30 Years of Making Connections: An Introduction

with Rich Keitel and April Daras from Pittsburgh Playback Theatre

Playback Theatre is an internationally recognized improvisational theatre-making approach to honoring the feelings, experiences and stories of others. The practice of doing playback theatre engenders empathy and community in both the performers and the audience members.

This workshop will begin with active physical and vocal warmups that prepare the performer's instrument for flexible and spontaneous expression. Following the warm up, ensemble building games will create a safe environment for risk taking, creative expression. Participants will be introduced to the philosophy of playback theatre and given a brief background of its development. Further exercises in collaboratively creating short theatre pieces will prepare participants to fully "play back" feelings, experiences and stories of other participants.

The workshop is designed to be a fully self-contained experience that will offer participants an experience of using their performance skills in service to others. The essential skills of collaboration and ensemble will be emphasized and may serve conference participants as an alternative and complementary perspective to theatre making as a highly competitive sport.

Playback Theatre values the development of community, and is often successful at transforming groups of strangers into a community of neighbors.

For all experience levels