Ethical Listening (Playback)
The core discipline of Playback Theatre — listening to a teller without editing, interpreting, or performing empathy, so the actors play back essence, not projection.
Known for
- Formalized in Jo Salas's *Performing the Story: Playback Theatre and its Social Function* and the School of Playback Theatre's Core Training.
- Includes the rule: no rescuing. The ensemble does not 'fix' a sad story with a happy enactment unless the teller asks.
- Distinguishes Playback from other performance improv — the teller's truth is the baseline; invention is service, not decoration.
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