Mind the Gap: Social Awareness in Playback Theatre

About the workshop

10-11 May 2025, Oslo, Norway

Are you ready to deepen your practice and broaden your perspective as a Playback Theatre practitioner? Join us for an inspiring workshop that addresses the gap between psychological and sociological awareness in Playback Theatre.

Why Focus on Social Awareness?

In Playback Theatre, we hear unique, personal stories, and sometimes those stories have universal themes that resonate deeply with our audiences. But in every audience there sits another kind of story, waiting to be told. Those are the stories shaped by the teller’s social identities and the social forces that have shaped their lives.

Those narratives are not just personal but nor are they universal. They are instead the stories of only some of us (Freeman and Halley). They are told by those whose voices are often not heard. They inhabit a unique space, reflecting contexts of inequality and injustice (such as racism and sexism), systemic disadvantage and collective trauma. 

What ethical considerations must we grapple with if our purpose includes the recognition of injustice and the amplification of excluded and silenced voices and communities? What kind of awareness, and what kind of creative approaches help us to embody those stories? And what does a commitment to social awareness mean for our practice, our companies and the Playback Theatre community? 

What We’ll Do Together

  • Work with the social dimensions of our own stories.
  • Delve into the concept and practice of sociological imagination.
  • Learn to identify and highlight the social contexts of stories, conducting and performing them in ways that are ethical, meaningful, aesthetically rich, and culturally sensitive.
  • Discover how Playback Theatre can amplify the voices of those "who suffer and are not heard" (Fox and Dauber, 1999).

Why Join?

Playback Theatre offers a space to explore challenging, complex and sensitive topics with creativity, empathy, and support. Together, we’ll create a nourishing environment where difficult questions and diverse narratives and skills can thrive!

Workshop Details

📅 Date & Time
📍 Location
🎟️ Registration