Playback Theatre for social impact:
stories and practical tips

Available to PNA members as a free download (or discounted 170-page paperback edition).
Go to your membership benefits page to access them. (If you can’t find your benefits page, please contact us.)
Contents include:
PART 2: PLAYBACK ADDRESSING ISSUES
-Mental health (Red Threads of Peace Playback Theatre, Winnipeg, MB)
-Anti-oppression work (Poetic Justice Ensemble, Port Townsend, WA)
-Response to community trauma with Houston Playback Theatre (Houston, TX)
-Playback and climate crisis with Living Mirror Playback (Tampa, FL)
-Historical trauma and intergroup conflict (Living Arts Playback, Oakland, CA)
PART 3: PLAYBACK SERVING DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS
-Playback talk backs after shows (Creative Action Playback Theater, Troy, NY)
-Community service (Playback Memphis, Memphis, TN)
-Oral histories (The Living Histories Ensemble, Montréal, Québec)
-Using Playback in training: standing up to bigotry (True Story Theater, Arlington, MA)
PART 4: BUILDING A SOCIAL IMPACT PROGRAM
PART 5: RELATED SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
PART 6: CONTEXT
“In this greatly insightful book into Playback Theatre’s potential for social impact provides the reader with understanding and tools for doing this kind of work. Even though the stories are from the U.S. and Canada, it can be useful for anyone who wants to do Playback Theatre for social impact.”
-Jori Linnamäki, President of International Playback Theatre Network
“As a long-time Playback director committed to social impact work, I’m delighted by this book. Particularly helpful are the case studies of companies that specialize in work with different populations, and the short guide on how to evaluate social impact.”
-Joan Lipkin, Artistic Director, That Uppity Theatre Company
“This is a clear, accessible road map to the evolving landscape of Playback Theatre. It illuminates the power of how much more Playback can be than is sometimes perceived. A tremendous contribution to the field, it will support practitioners and companies alike to take their Playback work to the next level, responsibly.”
-Zhaleh Almaee & Marc Weinblatt, Poetic Justice Ensemble, Port Townsend, WA
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