Playback Theatre
1975-present
An interactive improv form founded in upstate New York in 1975 by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas — audience members tell true personal stories, actors play them back on the spot using structured short forms.
Known for
- Founded 1975 in upstate New York; Jonathan Fox (theater director) and Jo Salas (musician) built the ensemble method from oral-tradition and Moreno psychodrama roots.
- Now practiced in 70+ countries; International Playback Theatre Network coordinates the global community.
- Not comedy — the point is witness, not laughs. Stories often center grief, migration, injustice, family.
- Structured forms (Fluid Sculpture, Pairs, Chorus, Tableau, Short Form Story, Transformation) give the ensemble a shared vocabulary for rapid response.
Connected to
People
jonathan foxjo salas