by Jenni Miller
On January 28th at 7pm, Playback Theater of Portland will be hosting a public performance entitled Power & Empowerment: The Voice of the People. This performance is designed to bring people together to share their personal stories around this topic.
With regards to our current political and economic climate Playback Theater is interested in hearing how members of our community have been effected, spoken out or helped another. The shared and the individual voice, both personal and collective experiences, can be powerful tools for establishing interaction, promoting discourse, raising awareness and gathering ideas.
Playback Theater is a form of Improvised theater and Storytelling where members of the audience tell stories from their lives then watch as actors, musicians, artists and dancers re-enact these stories on stage. The Playback experience can offer a different perspective, a greater understanding and often an interesting transparency into our own lives and those around us.
As a company, we often hear from participants that have shared their personal stories how uniquely cathartic the experience was for them, how they left not only with greater understanding of self but also a sense of empowerment.
Stories are a powerful tool in raising awareness and understanding. Mary Augusta Ward once said that, “Every man is bound to leave a story better than he found it. “ And Black Elk wrote, “A Man who has a vision is not able to use the power of it until after he has performed the vision on earth for people to see.”
Our hope with this public performance is to provide a forum for the exchange of diverse experiences, bridging an understanding between various groups and creating a greater understanding of ourselves, and the world around us. This performance is designed to offer a fresh, creative way to explore issues, work through problems, and enhance a sense of community.
The Playback Theater hopes you come and share a story, and experience others’. And then… talk. It is at the Pioneer Place Gallery, on Saturday, January 28th, at 7:00PM. Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door.
