Playback Theater: Allowing all voices to be heard

Theatre Summer Camp – Pilio 2018, Greece 
26/8-1/9/2018, Agios Ioannis Beach Pilio Greece
Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network  (www.TheatroEdu.gr)
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MAIN WORKSHOP

Playback Theater: Allowing all voices to be heard

Vera Lardi actress

Language: greek

 Playback Theater is interactive. The participants narrate their personal stories and playback theater performers improvise on them on stage by using specific Forms of representation. Playback Theater can be used in education in order to cultivate and release a group’s creativity through bodily and vocal expression, production of music and the symbolic use of objects. It focuses on here and now and gives space to the participants to express their opinions and experiences regarding a given subject, negotiate their values and beliefs, earn a better understanding of their place in the world and share their feelings about it, suggest actions of personal and social change. In this  workshop, we will experiment with the basic playback theater forms and we will use them to reflect the group’s stories. We will explore theater of spontaneity and its ability to awaken collective creativity and joy during the educational process, and to transform personal experience to collective. Also, we will experiment with basic psychodramatic techniques that can be used in the process of exploring a theme by a group.

Vera Lardi lives in Athens. She is a professional performer as well as an adult and youth educator experienced in Community Theater. Her original studies were in the field of drama, both theory and practice. She holds a double major degree, BA (Hons) in History of Art and Design And Theater Studies from Wolverhampton University, England and a Diploma with Honors in Acting from the Greek National Theater Drama School. Currently, she is a senior student of Psychodrama at the Center of the Athenian Psychodramatic Encounters.  She is an experienced Playback Theater performer and trainer and a member of Playback Psi group since 2004. She uses participatory theater towards personal expression, community building, social awareness, empowerment and integration. Over the years she has developed an eclectic approach using a variety of techniques from the fields of theater, therapy and education. Her work includes public performing, and facilitation of site specific performances with the participation of marginalized fellow citizens.  She, also, facilitates psychodrama workshops and long term groups. She has collaborated with private and public organizations in the sectors of education, health and the arts, such as,  the National and Kapodistrian University of Greece, the Greek Primary and Secondary Education Office, the Hellenic Drama/Education Network, the Hellenic Theater Festival, Athens Bienale, UNHCR, Arsis Transit Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, ActionAid, Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, KETHEA etc. She is a founding member of Refraim Team that facilitates workshops focusing on improving the communication within the doctor- patient relationship in cases of chronic diseases.