Improvising Real Life: Personal Story in Playback Theatre

In a Playback Theatre performance audience members tell true stories about their lives and a team of actors improvises theatre pieces on the spot. First developed in 1975 in upstate New York Playback Theatre is now practiced around the world in theatres schools refugee camps prisons governmental departments--wherever people have stories to tell. Improvising Real Life: Personal Story in Playback Theatre written by Playbacks cofounder Jo Salas is the basic text used by new and seasoned Playback practitioners trainers and university teachers. The photo-illustrated book describes the origins practice and philosophy of Playback Theatre. Entertaining and thoughtful Improvising Real Life is illustrated with dozens of real-life stories told in performances and workshops. It has been translated into German Japanese Spanish Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) Portuguese Russian Hebrew and Korean (forthcoming). The 20th Anniversary edition includes a foreword by Roberto Gutiérrez Varea from Theatre Without Borders and co-founder of the Performing Arts and Social Justice Program at the University of San Francisco as well as an afterword by the author with comments on Playbacks current development.