ABSTRACT
A playshop is an experience where the Playback artists and theater practitioners hold space for community members to come and experiment with different elements of Playback theater. Participants were only prepared to be open to telling stories with movement. Participants were informed they would create a small community together; they did not know the full scope of Playback. Participants would arrive, be individually greeted and welcomed to the space by the Playback players. Players are expanding peripheral vision and the ability to feel the energy. Whoever feels inclined moves first. They walk neutrally toward the audience down to centerstage -about two or three feet in front of the other players. The conductor’s role as a bridge between the players and the audience holds a crucial place in playshops and performances. The conductor does a lot to help set the tone and tenor of the groupings and incite wondering, curiosity, trust, and build the muscle of imagination.
