Conducting: skills for shows for social impact

To register for the class after February 1, please contact [email protected].

If you are interested in conducting training but can’t make this series, please email [email protected].

Open to anyone who is currently conducting Playback performances and/or rehearsals.
Useful for all skill levels, whether beginning, intermediate or advanced.
While we will focus on social impact shows (e.g., for marginalized communities and/or addressing timely social issues) participants are welcome to share about any kind of shows they are conducting.

$75-300 sliding scale.
No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
100% of these class funds go to support PNA’s operating costs.If you haven’t yet, please also sign up for PNA’s mailing list.

This series will give you a chance to be with fellow conductors to share experiences and ideas, to do role plays with coaching, and to explore ways to handle conducting situations that many people find challenging.

Some of the topics we will likely explore:

• Ways to draw out tellers and guide them to what is needed
• Ways to empathize with what is said and unsaid
• How to highlight and frame deeper themes so the actors can bring them out in their enactments
• How to conduct stories centering on certain social identities (e.g., race, disability, gender identity)
• When and how to boundary stories of trauma
• How to produce social impact shows in your community and to prepare your cast.

Whether you’re a highly experienced conductor or fairly new, you can benefit from practicing these skills. When handled well, challenging situations can lead to valuable experiences for all involved.

Two of my favorite activities are conducting Playback shows and teaching other Playback conductors. I have performed in over 700 shows with the Boston-based company True Story Theater, mostly as a conductor, covering a wide range of social impact topics (for instance, on diversity, equity and inclusion issues in partnership with our town, and on the climate crisis in partnership with local environmental groups. (See this page for more). I have led or co-led workshops and exchanges with about 30 different new and experienced Playback companies in the US, Canada and other countries around the world.

Host or Publisher Playback North America