Playback Theatre Training
Playback theatre is suitable for anyone interested in studying and practising it. To be a playback theatre actor, you don’t need any special qualities. The training programme helps you better understand yourself, your strengths, and interaction strategies within the ensemble. Some people love leading roles, while others create amazing story depth by playing supporting roles. Playback theatre offers endless ways to develop acting skills in a safe, supportive way, building on the qualities each person was born with. The mission of the playback theatre movement is to serve people. For this mission, our qualities are always sufficient. Each actor is a unique individual, and this is the most important thing we expect from them on stage. Use your human qualities, raising them to an art. There are no unsuitable people. The only requirement is a willingness to work in an ensemble — letting each participant be themselves and express themselves, without limiting the expression of others.
Age is also not a limitation. Adult playback teams are formed from participants aged 18 and over and have no upper age limit. At any age, it is possible to master the craft of a playback theatre actor — and if you are 80+ and feel vibrant and want to try it, your life experience and the privilege of maturity can help other ensemble members see different perspectives on life. Children’s and adolescent groups have their own specific features and run as separate programmes tailored to each age group. Playback is also accessible to people with special needs — though it calls for a special approach. In these cases, we strive to create groups where everyone feels comfortable, involving trainers experienced in such work to ensure quality training.
Age groups:
Adult groups: 18 and over — no upper limit
Adolescent groups: 14–18 years
Children’s groups: 9–12 years
Performative Group
The total duration of training is 180 hours. Includes 3 levels:
- Basic – 30 hours
- Main – 90 hours
- Advanced – 60 hours
- Basic – provides a general overview of the possibilities of playback theatre, allows you to “try on” the method to yourself.
- Main – includes in-depth study of techniques, formation of skills and specific thinking while playing on stage.
- Advanced – hones acquired skills, sets focus for further development, shapes the attitude towards playback theatre as an art form.
We offer 3 Learning Formats
Two-day training modules
12 training modules – 2 (basic) +6 (main) +4 (advanced). With regularity once a month, the full training course is 1 year.
Weekly training modules for 4 hours
45 training modules – 7+23+15. Conducted in Riga, Liepaja, Vilnius, Tartu. The full training course is 1 year.
Daily training course
24 days, 4+12+8. The full training course is 1 month.
Training includes
- Practical sessions with a trainer, ensemble formation, group dynamics work;
- Theoretical sessions with a trainer, ethics of playback theatre, social justice, inclusion, articles, books, essays.
- Inter-vision groups for independent work with the theory and practice of playback theatre.
Certificate
Upon completion of the three levels of training, the group participant receives a certificate as a “Playback Theatre Practitioner”. This certificate allows practicing playback theatre anywhere, being an actor of an active theatre, opening your own theatre, or conducting master classes on various topics. The Practitioner does not teach playback theatre but applies their knowledge to topics relevant to them.
Join a worldwide community of playback practitioners. Early enrolment starts soon!
Playback Theatre Leader
After 5 years of independent practice, an actor can undergo training, receive a certificate as a “Playback Theatre Leader”, and have the right to teach playback theatre. A Leader is the 4th level of education in playback theatre and is only implemented by the Center for Playback Theatre (CPT) annually, since 1993. At any international playback theatre school, only the Practitioner certificate is possible to obtain. In addition to the Playback Theatre Practitioner Certificate and personal development, you also get:
- A group of like-minded people from your theatre with whom it is interesting to spend time;
- An international environment of colleagues – such creative and daring, free and open people. Become a full member of the IPTN community.
- All opportunities for further professional and personal development in playback theatre with the support of IPTN and CPT – the main regulators of the playback theatre movement worldwide.