Telling Our Stories:
Healing the Wounds of Racism, Building Beloved Community
In 3 interactive sessions of theater and discussion, participants see themselves in one another’s stories of race and racism as they are brought to life on stage by members of Playback For Change, a Philadelphia-based company that facilitates racial understanding using the improvisational theater form Playback Theatre.
Audience members’ real stories become the source material. The performance is spontaneous - it is theater created through a unique collaboration between performers and audience. Each session will use the practice of race-specific affinity spaces to prepare participants to have a deeper, braver and more honest conversation.
Each session costs $15 per person or $50 for a group of 5 or more. Tickets for each of the 3 sessions are sold separately. Financial assistance is available. Email [email protected].
For any questions about the Telling Our Stories series, Playback For Change, or Playback Theatre, please email The Rev. Barbara Ballenger ([email protected]).
Exploring Our Whiteness on Sat. Sep. 23 was attended by more than 40 people, including racial justice advocates from a number of parishes within the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and from other denominations, religions, and social justice organizations, including Church of Our Saviour & St. John's, Claudia Listens, LLC, Essential Experience, Gloria Dei (Old Swedes'), Havertown Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Holy Apostles Penn Wynne, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, St. Anne's Abington, St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, St. Mary's Ardmore, St. Peter's Glenside (host), St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Germantown, and White People Confronting Racism. Thank you for spreading the word, and engaging with ARC and Playback For Change's unique approach to examining the way racism has manifested in our lives. Special thanks to our host, St. Peter's Church Glenside.
Telling the Whole Story on Sat. Oct. 14 was attended by more than 22 people from a number of parishes within the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and from other denominations, religions, and social justice organizations, including Church of the Advocate, Church of the Annunciation, Baptist Parish, Calvary St. Augustine, Christ Church Media, Christ Church Pottstown, Life Design Strategies, Salem Baptist Church, St. George St. Barnabas, and Trinity Ambler. This workshop connected people who self-identify as Black, Brown, or a Person of Color and created a safe and respectful space of understanding and compassion to share stories about racial identity, resilience, community, and healing. Special thanks to our host, St. George St. Barnabas Church.
Creating Common Cause on Sat. Nov. 18 was attended by 83 people of all racial identities ready to work together in solidarity to dismantle systemic racism by sharing stories of resisting and healing from racism. Attendees came from several parishes within the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and from other denominations, religions, and local social justice organizations, including: Anti-racism Action, Calvary St. Augustine, Chambers Consulting, Diocese of Pennsylvania, Greene Street Friends School, Gestalt Training Institute of Philadelphia (GTIP), Kaleida Health, Life Design Strategies, Mishkan Shalom, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Penn Medicine Chestnut Hill Hospital, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, Playback For Change, Redemption, St. Andrew's-in-the-Field, Restorative Norristown, St. George St. Barnabas, St. Malachy Church, St. Anne's Abington, St. John's Church of Our Saviour, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, St. Paul's Chestnut Hill, St. Peter's Glenside, St. Vincent de Paul, Summit, Trinity Ambler, Trinity Solebury, Trinity Swarthmore, and White People Confronting Racism; as well as neighbors and community members who heard about the event by word-of-mouth. Special thanks to our host, Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
What to Expect
Watch this video of Pamela Freeman and Sarah Halley from Playback For Change explaining what Playback Theatre is and what audiences might expect at each of the 3 sessions. (4 min)
What is Playback Theatre?
There are many kinds of alternative theatre. Playback is theatre as a community forum, a place to "poly-logue", to explore the relationship between the personal and the political, between the individual and the collective. It is an opportunity to hear and be heard, to recognize how we are similar and how we are different, and to see our lives on stage.
The performance is spontaneous - it is theatre created through a unique collaboration between performers and audience. Someone from the audience tells a story or moment from their life, chooses actors to play the different roles, then watches as their story is immediately recreated on “stage.” Artistically we weave together spoken word, dance, music, storytelling, and physical theatre in an improvisational form that can be deeply moving, funny and often transformational.
Playback Theatre gives attention to the social interactive elements of a whole community or organization, enabling an enriching experience for actors and audience alike. It gives the storyteller and the group a chance to gain insights from seeing the story from a new perspective. In both performances and workshops, Playback Theatre helps people and groups to access intuition and wisdom through action, in the body. Groups in conflict and people divided by race, class or culture have found new attitudes of acceptance and accountability through sharing experiences in playback performances. Many people find themselves more energized and motivated to move into greater action after experiencing a playback event.
Authenticity in the spontaneous moment underlies Playback Theatre practice. Playback Theatre aims to create a brave container where every voice and any story - however ordinary, extraordinary, hidden or difficult – can be told and heard. It is a place where each person´s uniqueness is honored while at the same time building and strengthening our connections to each other as a community.
Playback For Change
Playback For Change (PFC), located in Philadelphia, PA is a multi-racial, improvisational theatre company dedicated to using Playback Theatre as a vehicle for social change. Their mission is to provide performances and workshops for communities, schools, non-profits and organizations, using Playback Theatre to help individuals and groups gain insight, understanding, and skills to create more just and inclusive communities.
PFC has been performing for the past 27 years and has done hundreds of performances throughout the Philadelphia area. Their clients include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, St. Martin in the Fields Church, Abington Friends Meeting, Jefferson Hospital, Bryn Mawr College, Penn State University, The Institute for Inclusion, Temple University, Greene Street Friends School, The Behavior Wellness Center and Milton Hershey School. In addition to performances, they work with organizations and communities to develop programming to meet their needs.
Playback For Change weaves together anti-oppression training and skill building, storytelling, experiential activities, deep listening and playback theatre to help groups to become more aware of and skillful in addressing differences, so they are more inclusive and welcoming of all people.
Meet Playback For Change
Alison Gerig
Alison Gerig, she/her hails from the south. She believes in a more just world where everyone can feel safe being their true selves. She loves to bake, play the piano and being a mother.
Bianca Adger
Bianca Adger, she/her has been performing in theater for most of her life. When she is not performing, she is a third-grade teacher in Philadelphia. Her passion lies in social justice theater. She has performed with Playback For Change, Yes And Playback Theater, Just Art Theater of the Oppressed Troupe, and Bushfire Theater Troupe. She is thrilled to be a member of Playback For Change and feels empowered to do social change work within communities.
Bobbi Block
Bobbi Block, she/her (bobbiblock.com) is an experiential Facilitator and Coach, and a Certified Practitioner of Applied Improvisation. Bobbi teaches theatrical improvisation at Temple and Drexel universities. She was the Artistic Director of critically acclaimed Tongue & Groove Spontaneous Theater, and co-founded ComedySportz Philadelphia. She recently co-founded Yes And Nature Collaborative, for which she facilitates Climate Conversations, a program that uses applied improvisation along with scientific research to teach people how to have better conversations about climate change (climateconversations.net).
Burgandy Holiday
Burgandy Holiday, she/her is a wife, mother of two, a psychotherapist and self proclaimed “fun adult.” She believes in the transformative power of laughter and vulnerability. Burgandy is a Philly native, lifelong performer, and excited for her return to improv, social justice work and joyful movement on stage.
Christopher Ridenhour
Christopher Ridenhour, he/him is absolutely thrilled to participate with the amazing folks in Playback. His passion lies in creating the conditions that allow people of all walks of life to feel cherished and authentic belonging. When not traveling nationally as a Workplace Culture Consultant, DEI Trainer, and Conference Keynote, Christopher provides pro-bono counseling to small breed dogs suffering from self-esteem issues.
Eric Brunner
Eric Brunner, he/him has studied various forms of improvisational theater since 1992. He was a founding member of Playback Philadelphia. Playback Theatre is an improvisational form that uses audience members’ stories as the basis for its improvisations. In addition, several Philadelphia theater companies have used Eric’s expertise to train actors in improvisational theatre techniques. Eric has performed in and/or facilitated hundreds of improvisational theater performances in the last thirty years for a variety of organizations including Continental Airlines, Penn State University, Temple University, Swarthmore College, Glaxo Smith Kline, and ARAMARK.
Marie Amey-Taylor
Marie Amey-Taylor, she/her is a Founding Partner and Principal of InterACTion Consulting Group, a consulting practice specializing in interpersonal relations and diversity, equity and inclusion training and professional services. She has also been part of several improvisational theater companies and she uses theater and other action methods to engage learners and create positive change.
Kristen Bissinger
Kristen Bissinger, she/her is one of the original Playback Philadelphia players and loves improvisational theater and dance. She was co-director of Feet First Dance in Phoenixville, Pa, for 32 years, where she continues to take classes and teach. She is co-author of the book, Leap Into Learning! Teaching Curriculum Through Creative Dramatics and Dance and activity recording, Wake Your Brain and Your Body.
Michael London
Michael London, he/him is a Philadelphia Area musician with a soulful voice and a great touch on acoustic and electric guitars. His latest recordings feature interpretations of classic folk, jazz and soul songs in his own unique, exciting and expansive style. London is also a passionate interpreter of Rumi’s poetry, the great 13th century Sufi poet. He offers us a musical window into the ecstatic poems, which reveal and make tangible our connection with the self, humanity, nature and beyond. His CD's and original songs, inspired by this mystical poet speak directly to us, and get to the central themes and issues of living with passion and true joy. Michael also has a PhD in Organizational Behavior, coaches leaders, facilitates T-Groups and serves on the faculty at Muhlenberg college.
Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit
Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit, he/him, serves as lead rabbi at Mishkan Shalom, in Philadelphia, PA, committed to the integration of meaningful spiritual living, life-long learning and acts of caring and social justice, and has spent decades consulting to and supporting congregations, organizations, social justice and sustainability initiatives in the Jewish and larger world. He is a trained actor and Playback theater director and actor for years in Toronto and Philadelphia. He is co-director of the Davennen Leader's Training Institute; and is the Director for the ALEPH Hashpa'ah (Spiritual Direction) training program, He is also a liturgical recording and performing artist and is one of the founders of the progressive Jewish men’s organization www.menschwork.org; and author of “Offerings of the Heart: Money and Values in Faith Community" and numerous publications for spiritual life. Rabbi Zevit is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and also has personal ordination from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z”l and ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal.
Ron Kravitz
Ron Kravitz, he/him Percussionist and vocalist (MusicintheMoment.com) specializes in being a catalyst for creating safe environments for people to connect and express themselves musically in the art of improvisation. He does this weekly, as he leads and hosts gatherings and African drumming classes weekly at his home of musical instruments, in Wyndmoor, PA. He has also been the lead percussionist for the Group Motion Dance Improvisation workshop for 40 of its ongoing 55 years.
Pamela Freeman
Pamela Freeman, she/her (co-director of Playback For Change), is a African American psychotherapist who has been in practice for over 30 years. In addition, she has worked as a consultant around race issues for various organizations. She is a co-founder with Sarah Halley for Playback For Change in Philadelphia. And a co-founder of Delaware Valley Insight, a local peer led meditation group serving the Philadelphia Tri State area that brings mediation teachers to the area and provides local community sits.
Sarah Halley
Sarah Halley, she/her (co-director of Playback For Change) co-founded Playback Philadelphia in 1995, which was the first Playback Theatre company in Philadelphia. She has been practicing applied interactive theatre for over 30 years and weaves it into her professional life as a DEI practitioner and executive coach. She is thrilled to be part of Playback For Change, which brings together her passion for equity, justice, healing, community building and storytelling.
Tom Bissinger
Tom Bissinger, he/him has had a career in theatre in NY, Philly, Europe. He is a published author and playwright, and currently spends his days creating art in various media. He is one of the original members of Playback Philly.