These are stories, encounters and exchanges that fill our hearts and awaken our minds.

 

the project's objectives

• To offer immigrants a place for exchange on the subject of language in Montreal by sharing concrete personal experiences rather than a debate of ideas.

 

• To foster a safe, creative and fun environment where testimonies take the form of metaphors and images that awaken empathy and softening of prejudices or rigid perceptions towards people of different cultures and languages.

 

• To present the show on site to strengthen ties between students from the same group and from different groups. Playback theater travels lightly. A few cubes, a few colored fabrics, and musical instruments are our only baggage.

 

• To create a convivial discussion space after the shows so that the artists and spectators can talk to each other in a relax space and  end the experience harmoniously.

 

How it goes before, during and after each show

• A preliminary meeting

The week before the show, a member of the group visits the students to offer simple and fun activities: sociometric games to get to know each other better, dramatic games aimed at promoting Playback theater, and a first exchange of stories on the theme of the project. This intervention aims to introduce Playback theater and warm the students to the idea of ​​sharing stories.

 

• The actual Playback theater show

The ritual of Playback theater is rigorous, with clear and precise limits, like a container whose contours are securely held to preserve the feeling of security participants need to share their stories. During the opening ceremony, the artists take turns setting out an experience related to the theme. This moment has a fundamental message in Playback theater: we would never ask you to share your stories without doing it ourselves.

After the opening ceremony, in the first part of the show, we invite members of the public to share impressions or brief stories that we reflect with different short improvised structures. In the second part, we invite spectators who would like to tell longer stories to come on stage to share them during an interview with the host. The ensemble then plays the story in a more elaborate improvisation. During the performance, the spectators only share if they want to, without any pressure. The trajectory of the stories is unpredictable. A story awakens resonances that lead to another story and the cycle repeats itself throughout the show.

 

• After the show

When the show ends, the audience is invited to continue the informal conversation with the artists. This moment opens the space to exchange hot impressions, stories that have not been told for lack of time, or emotions evoked by the show.