Catharsis
A photo taken from the back of the room where we perform on First Friday. You might even say we put the ‘art’ in cathartic.
After conducting The Teller’s Garden First Friday playback performance on September 1st, I had the opportunity to hear from a first-time audience member who shared his impression of the show.
After saying how much he enjoyed the variety and emotional range of the stories shared and the playbacks enacted, he asked:
“I mean, where else can we experience this kind of catharsis?”
The number one definition of catharsis, according to Oxford Languages is:
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
He went on to add, “This doesn’t happen at the cineplex, or court-side at a game, or in front of our TVs.”
He’s right.
I’ve been performing playback theatre since 2008, and conducting since 2016. Each time I partake in a performance I am amazed by the stories that are shared, the likeness of our human experience, the depths of our joy and of our suffering.
We see each other as mirrors, we see ourselves in one another’s stories and moments shared.
Creating a safe container where audience members can volunteer to share and be witnessed telling their true stories is one part of the magic of playback. The other part is the deep listening that we as “players” are trained in. We practice listening. We listen for the key moments and emotions that are expressed or sometimes just underneath the surface of what is shared. By listening this way, we touch upon the universal core of what it’s like to be a human being. We see each other as mirrors, we see ourselves in one another’s stories and moments shared. This open sharing and relating provides tremendous healing: through laughter, through awe and wonderment, through empathy, through tears, through chills, through surprise. We feel as one and are felt by the collective.
Join us on First Fridays in Portland, Maine, for this one-of-a-kind performance. You might even say we put the ‘art’ in cathartic.
Portland Media Center, 516 Congress St. Portland, Maine
Doors open at 6:45pm
Showtime is 7pm
$15 suggested per person
only $10 for seniors! (We don’t card ;)
Cash or Venmo at the door only
P.S. If you’re curious enough to want to learn more about Playback in general, visit Playback North America’s new website for all kind of resources, online events, information, and inspiration!