Mullumbimby
Cape Byron Playback Theatre Company is going strong after a
decade of providing a forum for people to reflect on and witness
the stories that connect us, that move us, that make us laugh
and that inspire us. Where do you love? Where do you live? Are
heart and place the same thing? Attention to place brings depth
and meaning to our lives, and provides an opportunity for the
heart to open and create. At the same time, our heartfelt experiences
are often strongly linked to a sense of place. When we put our
heart into something, what happens? Is there somewhere in your
life where heart and place meet? Join us in sharing your stories
and witness them as they are played back by the actors and musicians
through improvised movement, voice and music.
Playback performance is a theatrical reflection of a story
told. There is no set script, audience members are invited to
tell stories, moments, tragedies or dreams from their lives.
Actors play the different roles and the story is recreated with
acting, music, vocalisation and movement. Playback breaks down
the barrier between actors and audience. It is truly malleable
and spontaneous theatre, with the skill of the actors and musicians
facilitating a unique theatre experience not possible in conventional,
more formal theatre.
It
was created by American psychodramatist Jonathan Fox, who developed
the idea of a spontaneous theatre that reflected back to a gathered
audience their view of the world as they experienced it. In
a Playback Theatre event someone in the audience tells a story
from their life, chooses actors to play the different roles,
then watches as their story is given artistic shape and coherence.
The telling and acting of these stories becomes a conversation
that enables a community to get to know itself better.
