2016? Here’s some of the ‘stand outs’ for our ensemble
Newbies, oldies, great music, laughter and tears. What a great year it’s been. Best bits for me included the Playback Jam in Wollongong and our recent work with the Arts Health institute in Robertson. – Catherine
The highlight this year would have to be the Greek Community Mental Health Show at Hurstville. We were so nervous before the show because as we went in for our warm up we saw that they were all older Greek people (Yayas and Papous) all talking away in Greek and we were thinking“ what if we can’t understand them “ or “what if they just stare at us and don’t say anything because they think Playback is strange”. OMG they were the most generous and emotional group we have ever met. They were so excited they were talking over each other in Greek, so many conversations going back and forth across the room the translator couldn’t keep up, and floods of tears and laughter. A butcher, who happened by on his lunch break, told a heartrending story about his struggle to connect with his son, and the room was thick with the deepest feeling. One Yaya – she must have been 85 – got up and recited an incredible poem in Greek about a bird losing its wings. There was stamping and cheering at the end and we left with both our hearts and our heads spinning. An amazing and fulfilling experience! – Steve
I think I would call this year in PB an invigorating year. Starting with 3 new members joining and adding fresh energy and engagement. Some previous held beliefs around engagement changed with a powerful core shift in how we manage and navigate strong emotion inside the group and in performance.We are working on a new website and we are exploring new costumes and new beautiful wooden boxes made (to replace our red plastic ones). We have had some interesting commissioned work this year moving past only performance to training and development and the Role Plays on Open Disclosure being on top of the list due to their dynamic nature. We had an Open Rehearsal which was fantastic as there was a broad mix of people and the meeting of us all on the night was very playful, energetic and authentic – just the best of what PB can offer. – Johanna
The joy and privilege of doing a performance for ‘Play Up‘ with whom we share a commitment to listening and honoring the people we work with. Welcoming 3 new members to the company and being enlivened by their energy. Managing, at times poorly, an inter-company conflict that was bruising and difficult and that has made us rethink the way we manage and reflect strong intense emotion. Continuing our long wrestle with finding ways of giving feedback that encourage an ‘opening up’ rather than a ‘shutting down’. The joy of wonderful moments and stories shared at our public performances. – Michael
2016 has been quite a tumultuous year for many and Playback had its fair share. Early in the year we welcomed three new members and it has been a period of great growth and learning. It’s always wonderful to welcome new members – it ensures we go back to the beginning with a focus on the fundamentals of Playback, the rules and rituals and the reasons for. New members also encourage us to challenge conventions and look to new ways to refine and define who we are, what we do and they way in which we go about not only Playback as a form, but also our company life. Bring on 2017! – Lucinda
It has been playful, anxiety-filling and incredibly fulfilling being a newbie in the Playback arena and embracing in the trust medicine that playback has to offer. I have learnt of the power of communicate through metaphor and physicality and excited to enhance these skills in 2017. – Samantha
An exciting year for Playback. I got more heavily involved with training and conducting. We had an exciting and challenging Express yourself 8-week workshop, where we got to train a whole team from a leading marketing company. I was super excited to be involved in an important role-playing job with the NSW Dept of Health working on the great topic of medical Open Disclosure. So happy to know that our skills as improvised actors contribute to the training of this positive change in Healthcare. – Thanassis
2016 has been one of internal and external upheaval and this is what is exciting about this year. Change is good even on bumpy rides or Trump elections! It’s always nourishing to have Playback feed the creative and emotional soul. Thank you for listening. – Pas