Melbourne Playback Theatre Company

Celebrating 30 Years

2011-11-09T11:19:00.001+11:00

It is a great honour to be a part of Melbourne Playback Theatre Company at this point in it's history. 30 years is a long time for any organisation, but for a theatre company run collectively by its members without Government funding, this is a particularly impressive achievement. Our work is all about celebrating and illuminating the stories of people, communities and organisations. So as we pause to celebrate this milestone, it is fitting that we reflect on the many stories that make up our own history.

We pay tribute to Jonathan Fox & Jo Salas, the founders of the playback theatre form, and to Mary Good and Melbourne Playback Theatre's first ensemble members who set the foundations for this successful company. It is a credit to the culture of the company and to the dedication of each generation of members that Melbourne Playback has achieved so much. (At last count, only 62 performers have been members in the company's history. Of the current troupe of 15, the average length of service is almost 7 years!)

We also pay tribute to the community of supporters that have grown around the company over these 30 years; audience members, clients, advocates, workshop participants. These people have enthusiastically embraced our work and provided us with two elements essential for playback theatre; audience and stories. And there has been no shortage of stories. We have performed in theatres, performing arts centres, conference centres, school halls, community centres and board rooms all over the state for an enormous range of people. Our clients include major players in the corporate sector, Government departments, community organisations, schools and even individuals looking for a unique way to celebrate their 60th birthday. We estimate that Melbourne Playback Theatre has performed over 1,200 performances and transformed over 5,000 stories for over 65,000 audience members since it was formed in 1981.

2011 is an exciting time in the company's history. We boast an ensemble of highly talented and respected performing artists and theatre-makers who continue to refine and investigate the playback theatre form and the theatrical possibilities of storytelling. Over the past 5 years we have been through a phase of steady growth, and a residency at Auspicious Arts Incubator helped us improve our business operations. Significantly, this year we welcome the company's first administrative employee, Sherridan Green, as our inaugural Company Manager.

With a history built on the strength of story, we look to the future with the same excited anticipation that only a good story can provide.

Andrew Gray, Petra Kalive & Mike McEvoy

Artistic Directors

Melbourne Playback Theatre Company

Performances & workshops at Gasworks

2011-06-24T15:20:00.002+10:00

Melbourne Playback Theatre is pleased to be back at Gasworks again this weekend with performances at 8pm on Friday & Saturday nights and two professional development workshops designed for teachers and group facilitators.

If you were part of the audience or a participant at the workshops, we welcome you to continue the conversation with us here...

April performances at Dancehouse

2011-04-10T10:45:00.003+10:00

It's a treat to bring our work to the theatre at Dancehouse in Carlton. The theatre offers so many theatrical possibilities with its depth, and its polished floorboards and comfortable seating bank provide a warmth and intimacy that is well-suited for the storytelling of playback theatre.

But as always, the magic ingredient is not the theatre. It is the diverse range of stories and experiences brought to the theatre by our audiences. Thanks to all those who came along. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the weekend's performances here.

And if you missed the shows this weekend or if you're ready for another dose, perhaps we'll see you for one of performances in Alexandra, Yea and Flowerdale in May and Gasworks in June. Check our website for details.

2010 Green Room Awards

2011-03-02T22:08:00.002+11:00

We're thrilled to congratulate four of our ensemble members on their nominations for 2010 Green Room Awards. Tamara Saulwick's solo performance work 'Pin Drop' has been nominated for four awards including 'Outstanding Production', Clare Bartholomew's work with Die Roten Punkte's 'Kunst Rock' received two nominations in the Caberet category, and in the Independent Theatre category Tim Stitz picked up a nomination for his solo performance 'Lloyd Beckmann, Beekeeper' and Andrew Gray has been nominated for his direction of 'The Colour of Glass'.

Melbourne Playback Theatre strives for artistic excellence in all our work and we're proud to have some of Melbourne's most accomplished performers and theatre-makers as members of our ensemble. Our members find that their work with Playback Theatre feeds their other creative practices just as much as their experience in other theatre companies and performance disciplines helps enhance the quality of this company's work.

Public Performances - Nov 26, 27 & 28, 2010

2010-11-28T15:30:00.003+11:00

Thanks to those who joined us at La Mama's Carlton Courthouse for our performances and workshops this weekend. There was lots of laughter and a fantastic array of stories. If you were in the audience, please feel free to leave your comments or ask your questions here.

One million ways to use Story

2010-10-09T17:33:00.006+11:00

Melbourne Playback took part in the 'Celebrating Story' conference again this year. Andrew and Ian offered an active workshop entitled 'interrupting and disrupting story' on Thursday and a team of us performed a playback theatre show to open the second day of the conference.

It is always fascinating to meet other people who work with story in their professional lives and exchange ideas and approaches. I am particularly interested to see how story is increasingly being used in the corporate world within organisational development, change management and other areas concerned with organisational culture and performance management.

I was inspired to hear how one organisation had discovered the value of collecting the stories and anecdotes from its staff and has started publishing them to accompany the annual report. (Some qualitative material to balance the quantitative data). Another organisation uses the sharing of personal life stories as an integral part of a two-day retreat for its senior management staff. And a group of midwives use story to learn from each other's experiences. In these cases, story is a tool used for individuals and working communities to define themselves, explore their culture and share knowledge. Humans have used story like this for eons. It makes perfect sense for business to harness the power of storytelling too.

For me, this conference was a reminder of how important and relevant the work of Melbourne Playback can be to communities and organisations. We have a real passion for storytelling and its role in our lives. We love finding theatrical ways of illuminating the meaning within stories and helping stories enrich and transform the collective experience. It is fantastic to meet others who share this enthusiasm for story and to see how they are using it in similar contexts. Thanks to Andrew Rixon of Babel Fish Group for bringing such a diverse group of story practitioners together again this year.

Kinglake Performance - 2 October 2010

2010-09-26T09:10:00.003+10:00

8pm, 2 Oct 2010

KLW Mechanics Hall

1055 Whittlesea Kinglake Rd, Kinglake West

All tickets $5 - RSVP Karen Ph. 5786 1053 or karen@getonstage.com.au

Melbourne Playback is thrilled to be combining with members of the Kinglake Phoenix Singers, Whittlesea Township Choir, Get on Stage students and Paydirt the Musical cast next Saturday night for a fun night of song, story and theatre.

This is the first time Melbourne Playback has performed alongside community choirs and we are excited to see how playback theatre and song can inspire and enrich each other.

This project is brought to you by Uniting Care, Melbourne Playback Theatre and The Kinglake Phoenix Singers. Thanks to all those who contribute to our subsidy program.

'Your Stories' a performance in Frankston

2010-06-26T23:44:00.002+10:00

We've just had a wonderful night performing at Cube37 in Frankston. It was great to return to the Mornington Peninsula/ Bayside area again this year and hear some more community stories. We heard about a courageous fat cat stuck in a roof for four days; a writer and the story that literally exploded from her page; an ex-firefighter who found himself protecting his parents and their property on Black Saturday; a mother carried to hospital by a paramedic and a dog-catcher; and a skilled Chinese migrant struggling to pass Australia's immigration tests. A night of great variety - full of humour, heart and humanity.

The comments below are some of the responses from the audience survey forms.

songs and story in fire-affected communities

2010-05-25T22:09:00.003+10:00

The Choir of Hard Knocks inspired Victorians and gave an insight into the lives of those for whom life has been tough. Many more Victorians did it tough through the fire districts over Summer 2009. In this new project, Melbourne Playback Theatre Company joins with community choirs in the fire-affected regions for a series of nights of music and story.

The project plans to support local choirs to sing the songs of community, and to hear fragments of life now in the recovery.

And to create a great night of celebration and sharing.

If you've ever sat in a Melbourne Playback show and felt moved by another's story, or if you've experienced the magic of seeing your story on stage, please consider donating to make this project possible.

Story by story we rebuild our lives. And the lives of others.

relationships, team building and playback theatre

2010-04-25T10:37:00.013+10:00

We recently performed for a corporate client in the financial sector. The team of about 30 staff were working with the founder of the Critical Management Group, Marc Stigter on a longer program designed to guide them through what Tuckman might call the 'forming and storming' stages of their development. We were brought in early on in this process to do two main things; to model high performance teamwork and to provide an opportunity for the group to reflect and share their ideas about the team.

Our facilitator opened the invitation for stories simply by asking the participants to reflect on a time where they witnessed or were part of a high functioning team. We then heard stories from several members of the group. What struck me was a common theme that ran through each of the stories; the importance of strong personal relationships to teamwork.

One story was of a high-functioning team from a previous workplace. The team was full of talented individuals and senior management decided to split them up in an attempt to pollinate the rest of the organisation with the 'magic'. The woman who told the story reflected that management failed to realise the magic of this team was based on strong working relationships more than the talent of the individual team members. Another participant spoke about a strong friendship that she had built with a colleague and how that had enhanced her engagement and motivation at work.

But perhaps the most surprising and powerful story shared as part of our performance was the one that hit most at the humanity and heart of us all. The man who shared the story had been managing a new team that was geographically spread across the country. Within a short space of time, coincidentally three members of the team were diagnosed with breast cancer. What followed was a very moving account of how the entire team came together to support the women. Despite the geographical distance, close personal relationships were formed and the group found a meaningful bond. Tragically, one of the three women lost her battle with cancer and the team found themselves grieving together for a friend and colleague. The work team had become a family. Significantly, the man told us, this challenging time was followed by a period of very high performance teamwork and staff turnover remained at zero for an unprecedented number of years.

After this story had been shared and we had performed it back for the group, I could tell that something significant had occurred in the room. It was clear that the story had had an emotional impact on everyone and that the group had gained a new insight into one of their colleagues. This story and others shared within our performance had played a role in building trust and understanding within the team. It had also allowed the group to articulate something that they crave for the future of their own team; stronger personal relationships.

In my time as a performer with Melbourne Playback, I've noticed how playback theatre has a knack for connecting people in this way and helping build relationships. When someone shares a story and the group is encouraged to listen and reflect on the story in a deeper way, a shared understanding is created. Through story we learn about each other. We reveal our values and identify what motivates each of us.

I've seen friendships form between audience members at our public performances and between participants in our workshops. Similarly, the stories that we share as part of our rehearsal process help build a deeper understanding between our own ensemble members. I believe that the strong pesonal relationships developed through this process play a critical role in our own success as a team, both on the stage and behind the scenes.

Welcome to our new actors!

2010-03-17T12:42:00.008+11:00

We are pleased to publicly welcome three new performers to the company!

Rachael Dyson-McGregor, who joins the performing ensemble this year, has a natural flair for the Playback Theatre form. Rachael trained at Unitec, Auckland and has worked with NZ theatre companies: Potent Pause Productions, Auckland Theatre Company, Massive, and Tim Bray Productions, as well as co-founding chor:us collective and the Peripeteia Players. Since she moved to Melbourne in 2007, Rachael has worked with Underground Cinema, 24 Hour Play Festival and devised and produced a theatre and dance collaboration, Neon Toast, for Melbourne Fringe Festival 2009.

Trainee Program

And in a first for Melbourne Playback, in 2010 we are excited to launch a new 12-month trainee program for two emerging performers, Tom Harkin & Diana Nguyen.

Diana Nguyen is an actor and community development worker in the South Eastern Suburbs. She currently works with The Song Room, Her Productions and SEAAC for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Diana went to NYC to study The Theatre of Oppressed with Julian Boal and has performed in various community projects with young people. Diana’s recent performances include Silence (La Mama 2009), Translations Generations (Big West Festival 2009), Miss Saigon (CLOC 2009).

Tom Harkin was a member of St.Martin's Youth Ensemble 2005 and has trained at Eric Morris' acting studio in LA. Tom works full time as a Senior Learning & Development Facilitator at The Reach Foundation using his passion for the dramatic performance space and acting techniques to work with teenagers in freeing their natural impulses and inherent potential.

The traineeship will offer Diana & Tom the opportunity to rehearse and participate in the life of the company and benefit from a mentorship with a senior member of the Melbourne Playback ensemble.

We are inspired by the energy, enthusiasm and diversity of experience that each of these three actors have already brought to our rehearsal room! Welcome.

Public Performances 13 & 14 March

2010-03-02T14:04:00.004+11:00

Our next performances are at Gasworks Theatre (21 Graham St, Albert Park)

Sat 13 March, 8pm
Sun 14 March, 6pm

Need a reason to come? See the list of reasons to see playback that we've created with your help!

And visit this blog again after the weekend to read the responses of other audience members.

Tickets:
$25 full / $15 concession
Tickets at door or book online

Download flyer

Summer Workshops

2009-12-23T09:49:00.005+11:00

Playback Theatre Workshops

We are offering two workshop series in late January 2010. Places are limited, book early.

Summer Weekend Intensive (29-31 January)
Presentation & Public Speaking Workshop (30-31 January)

See our website for details.

Public Performances - 28 & 29 Nov 2009

2009-11-27T08:51:00.002+11:00

What stories has the Carlton Courthouse heard in it's lifetime?

Let's add some more.

This weekend we invite our audiences to have their own stories heard and brought to life in this beautiful theatre.

We hope you'll join us as we continue the conversation here. Use this space to share your thoughts, describe your experience and discuss the show with other members of the audience and the ensemble.

2009 Spring workshops - the garden of story

2009-11-05T15:42:00.004+11:00

Ian David & Mike McEvoy will facilitate this weekend's workshops and are looking forward to sharing the journey into "the garden of story" with a great group of talented and passionate people.

We invite participants to use this space to continue the discussion and discoveries made throughout the weekend's workshops.

To start, let's see how many ways we can complete the sentence,

"The best stories... "

To complete, see if you can capture the weekend's story in 5 words.

Awakenings Festival, Horsham

2009-10-26T14:11:00.003+11:00

Melbourne Playback performed at the Awakenings Festival in Horsham on Friday 23 October.
There were lots of performers in the audience from mixed-ability groups that were performing at the Festival, and their enthusiasm was highly infectious! The excitement and fun of performing at the Festival was a dominant theme that emerged from the audience in our performance, along with some of the challenges of getting a show together and on to the stage. The beautiful venue (Wesley Performing Arts Centre) and great support from the Festival co-ordinating and technical staff helped things along too.
Were you there? Please feel free to continue the conversation here by leaving a comment.

Frankston City Library

2009-10-16T00:04:00.003+11:00

Thanks to Frankston City Library for inviting us to perform tonight!

If you were there, we welcome your comments and feedback.

Celebrating Story Conference 8-9 Oct 2009

2009-10-07T14:46:00.004+11:00

Melbourne Playback Theatre Company will open the 'Celebrating Story' Conference at the Abbotsford Convent tomorrow. Ian David & Andrew Gray will also facilitate a workshop on day one.

Please feel free to share your comments and continue the conversation here.

young lives - courageous stories

2009-09-28T10:59:00.005+10:00

We've performed and run workshops for lots of young people recently. We've been struck by the courage these audiences have shown as they discuss the challenges and successes in their lives.

Whether it is the young leaders of the Mitchell Shire in Seymour, teenagers living in Whittlesea, year 9's from MLC, participants in the MTC scholarship program, or one of the other playback events for young people, we have been regularly inspired.

If you're a young person and you've been part of a playback performance or workshop recently, feel free to ask us a question or tell us what you thought.

Public Performances - 22 & 23 Aug 09

2009-08-22T16:54:00.003+10:00

Thanks for joining us this weekend for our public performances at Dancehouse.
We hope you will join us as we continue the conversation here on this site.
Share your thoughts, describe your experience and discuss what you saw with fellow audience members and performers from Melbourne Playback.

101 reasons to see a Melbourne Playback performance

2009-07-20T11:15:00.003+10:00

It's ambitious, but with your help we think we can come up with 101 reasons to see a Melbourne Playback performance. Be creative, think laterally and preface your comment with the next number in the sequence.

Memorable Moments

2009-05-28T23:24:00.001+10:00

To help launch our new blog site, we thought we'd celebrate the memorable moments that have occurred in our performances and workshops! In over 25 years we have performed for thousands of people and heard many amazing stories. There are many moments that stand out for us because they made us laugh or cry or inspired us in some way.

What do you remember?
It might be the time Melbourne Playback visited your organisation or it might be a public performance you saw. It might be a particular story you heard someone tell, an image that the actors made, or a song that has stayed with you for some reason. It might even be something that occurred after a Melbourne Playback performance - a conversation inspired by a story you heard or a relationship that changed.

Read about the moments that live on beyond our performances and share with us the memorable moments that you've had with Melbourne Playback Theatre!