Facilitation in Art: Playback Theater, Part 2

“There are many people, perhaps like the children segregated in that [orphanage] home, who are not always listened to. Even more numerous are the people whose stories in one way or another are too terrible for other to want to hear. If oppressed persons can be defined as those who have nowhere to tell their story, our mission has been to provide a space for anyone and everyone to be heard. There is a spiritual aspect to such a calling. ” (Acts of Service: Spontaneity, Commitment, Tradition in the Nonscripted Theater, Jonathan Fox)

Playback works through the creation of a sacred space and mood, through the distancing of the teller from his story (the teller does not enact), and through the artistic-aesthetic element that increases meaning. It works because we are called to experience on stage a variety of elements that most often remain separate. 

Facilitation in Art: Playback Theater, Part 1

Exploring the traditions of the region where I live -the Hudson Valley near Hudson – I have discovered that we are surrounded by the birthplaces of a  number of programs that play a part in the dynamics of personal and social change, such as Alternative to Violence Program, PsychoDrama and Playback Theater. I’m not an actor but I have something in common with the world of acting. Nonviolent Communication becomes real only when you are willing to role-play real-life situations. So exploring Playback Theater has offered me a natural amount of stretching from what is habitual. I have joined for a time the Playback Theater local group in which I knew most of the participants, starting from Roy and Elizabeth, the organizers.