About this Event
A collaboration between Playback North America (PNA) and the New York School of Playback Theatre
In person!
Thurs 7/17 - Sat. 7/19, 9:30am-4:30pm
in Arlington, Massachusetts (a suburb of Boston)
Cost: $250-$350 sliding scale
See logistics details below.
After you register, be sure to fill out the .
Only 10 slots are left of 22 max, so if you are interested, register ASAP. [add link]Please only register if you commit to staying for the whole training.Once we reach the max, you’ll be added to a waiting list.
The Core Training is the fundamental class offered by Playback Theatre schools around the world. Are you looking to start or join a Playback performance company? Or have you been doing Playback, perhaps for years, but never took this basic course?
In this immersive experience for both new and experienced Playback performers, you can dig into the foundational principles, forms, and applications of Playback Theatre. In small and large groups, you will get to learn (or re-learn) and practice:
- The classic Playback forms: fluid sculptures, pairs, stories, tableau 3-part stories and chorus.
- The roles of actor, conductor and musician.
- The art of deep sharing and listening in Playback.
- Some of the artistic and ensemble skills that create compelling improvisational theatre.
- Some of the social activism and community-building applications of Playback Theatre
The class culminates in mini-performances offered by small groups that work together throughout the training. More experienced students are offered individual feedback and coaching as desired. An additional benefit of the training is building relationships with people from different Playback companies, and over meals getting to “talk shop” about the many joys and challenges of sustaining an ensemble.
“Taking Core Training with Hannah was an important part of my continuing to develop my craft as an experienced Playbacker. I enjoyed Hannah's spirit, welcoming presence, clarity, and generosity as a teacher, and was inspired by reconnecting to the original forms and sources of Playback.”
- Mary Elizabeth Wheeler (with 20 years of Playback experience)
A few logistics details:
- Arlington, MA is 20-40 minutes (depending on traffic) from Logan International Airport.
- We aim to find local hosts for any out-of-town participants who prefer a home stay instead of a hotel. Signups will be first-come-first-serve, available in May. Guests and hosts will work out their own arrangements for food costs.
- Lunch each day will be a potluck provided by local hosts (with guests sharing costs); breakfasts and dinners will be on your own or worked out between you and your hosts.
- In recent years the fee for in-person Core Training has been about $600 per person (plus hotel and meals out). We are committed to this training being more affordable–via recruiting the maximum participants (22), finding home hosts, and organizing potlucks.
About the trainer
Hannah Fox, M.A., APPT, RYT, is an accredited senior Playback Theatre trainer, co-director of the New York School of Playback Theatre and founder of Eugene Playback Theatre (1996), Big Apple Playback Theatre (2002), and Pangea Playback Theatre (2020), all professional multi-cultural Playback Theatre companies. Hannah has a special interest in using theatre and performance as a tool for promoting social justice as well as using movement and full embodiment to enact stories. Hannah is the daughter of the founders of Playback Theatre and the author of Zoomy Zoomy: Improv Games and Exercises for Groups (2010), as well as numerous other scholarly publications about Playback Theatre. Hannah is also a certified yoga teacher, dancer, and performance artist.
About the organizers and hostsThis event is a first-ever collaboration between Playback North America and the New York School of Playback. A robust volunteer group from PNA, True Story Theater (Arlington MA) and a newly-forming Playback company in Newton MA are organizing the event and making possible its lower cost.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Arlington, United States
USD 250.00 to USD 350.00