Have you experienced some Playback Theatre and now want to dig deeper into this amazing art form? In this intensive, we will learn the ritual format of a Playback Theater performance that empowers us to listen and playback people’s true stories in an engaging and respectful way. This way of doing improv/theatre grows community and connects us through empathy and understanding. It’s challenging, creative, fun and meaningful.

In the first half of this intensive we will explore Playback short forms used to play back shorter stories. Then in the afternoon, we will delve into how to perform longer stories.

A big part of playback theatre is listening. You will practice listening to stories in a way that helps you to know how to play them back. Another important aspect of Playback is that it is not just a literal re-enactment of the story. It also includes metaphorical elements. There will be opportunities to try out various ways of using verbal and physical metaphor to play back stories.

During the intensive, all students will be invited to tell true stories, as well as try a variety of techniques to perform someone else’s story. Many aspects of creativity will be included-- improvised scenes, character monologues, metaphor, movement, music and poetry.

While some stories will be funny, the focus is not on comedy. There can be stories that are serious, amusing, life changing or ordinary.

If you took one of the Rise or Flipside Playback workshops, this will offer you an expansion of skills that you have learned so far. There will also be a lot of new strategies that you will get to try out. Come play as we explore more Playback Theatre!

There will be two 3-hour sections with an hour for lunch in the middle. (There are many options near Flipside, including Whole Foods and Panera... or BYO.)

If you wish to take the intensive but have no experience with Playback Theatre, please contact the instructor at roseygwaters@gmail.com.

ROSEY WATERS has been a professional actor, improvisor and teaching artist for over 35 years. She was a member of Boulder Playback Theatre for 4 years and since 2019 has been director and actor with Red Thread Playback Theater, an international online company. Rosey has been trained in Playback, including workshops with Playback co-founders, Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas. As an instructor, her teaching credits include: Playback classes for high school students and co-teaching an international online class, “Acting Tools for Playbackers”. In 2022 and 2023, she facilitated in-person full day workshops for Cork Playback Theater in Ireland. She was selected and presented a workshop about “Finding the Deeper Story” at the International Playback Theater Network’s conference in South Africa in 2023.

Done in over 80 countries, Playback Theatre was developed in 1979 by teacher, actor and innovator Jonathan Fox and his partner Jo Salas.

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