i saw Playback down at Gasworks i think a few years back with Zeena, and then we went again last year. Zeena loves their work and persuaded me to come originally. i didn’t need any persuading the second time around. The performers bring audience stories to life in a series of structured improvisational activities, which is a clumsy way to say they act out stories from the audience.

i like the way the MC / conductor draws out the narrative threads, and then quickly throws it to the performers with a kind of code word. “Let’s do this as an escalating singalong” (or something). They always begin with easy things like ‘tell us about your day’.. and gradually move into the more involved stories.

At their April show, there were some good stories including one about an out-of-body experience.

The one that got me was an English woman who had just moved to Australia 6 months ago with her family, was feeling ungrounded and disoriented, not sure what to do next in her life, and was missing her daughter back in the UK. She didn’t give much detail for the players to work with, but they crafted a lovely piece. At the moment where her daughter called on the phone i felt the tears coming, and as i was sitting next to her husband i could hear him choking back the sobs too. (Then the slightly awkward bit after the show when you want to say something to them, but don’t quite manage it.)

So interesting to see the vulnerable bits of people’s lives played out in front of them. Part of the playback approach is to always do it with compassion, and that shows.

Links: Melbourne Playback.