ONLINE COURSE OFFERINGS
NYSPT courses have been designed to provide a broad range of instruction to reflect the needs, backgrounds and interests of our students. We offer several discounts which can be found when you register for courses. NYSPT courses work in compliance with the Centre for Playback Theatre's course curriculum.
In response to COVID-19, all courses are online until further notice.
Before enrolling, please check the course prerequisites below.
Dec. 4, 2021
Online
Sliding Scale Pricing
$75-$25 USD
Celebrating Community: Stories of Black, Indigenous, People of Color
Randy Mulder & Rosalyn Smith-Stover
Celebrating Community is an opportunity for BIPOC folks to remember, share, and honor our stories through Playback Theatre. We understand that as a person of color sharing some truths can be like navigating an obstacle course. How much can I tell? How real can I be? Will the performers be able to enact the nuances I am referencing? Will they get me?
As 2021 comes to a close, let's gather in community to hold space for one another, reflect on the year behind us, and set intentions for our future. Through Playback, we’ll witness and play back our individual and collective stories of trial, triumph and trajectory.
This course is for people who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC).
Prerequisite: Some practical experience with Playback Theatre or a willingness to review materials in preparation for the workshop.
Sep. 18/19 & Oct. 2/3 2021
Online
Sliding Scale Pricing
$595-$250 USD
Core Training
Debe Edden
Getting a strong start in Playback Theatre means taking enough time to immerse yourself in the rich atmosphere and dynamics of the Playback experience. In this four-day intensive, you’ll 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.
August 21,22, 2021
Online
Sliding Scale Pricing
$300-$200 USD
Reaching Across the Sea:
Playback Theatre in Multicultural Spaces
Michael Cheng and Andrea Sandoval
In today’s online Playback Theatre performances, our audiences are more and more global and multicultural. It is critical that we build skills for understanding the cultural underpinnings of a teller’s story as best we can and avoid seeing the story only through our own cultural lens.
The interactions in a Playback space are profoundly influenced by culture and history. Who has more privilege? Who is more likely to speak? Where are possible tensions? Who has less agency to share? How does culture influence our understanding of what a story is? How does it influence the way we tell stories?
In this workshop, we will explore together how appreciation of cultural differences and respect for individual differences can enhance our work, both online and in person. We will share our wisdom in learning to account for cultural differences in the telling and understanding of oral narratives. We will build ways together in preparing for online shows, listening deeper to the essence of stories, and build intercultural understanding in performances.
Prerequisites: Core Training or equivalent*
One year with an active company or 40 hours of practice
August 6,7,8, 2021
Online
$325 USD
What the Stories Tell
Jonathan Fox
In this workshop, Jonathan will offer new understanding about how meaning emerges in PT stories. Through active exercises and analyzing the narrative reticulation, students will learn how to appreciate what has already been told and how to guide the stories to come. For conductors, actors, and musicians.
Prerequisites: Core Training and Conducting
3 Separate Groups
June 19
July 17
August 14
Online
Sliding Scale Pricing
$30-$20 USD/per group
Practice Groups
NYSPT Faculty
Our practice groups are virtual gyms where participants can stretch and build strength in all of the Playback areas including acting, conducting, playing music, deep listening, ensemble building, story construction, etc. These groups are open to NYSPT current students or those who have Playback experience and wish to interact with the NYSPT global Playback community. They will be overseen by NYSPT faculty who will provide constructive feedback to groups and individuals (when requested).
Prerequisite: Core Training or equivalent*
*One year with an active company or 40 hours of practice
July 9, 10, 11, 2021
Online
$425 USD
Embodied Meaning: The Art of the Playback Actor
Hannah Fox
Playback Theatre actors are trained to be ensemble players, deep listeners, articulate in their body and voice, and offer both bold and nuanced choices on stage. In this three-day workshop, we will hone the art of Playback acting, focusing on both short forms and the long Story form. We will explore the artistic freedom of the teller’s actor, as well their responsibility to reflect the story as it was told. We will also play with the role of the “ninja” or auxiliary actors, practicing how to say “yes” to offers, draw upon metaphor, make clear and creative choices, and uncover the heart of the story. Using fun and challenging exercises, students will learn how to recognize and respond to their sense of space, rhythm and timing as well as how to begin and end a Playback story with confidence. Although there will be a special emphasis on online Playback acting, many of the fundamental Playback acting principles are still relevant.
Prerequisite: Core Training or equivalent*
*One year with an active company or 40 hours of practice
June 12/13 & 26/27, 2021
Online
$645 USD
Conducting the Story, The Group, and the Event
Jo Salas
A skillful conductor knows how to bring out the important stories that are waiting to be heard in all their richness and wisdom. In this workshop, for both new and experienced Playback Theatre conductors, we will explore the many facets of this demanding role, including how to to listen for the heart of the story and explore the resonances within the audience. We'll consider the importance of language, the potency of silence, honoring the Playback ritual, and how to create an inclusive space for dialogue, which includes the art of warming up the audience. We¹ll also be telling our own stories, acting, and playing music.
Prerequisite: Core Training or equivalent*
*One year with an active company or 40 hours of practice
March 6,7, 2021
Online
Sliding Scale Pricing
$300-$75 USD
Promoting Social Justice with Playback Theatre
Leticia Nieto
This interactive workshop will invite moments of clarity and challenge around social justice. Through the body and personal story we will practice informing social change using Playback Theatre and informing Playback Theatre using anti-oppression lenses. We will oscillate between experience and analysis with a focus on building musculature for sustained engagement in social justice in our skills and performance work.
Prerequisite: Core Training or practical knowledge of Playback Theatre is recommended.