The Experience of Change within Playback Theatre: Between the Individual and the Community—as Exemplified by Local Practices
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/SPI.2025.4.003Keywords
Playback Theatre, dramatherapy, social performance, community theatre, transformationAbstract
The article examines the experience of change in Playback Theatre, understood as a process situated between individual experience and the communal dimension. It explores the psychological, ritual, and social aspects of this phenomenon, with particular focus on local practices in Kraków. An interdisciplinary perspective, encompassing performance theory, dramatherapy, Moreno’s psychodrama, and approaches characteristic of community-based theatre, was adopted. The text draws on available literature, as well as case studies and participant observation from two Kraków-based playback groups: Ukrainian Playback Theatre and Playback Theatre Esperanto.
The article first discusses the historical and theoretical context of Playback Theatre, then analyzes participants’ individual transformation processes, and finally focuses on the role of community and dialogue with the Other. It demonstrates that Playback Theatre activities foster emotional closeness and the reinterpretation of experiences, while also creating a platform for integration, solidarity, and cross-cultural communication.
The main conclusion highlights the potential of Playback Theatre as a tool for community development and for supporting work with refugees and culturally diverse groups. At the same time, the article encourages further research into local practices, which can provide valuable insights into the transformations of community in the contemporary world.
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