Improvising Real Life: Personal Story in Playback Theatre, written by one of its creators, describes the origins, practice and philosophy of Playback Theatre. Improvising Real Life is illustrated with dozens of real-life stories told in performances and workshops. Includes 15 photos and a glossary of playback terms.
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"A basic operating manual for anyone who works with expressive therapies, role play, storytelling. Jo Salas's language is as direct and evocative as a Playback Theatre episode. Study this book, use it!" -- Robin Larsen, PhD, co-author, A Fire in the Mind: The Life of Joseph Campbell
"Readers concerned with story and theatre will find much of interest in this clearly and simply written account, which combines some of the elements of a how-to manual with reflection and theory." -- Parabola Magazine
"This is a must-read book not only for theatre artists, but for educators and social service professionals interested in the arts as a tool toward both self-expression and community building." -- Mady Schutzmann, Co-Editor, Playing Boal: Theatre, Therapy, Activism--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Author Jo Salas is a founding member of the original company and now teaches playback internationally.
Jo Salas is a New Zealand-born writer living in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. She is the co-founder, with her husband Jonathan Fox, of Playback Theatre (www.playbacktheatre.org), an original form of interactive theatre in which personal stories are told by audience members and enacted on the spot.
Her first book, Improvising Real Life: Personal Story in Playback Theatre, grew out of the desire to support the increasing numbers of people who wanted to learn and use Playback Theatre. Accessible, thoughtful, and full of stories, the book describes Playback Theatre's origins and practices. It's been reprinted several times since 1993, and translations have been published in Germany, Japan, Brazil, Uruguay, Taiwan, Russia, and Israel.
Working with children in residential treatment inspired a later book, Do My Story, Sing My Song: Music Therapy and Playback Theatre with Troubled Children. Written for general readers as well as professionals, it tells the stories of a number of remarkable young people and what happened when they became involved in the arts.
With Leslie Gauna, Jo Salas co-edited Half of My Heart/La Mitad de Mi Corazón, a bilingual, photo-illustrated collection of stories told by immigrants about their lives. Half of My Heart grew out of an ongoing project in which Hudson River Playback Theatre (www.hudsonriverplayback.org) provides opportunities for immigrants to find a public voice.
Jo continues to write frequently about Playback Theatre. She is a contributor to Telling Stories to Change the World, Current Approaches in Drama Therapy, and other volumes.
This is not a study book, anyone interested in light reading but with interest in playback theatre or searching to expand their psychodrama-techniques repertoire, should read this easy to read book. The feeling of a playback theatre performance touches you while reading, you have read the book in two hours but will grab it several times to refind the inspiration of it. If you are realy looking for a studies and more comprehensive book on the subject try "acts of service, spontanaity and commitment in improvisational theatre" " of J Fox, if not try this one first
I first read Improvising Real Life some years ago and have since then often recommended it to or bought it for others embarking on Playback Theatre. The book not only gives a clear, practical, comprehensible and comprehensive account of PT method, practice and philosophy, but has continued to be a guide and source of inspiration to me throughout my playback journey. The more I know about playback, the more the book opens my eyes. I can recommend it unreservedly to anyone looking for a guide and support in their Playback practice, and will go on buying it for others myself. Acts of Service, J. Fox, is also highly recommended as a rich source of insight into Playback Theatre and non-scripted theatre in general.
