Playback Theatre Training Program 2.0

Playback Theatre is a form of improvisational theatre founded by Jo Salas and Jonathan Fox in the 1970s. At its core are the real-life stories of audience members (“tellers”). A conductor interviews the teller, and a group of actors and a musician immediately “play back” the story using structured improvisational forms. It is practiced worldwide in community spaces, schools, social justice settings, and theatres.

Playback Theatre trusts:

• The power of personal stories
• The power of collective witnessing
• The creation of temporary community through performance

Everyone who encounters Playback Theatre for the first time feels like it is magic: a teller shares a past memory, and moments later, the actors bring it to life on stage. However, any actor or conductor who has actually stepped onto the stage knows that the essence behind this "magic" lies in somatic deep listening and improvisational techniques that require repetitive training.

Some students have asked: "I’ve taken an introductory workshop and learned forms like Fluid Sculptures. Does that mean I’ve learned it?"

In the world of Playback, remembering the rules of a structural framework is only the first step. It is not a linear, check-the-box skill; rather, it is a form of "somatic muscle memory" that requires returning to the field again and again to rub against and feel the space.

Hearing the plot points of a story is simple, but understanding the tremor in a teller’s voice, the tension in their body, and the emotional core behind their words requires raw, live refinement over and over again.

Playback actors have no script on stage; their only reliance is on their teammates. This kind of "ensemble cohesion"—achieving split-second attunement, handing over absolute trust, and reaching deep physical synchronization within seconds—can only grow out of stable, repetitive group practice.

As we move into medium and long forms, the thickness of the narrative increases exponentially. Re-training helps us build a more solid psychological container and aesthetic distance to safely hold those complex, and sometimes traumatic, lived stories within our community.

Every re-training is a process of peeling away the socialized, mechanical response patterns of our daily lives, allowing our senses to become sharp again, and expanding our physical and improvisational narrative vocabulary.

Whether you are a returning student looking to consolidate your foundations and find your stage presence again, or a partner ready to more systematically explore the intersection of improvisation and narrative, this is an invitation to transition from a "participant" to an "ensemble."