PLAYBACK THEATRE FOR YOUTH

CURRENT COMPANY MEMBERS

Melina Dulluku Sam Hotka Angela Sun Rhoddy Richardson

“… I found out that I can be heard …”
– Youth participant

“Violence is the absence of dialogue.”
– the Dalai Lama
(…more feedback)

The spontaneous enactment of personal experience builds connection between people by honoring the dignity, drama and universality of their stories. Toronto Playback Theatre has sponsored a youth Playback Theatre Company since 2005. Since then, we have built relationships with numerous schools and agencies that serve youth, including:

• The Canadian Centre for Diversity
  
• Peacebuilders International
• <>East York Collegiate Institute
• Respect in Action (REACT)
• Humberside Montessori Schools
• Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies (OACAS)
• Toronto Housing Corporation
• High Park Alternative School
• Family Service Toronto
• Ralph Thornton Centre
• Greenwood College School
• Driftwood Community Centre
• Recognize the Real

Programming options include:

• Performance
  A 90 minute playback presentation by our young adult playback company, providing youth an opportunity to watch as their stories are immediately recreated and brought to life by their peers.


• Workshop
  Interactive theatre-based exercises including sound, movement, listening and story-telling, designed to give youth the skills necessary to playback their stories to one another.


• Residency
  The formation of a youth Playback Theatre company in your own community.

Over the course of this initiative we have enacted accounts of racism, stories of new immigrants, schoolyard bullying, family disputes and relationship tensions with authorities and teachers. We have also heard countless stories of the acts of kindness, love and caring which happen every day in the schools and on the streets of Toronto.

“… I learned that much can be resolved through
mutual respect and understanding …”

YOUTH PARTICIPANTS FEEDBACK

“… after this I’m more confident to put myself out there …”
“… all the facilitators were amazing … the program was fantastic! ”
“… our stories showed us that there’s a lot more oppression than I would like to think”
“… I’m more spontaneous than I thought …”
“… I most remember the time when I told a personal story …”
“… I realized that there are many forms of prejudice everywhere, everyday …”
“… I didn’t know this kind of theatre existed …”

To Learn More Please Contact...

Lisa Patterson
Project Co-ordinator
(416) 466-7112 or at
imaginit_music@sympatico.ca

Chris von Baeyer, Artistic Director
Toronto Playback Theatre

cvonbaeyer@torontoplayback.com