUR SEAT - At the beginning of the show, we warm you up to Playback Theatre by asking you to share feelings and short stories right from your seat. It’s a low-pressure way to share what’s on your mind in the moment.
🎤A TELLER ON STAGE - Finally, we will ask for volunteers to join us on stage, sit in what we call “the teller’s chair,” and share a longer story. If you choose to participate in this way, you will be seated next to Allison or Lynn, our co-founders who act as our “Conductors.” Their job is to guide you through it the whole way. Imagine sharing a story over coffee or a glass of wine with a good friend. Except with other folks watching.
No matter how you choose to participate in an HDP Playback Theatre show, you are 100% valuable to the experience.
Question: Can I bring my kids?
Answer: We love an intergenerational moment! At the same time, because of the improvisational nature of audience members sharing real-life stories on the spot, we cannot control the content of the stories. So, it’s up to you whether or not you are comfortable with your kids being there for whatever happens.
For parents and caregivers of young children, we do ask that, if your young one needs to express their feelings loudly during the show, that you take a moment to step outside so that our focus can be on the tellers and their stories.