NEW YORK SCHOOL of
PLAYBACK THEATRE
2025 COURSE OFFERINGS
July 30 - August 1, 2025
Sliding Scale Pricing
$250-525 USD
Boughton Place,
Highland, NY
Core Training
Hannah Fox
Come learn the foundational principles, forms, applications of Playback Theatre! In this four-day intensive, you will learn the basics with lots of opportunities to practice. The fundamental Playback forms will be taught—fluid sculptures, pairs, stories, tableau and more. Each student will have a chance to try the roles of conductor and musician as well as actor. Everyone will tell and enact stories together, in the spirit of fun and fellowship. Designed for new and relatively new students.
SELECTED LIST of PAST COURSES
Active Conducting
Advanced Conducting is an opportunity for the experienced conductor to delve deeper into this delicate and complex role. The course will focus on the warmup phase and the use of sociometry, conducting the primary forms (short and long), eliciting stories from the audience and interviewing the teller, dealing with challenging tellers, and how to pay attention to the emerging connection between stories. Learning to implement the attributes of Narrative Reticulation to increase the efficacy of the performance and gaining exposure to basic techniques of trauma-informed conducting will also be included. Students can bring specific conducting questions and challenges to the group and will have ample opportunities to practice. This course will focus on skills needed for both in-person and online Conducting.
The Art of Playback Acting & Performance
Playback Theatre acting is unique: we work in both literal and abstract realms; we train to be improv actors and deep listeners; we strive to be articulate in our bodies and voices; and we endeavor to make both bold and nuanced choices on stage. In this 2 ½ day workshop, we will hone the art of Playback acting, focusing on both short forms and the long Story form. We will engage our spontaneity to access presence, expressiveness, and a sense of freedom, balanced with the collective responsibility to reflect the story as it is told. We’ll learn the particular tasks of the teller’s actor and the “ninja” or auxiliary actors and practice essential skills of saying “yes” to offers, drawing on metaphor, bringing in the social dimension, and uncovering the heart of the story.
The Heart of the Playback Method: Long-Story Form
Perhaps some of Playback's new narrative forms are easier to work with, but nothing replaces the original long-story form in its richness, complexity, and impact. Are you using the full power of the long-story form in your Playback work? Do you work on its important elements--conductor's interview, ritualized setting-up, improvised enactment, including ensemble acting, and acknowledgment? In this short workshop Playback Theatre's co-founder will teach you how to up your game - and your performances - with long-story enactments.
Advanced Practice
This Level 3 course is designed to bring your knowledge and practical skills to the level needed for Playback Theatre Leadership. We will address advanced issues in conducting and acting, with time to practice each of these roles, as well as the role of musician. Conducting practice will include the art of warming up any audience so they are ready to tell stories; choosing forms; and embracing stories that may not be easy to tell. We’ll also explore other topics such as recruiting and training company members, the practical issues that come up in running a group, and our social responsibility as practitioners. Participants are welcome to come with specific questions from your own Playback Theatre work.
