International Playback Theatre Network

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Playback Theatre Essays

Lectures from the Kassel Symposium

  • Anna Chesner, Dramatherapie, Psychodrama und PT: drei dramatische Modalitäten in der Gruppentherapie, 1997. A comparison of three active approaches to group work. 27 pages
  • Fe Day, How do I know who/where I am until I hear what I say?, 1997. An approach to understanding Playback work inspired by Jürgen Habermas's critical theory. 8 pages.
  • Heinrich Dauber, Tracing the Songlines-auf der Suche nach den Quellen des Playback Theaters [In Search of the Source of PT], 1997.An inquiry into Playback's relation to the modern European experience and the question of Playback and research.14 pages.
  • Daniel Feldhendler and Marlies Arping, Praxisaspekte aus dem Leben einer PT Gruppe [Practical Aspects of PT Company Life], 1997. A detailed account of the group life of a Playback Theatre company. 20 pages.
  • Folma Hoesch, Geschichtenerzählen als Prozess [The Process of Storytelling], 1997. An essay arguing for Playback as a healing process, drawing on process-oriented psychology.18 pages.
  • Hans Joss. Warum und wie wirkt Playback? [Why and How does Playback work?], 1997. An explanation of Playback's effectiveness using transactional analysis and psychodrama theory. 3 pages.
  • Tarquam McKenna, Layers of Meaning-Research and Playback Theatre: A Soulful Construct, 1997.An argument for Playback asethnographic research.19 pages.
  • Jozsef Paradi, Playback Work with Dreams, 1997. An account of the author's experience using Playback in dream work.
  • Linda Park-Fuller, Re-Valuing the Oral Tradition in Higher Education: PT in the Academy, 1997.A description of a new initiative in higher education.14 pages.
  • Deborah Pearson, Playback Theatre-A Vehicle for Social Intervention, 1997 Playback's effectiveness in settings of social tension, with specific examples from the author's experience. 9 pages.
  • Synne Platander, In Search of Encounter-the Playback approach, 1997. A theoretical basis for Playback, drawing on Moreno, Buber, and the avantgarde theatre.11 pages.
  • Asha Richard, Rituale, Räume, Zwischenräume, Dauer im PT [Rituals, Space, the In-Between Spaces, and Timing in PT], 1997.A description of the place of ritual in the stages of a Playback Theatre performance. 26 pages.
  • Jo Salas, What is "good" Playback Theatre?, 1997. An essay arguing that a high standard in Playback performance requires a balance of art and social interaction. 24 pages.
  • Ingeborg Vonholt, Playback Theater - Die Bedeutung des PT als Medium der interkulturellen Kommunikation [PT as a Medium of Intercultural Communication], 1997.PT as communication, drawing on the theory of Watzlawick and others. 17 pages.
  • Andras Zankay, Psychological analysis of interpersonal and intrapsychic processes, making Playback effective, 1997. An argument that Playback stories often reflect key moments of change in the teller's life. 5 pages.

Miscellaneous Playback Theatre Articles

  • Daniel Feldhendler, Mise en scène d'histoire de vie [Playing Stories from Life] Le français dans le monde, Vanves, France, 1997.General introduction to Playback work.
  • Jonathan Fox, Die inszenierte persönliche Geschichte im Playback-Theater [Dramatized Personal Story in Playback Theater] Psychodrama: Zeitschrift für Theorie und Praxis, Germany, 1991.General introduction to Playback work.
  • Mary Good, The Playback Conductor or How many arrows will I need? unpublished essay, Australia, 1986.Analysis of the roles of the conductor, referring to transcribed performance.
  • Henk Hofman, Over terugspeeltheater als werkvorm binnen training en opleiding [Playback Theatre as an action method in training and education for organizations] Capita Selecta, Kluwer Bedrijfsinformatie, Deventer, Holland, 1997.Introduction to PT in organizational development.
  • Ingeborg Meyer [Vonholt], Playbacktheater: Theater aus dem Bauch [Playback Theater: Theater from the Gut) Pädextra, Germany, 1991. General introduction to Playback work.
  • Linda Park-Fuller, Playback Theatre and psychooncology: performed ethnography in the arena of health care Unpublished lecture, Chicago, IL, USA, 1997. Playback performance as a research tool in community health
  • Jo Salas, Culture and community: Playback Theater The Drama Review, Cambridge, MA, USA, 1983. General introduction to Playback work.
  • Jo Salas, Music in Playback Theater, The Arts in Psychotherapy, New York, NY, USA, 1992. About music for Playback.
  • Hanna Slawinska, W co sie bawic: Rzecz o Teatrze Playback [What to Play: a piece on Playback Theatre]. Lipiec-Sierpien, Poland, 1997. General introduction to Playback work.

Essays for the School of Playback Theater

  • Lauren Ardman, Some thoughts about spontaneity from a former skeptic, 2000.
  • Marlies Arping, Playback als mündliches Theater, 1994. German translation of chapter 4, Acts Of Service. German.12 pages.
  • Donna Breeden, Dealing With Death: A Personal Journey Of Healing, 1995.A personal account of using theatre to deal with loss, with special reference to high school students. 45 pages.
  • Cymbeline Buhler, Form and fulfillment: character development in playback and scripted theatre, 2000.
  • Lauren Burgess, PT: An Alternative To Individual Counseling, 1996. About the potential for Playback in a developing country to deal with social and personal problems. 11 pages.
  • Laurel Carangelo, PT and The Politics Of Difference, 1995. A critique of Playback's tendency towards integration and agreement, and an argument for allowing difference drawn largely from recent feminist theory. 81 pages.
  • Debe Edden, Unravelling Words and Weaving Images: Finding the Emerging Story in a PT Performance, 1998.Analysis of stories in a performance, including interviews with audience members afterwards.
  • Daniel Feldhendler, PT Between Theater And Psychodrama: The Integration Of My Work, 1994. A description of an academic's intellectual transition towards Playback work and a concept of "open dramaturgy." 7 pages.
  • Hannah Fox, The elements of ritual theatre, 2000.
  • Anna Kay France, Working with hospice, 2000.
  • Karin Gisler, Saying Yes, 1995. An illustrated essay on the many-faceted sources of affirmation found in Playback, with special reference to the conductor, actor, and audience. 70 pages.
  • Pam Gold, The integration of playback theatre and expressive arts therapy as prevention, 2000.
  • Sarah Halley, Issues In Organizations That Lend Themselves To A Playback Approach, 1997. An argument for Playback's usefulness in private sector trainings, particularly with the "learning organization" and diversity. 19 pages.
  • Tomokazu Haneji, What PT did provide, Experience through Playback at four institutions for mental disorders, 1998.
  • Annette Henne, Theater Zur Inneren Freiheit, 1994. A poetic description of Playback's essence. English/German. 2 pages.
  • Isabella Herskovics, Die Kunst der schauspielerischen Darstellung im PT und im professionellen Theater, [Performing Art in PT and professional theatre], 1998. How PT practice might benefit from more attention to the classical Western theatre tradition.
  • Toni Horvatin, In Search Of The Healing Theatre Of Ancient Greece, 1994. Examines ancient Greek culture for roots of Playback Theatre. 11 pages.
  • Hiroko Ishii, The comparative study of rituals seen in Playback Theatre and Japanese Tea Ceremony, 1998.
  • Kate Kantor, How to nurture creativity in teaching improvisation, 1998. What the author has learned in many years of teaching experience.
  • Mimi Katzenbach, The Face Of The Story: A Unifying Psychology For The Art Of PT, 1994. Critical of an overly psychological understanding of Playback, this essay draws on the ideas of Jungian author James Hillman to put forth a theory of imaginative "ensoulment."
  • Päivi Ketonen, Processing A Performance, 1994. Detailed evaluation of one conductor's performance. 9 pages.
  • Jennifer Lloyd, Listening With Our Hearts: Working With The Terminally III, 1996. How Playback can play a role in hospice care. 39 pages.
  • Orla McKeagney, The Contribution PT can make to the Northern Ireland Situation, 1998.Experience of a mixed PT company of Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland.
  • Elizabeth Muckley, PT For The Working Actor, 1995.A discussion of Playback's potential usefulness in training the professional actor.17 pages.
  • Kayo Munakata, PT For Japanese People, 1995. How Playback may provide a modern source for "amae" or emotional oneness, which lies at the heart of traditional Japanese culture. English and Japanese.15 pages.
  • Veronica Needa, Beijing Opera And PT: Crossing The Bridge, 1995. An illustrated primer on this traditional form. 24 pages.
  • Robert Osborne, Playback theatre: A mythic cauldron for the artist's soul, 2000.
  • Jozsef Paradi, Playback Work with Dreams, 1995. A theoretical and practical discussion. 6 pages.
  • Sisko Peltoniemi, Ruumülla Kuuleminen Tarinateatterinäyttämöllä, Listening with the Body on the Stage of PT, 1997. The centrality of sensory communications in Playback, based on the work of Merleau-Ponty. Finnish, with English summary. 22 pages.
  • Martha Perkins, Fabrics in PT: An Enchanting Bridge to Profound Experience, 1996.A discussion of the therapeutic impact of color and texture in Playback Theatre. 21 pages.
  • Synne Platander, Oyeblikkets Teater: Storytelling Med Helbredende Effekt, 1994.Describes the basis for a healing theatre, drawing on Moreno's concepts of spontaneity and catharsis. Norwegian, summary in English.12 pages.
  • Airi Pyykkö, PT In The Crisis Group For Women, 1995. A study of Playback as treatment of choice in small group therapy. 42 pages.
  • Kimberly Rattley, Using PT To Explore African American Identity, 1997.Account of a Playback performance project at Howard University.15 pages.
  • Asha Richard, Rituale, Räume, Zwischenräume und Dauer, [Rituals, Space, the In-Between Spaces, and Timing in PT], 1997.A description of the place of ritual in Playback. German with English summary. 26 pages.
  • Jennifer Salimbene, The Use Of Psychodrama And PT In The Treatment Of Addictions, 1995.A theoretical discussion of the appropriateness of Playback in addictions counseling, with some case studies. 30 pages.
  • Satoru Kajiura, Stage effects and possibility of acting and a trial in playback theatre performance, 2000.
  • Robert Scherbach, PT ist der direkte Zugriff ins Herz, 1997. A personal account of Playback's impact on the author. German.14 pages.
  • Justin Simons, Ethics and the Contract in Playback Theatre, 2000.A discussion of ethical questions relating to playback theatre.
  • Stephen Snow, The place of personal story in the healing ritual of playback theatre, 2000.
  • Klaus-Werner Stangier, In the short you find the heart, 2000.
  • John Stevenson, The Fourth Wall And The Third Space, 1995. A discussion of the meaning of the teller/conductor space on the Playback stage. 8 pages.
  • Annie Stirling, Saying "Yes" To Choice: Acceptance, Repair Or Transformation?, 1994. A practical description of a therapeutically-oriented Playback approach. 25 pages.
  • Judy Swallow, Health and Healing For The Playback Actor, 1994.
  • Kyoko Tanaka, Can Playback Theater Be Today's Storytelling?, 1996.An argument for Playback as a new form of an old Japanese tradition and what it can do for society. Japanese and English.16 pages.
  • Marianne Tobler, Rollenwahl-Lust und Qual (Role Selection-Frustration And Pleasure), 1995 An analysis of the choice process in Playback and its healing potential, with reference to psychodrama and process-oriented psychology. English and German. 19 pages.
  • Sarah Urech, Woven Together By Love: Company Life In PT, 1996. On the importance of Playback company members being in loving relation with one another, based on interviews with four companies. 35 pages.
  • Timothy Van Ness, Leadership In PT Companies: The'Director' Approach And The'Group Consensus' Approach, 1994.The author compares his experience in PT companies with different leadership models. 20 pages.
  • Lori Wynters, Toward a Pedagogy of Inclusivity: Building Community in the College Classroom Through the Action Methods of Psychodrama and PT, 1996. A Research Project on Playback as a Vehicle for Learning, Focussing on Action Methods, Multiple Intelligence Theory, and Inclusive Pedagogy, 197 pages.