About Us
- Hystory
- Palyback in Baltic Countries
- Our Trainers
- Playback Theater Practitioners
- Playback Theaters in Baltic
Playback Theater originated in the 1975, founded by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas in New York. It was born out of the desire to create a form of theater that directly engages with the experiences of its audience members. The concept is simple yet powerful: audience members share personal stories or experiences, and actors then spontaneously reenact these stories on stage.
Starting as a small experimental actor’s group, playback theater has evolved into an international network, uniting schools, theaters, and practitioners from different countries and continents. Now, almost 50 years since its inception, playback theater is represented in over 60 countries worldwide and continues to grow.
Today, it is not only a form of entertainment but also a tool for healing, empathy-building, and personal growth, used in a variety of settings including education, social research, healing, business, and social change initiatives. Annual conferences, camps, and seminars bring people from around the world together, creating a space for sharing personal stories and experiences. By integrating these, we subtly change the world for the better.
Playback Theater as worldwide movement, as a form of social activism and community building,It carries the ideas of development and strengthening of humanity, social justice and inclusion, the balance of coexistence of different people, ideas, cultures, values, and the freedom to be human.
Playback in the Baltic States emerged in the 2010s. First in Estonia, then in Latvia and Lithuania. It has been almost 15 years since Baltic playback acquired its cultural and social characteristics, a style that we convey in our training programs. The Baltic School of Playback Theater and Psychodrama offers training programs for playback theater actors, master classes, organizes seminars and conferences on relevant social and cultural topics, erasing tension between different communities and groups.
Baltic region countries, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are undergoing complex processes of forming a unified political nation after the Soviet occupation. Over time the Baltic region countries have been developing their unique identity, striving to strengthen democracy, and integrating into the European Union. These countries are characterized by multilingualism and a bi-communal structure, where Russian-speaking citizens reside alongside the indigenous population. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the violation of human rights, increasing the need for people to be heard and feel like a significant part of the community.
Baltic Playback Theater School serve as a platform for uniting practitioners, strengthening the quality of education, and making Playback Theater more accessible to various groups, including refugees, by integrating them into the region’s socio-cultural environment.
The Baltic Playback School contributes to strengthening the cultural identity of each country. Playback Theater, as a method of socio-cultural transformation, can facilitate integration, support people in challenging historical, political, economic, and cultural processes, and create a soft, respectful space for the unity and coexistence of people from different cultures.
Playback Theater serves as a useful method for transforming social processes. The goal of establishing an official Playback Theater school in the Baltic region is to create a space where people have the opportunity to realize their creative potential, develop active citizenship, participate in community strengthening processes, and contribute to finding solutions to society’s social problems.
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Maria Bambulaka (Latvia). Leader and Owner of the BPTPS, Playback Theatre Leader (2023), Playback Theater practitioner (2018), Dr.psych. (2014) Psychodramatherapist (2013, children PD 2016). Maria has extensive experience in leading psychodrama groups with adults, teenagers, and children, as well as facilitating psychodrama workshops on different topics. She has also worked as a lecturer in several major Latvian universities. Since 2013, Maria has been running a private psychotherapy practice. She is a certified psychologist and supervisor in the field of counseling psychology. |
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Endel Hango (Estonia) is an Accredited Playback Theatre trainer. |
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Elena Kalashnikova (Ukraine/Lithuania) is an Accredited Playback Theatre trainer. |
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Jelena Pankova (Latvia) – one of the first who brought Plaback Theater to Latvia in 2013 and got Sertified as Playback Practitioner. |
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Beata Berzina (Latvia) – Playback Theater Practitioner |
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Elena Levenstam (Latvia). Playback Theater practice and trainer with extensive training from the Central School of Playback Theater in New York, Moscow. |
LIEPAJA, LATVIA
Since 2018, the teenage Playback Theater team Beaver Boomerang. The company acts among teenagers, in schools and youth organizations, researching and participating in solving problems of bullying, addiction, antisocial behavior and other current problems among youth.
Since 2022 the Baydarka company for adult participants. Baydarka team is focused on Inner Child awaking processes, and they work is about building healthy relationship between people – children and parents, adult people, marrieds, colleagues and etc.
Join 1000s of Students
During study students share their academic experience. Actors bring these stories to life on stage, capturing the essence of student life – the challenges, successes, and moments of connection. Laughter and empathy abound as classmates see their own experiences mirrored. This creative exchange fosters understanding and solidarity, enriching the study journey.
Students
Countries
Programs
Mission
Values
Vision
Mission
Our mission is to cultivate empathy, understanding, and social cohesion through storytelling and improvisation. We create inclusive spaces for diverse voices to be heard, fostering cultural exchange and personal growth for a more compassionate society.
Values
Our values include empathy, authenticity, inclusivity, creativity, and social justice. We prioritize creating spaces where diverse voices are honored and where storytelling serves as a catalyst for connection, understanding, and positive social change. Our commitment to these values guides our performances, training programs, and community initiatives, shaping our efforts to foster a more compassionate and harmonious society.
Vision
Our vision is to be a catalyst for empathy, connection, and positive social change. We aspire to create inclusive spaces where diverse voices are celebrated, stories are honored, and community bonds are strengthened through the transformative power of playback theatre. Through our performances, training programs, and collaborative initiatives, we envision fostering a more compassionate, understanding, and harmonious society.