Eugene's
Playback Theatre
captures life in
short vignettes
based on
personal stories.
Courtesy
Actors celebrate heroes
A Eugene theater has taken
to the Playback improv format,
in which actors act out real-life
persona! experiences
Mark Baylis
Pulse Reporter
Two essential ingredients exist at
the heart of any movement: heroes
and dialogue. Eugene Playback The
atre introduced its audience to both
concepts at a Downtown sidewalk
performance during Saturday’s
Earth Day Celebration. Under the
theme of “Superheroes in Our Com
munity,” the local troupe brought its
unique approach to live perform
ance to a small audience and mulling
passersby for an hour of interactive,
short-form improv.
The Playback Theatre format,
created by Jonathan Fox in New
York City in 1975, now enjoys popu
larity and success in more than 25
countries. Hannah Fox, daughter of
the original founder, started Eu
gene’s Playback Theatre in 1998.
During a Playback show, audi
ence members share a personal
story and watch as the actors spon
taneously recreate the event in skit
format. Sometimes comic, other
times abstract, the format’s stated
purpose is to honor and illuminate
the lives of individuals and commu
nity members by re-enacting their
personal experiences.
“It’s a tool to break the ice and
generate dialogue,” Playback actress
and Boldness Institute director Lola
Broomberg said. The Boldness Insti
tute is a Eugene nonprofit organiza
tion that provided the grant for Sat
urday’s performance.
“I’m not remotely interested in
any written scripts,” Broomberg
said. “I want to do things where peo
ple are telling stories from their lives.
... Playback gives us tools to speak
our own words, not someone else’s.”
Saturday’s group of five perform
ers, which included one conductor,
a musician and three actors, was a
scaled down version of the usual
eight-member troupe. Audience
members shared stories of impor
tant people in their own lives, then
sat and watched their stories unfold.
Such heroes included a gracious pas
tor, an older brother full of unsolicit
ed advice and a fur-ball family cat.
While most improv shows are
rooted in comedy, Playback’s actors
said they aren’t overly concerned
with getting a laugh.
“It’s nice to get people laughing
and enjoying themselves,” Playback
actor Jason Agar said. “But we real
ly try to take the essence of a per
son’s story and play it back for them,
funny or not.”
Broomberg agreed.
“It’s about making contacts,” she
said. “And not just superficial con
tact like at the store. But when you
can get a stranger to trade stories
with you, that’s a really beautiful in
timacy. I can’t think of anything else
I’d rather do.”
The show followed earlier perform
ances by the Teen Superheroes, a
group of teens trained by Broomberg
to act as superheroes. Each character
was developed with his or her own
personal mission, symbols, sound ef
fects and gimmicks. The group per
formed street theater on Saturday at
various locations.
Although the Playback shows
were not focused on the Earth Day
issues highlighting the day’s events,
Agar said the theme of “Heroes”
performed by both groups is an es
sential one in the environmental
movement.
“There is a lot that needs to hap
pen,” Agar said. “And there are a lot
of inspirational people doing in
spired things for the earth that need
to be done to keep this place sunny.”
Apart from regular public per
formances and shows at festivals and
celebrations, Playback Theatre ap
pears at schools, workshops, training
sessions and detention and recovery
centers. Upcoming shows include a
performance on Saturday at Cafe
Paradiso, located at 115 W. Broad
way, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $6-$10
on a sliding scale.
Contact the Pulse reporter
at markbaylis@dailyemerald.com.
HOME SWEET HOME.
LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY.
Make Every Day Earth Day.
Sponsored by: UO Environmental Issues
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