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Playback Theatre is a unique form of improvisational theatre in which audience members volunteer stories from their lives and see them played back on the spot.

 👇 The Theme

Normally we choose our show themes carefully, but this time we are challenging the "untitled" theme, which means we would like to replay whatever stories you'd like to share!  Our use of ritual and structured techniques provide safe boundaries for all concerned, and a solid basis from which to share your stories.

During performance we usually see an emerging thread - common themes or issues that enable us all to explore fresh, potentially surprising connections or differences between us.

 👇 The Playback Team

This consists of 3-4 actors, a musician, and a Conductor. It is the Conductor’s role to guide the audience through the performance, from welcome and warm-up, to small initial sharings, longer life stories, and final reflection. The team often start the show by introducing themselves through short shared moments that resonates with the show’s theme.

👆 Christoph Yew

I have been performing and teaching Playback Theatre and Improv across Asia since 2012. Combining the humor, performance skills, and musical talents, I love creating innovative forms of stage performances that bring the stories of the audience to life. Fun fact: I prefer learning new things via self-study as I believe learning any new skills really happens only in your head. I taught myself Chinese, programming, violin, financial analysis, and even got two Masters degrees because I never stop learning.

👆 Annie

I am the only child in the family. Because of the pandemic, I haven't seen my family for more than 2 years. I am missing them so much and now channeling my energy into my work and my improv career. Coach Potatoes becomes my another home where I am pleased to be a part of. I am also an actress in Paradox Theatre. Before I moved to Shenzhen, I was a lawyer. Now I am choosing the different path, and encountering many new chapters in my life.

👆 Alireza

Heyyyy! I'm Alireza, and you can call me Ali. Being an easy going and open-minded person, I got myself into playback in hope of experiencing a new kind of 1001 nights' stories. Besides, I'm a fan of electric guitars and a compatriot of Persian cats. I love to travel, make random videos and travel again. Anyway, if you see me nearby, come and say hi as I've got more things to share with you!

👆 Mia ZHENG

Ni Hao! Originally I am from a Hakkaness city but I was raised in Guangzhou since my mom is a Cantanese, so I speak Hakkanese, Cantonese, Mandarin and English. I have been living in Guangzhou for about 25 years until I moved to Shenzhen at the end of 2020. Being unemployed, I was exploring the fun in the jungle of improv, and Kuan Ki Do, and coding, and bachata, and contact improvisation, etc. Till I finally landed myself a proper job in Tencent, I quit other hobbies except sticking to act on the stage of playback theatre.

👆  John Ottman

I am an artist and an educator, with specialties of dramaturgy, choreography, contemporary dance & ballet, writing, CPM™ workshops. My most recent development is the Constellation Points Method™. The results of this technique have been exciting and the feedback is extremely encouraging. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family hiking and/or camping and love being up in the mountains around Shenzhen. French is my second language and I have begun working on adding Mandarin to the list.

👀 👇 👀

have a glance of our laughing out crying faces 

Why are we willing to spend ninety minutes sitting here in the theatre, being vulnerable to strangers and even watching our old experiences being replayed on the stage?  What's the magic of Playback Theatre, to make a suspicious, cynical and indifferent person to put aside his ego and pride, and scoot over for a moment, in order to make some room for more new feelings?

I assume, we all like to experience some impromtus and seemingly meanlingless moments, more or less. It does not have to be the right time, right location, or even with the right mood. I will not lie about me not having some similar expectations like Luna. 

Not being girly or excessively romantic, simply girls enjoy directing our own dreams from time to time. A secluded beach with the sea horizon gently swallowing the Sun, an encounter with a cute man playing a guitar, and what's more? 

A reunion of the future me and the current me, face to face, we will probably give each other a hug, and say to each other " You are just in the right time." When we are single, we are too stingy to waste one single minute to be jealous or feel insecure, and we want to explore more in less time. When we are occupied, we are just confident enough to soak in the love pool fenced by our lover, with no regrets to our former self. 

That's a reunion, our future self won't be afraid to look back, and our current self is brave enough to chase what we believe.

And scene, the story of Luna. Thank you our actor Alireza, for playing the role of "fate", preparing every possible element just to make the right moment to bring these two beings together.

If you are a fan of "fate", you are probably a fan of this following story by Tatiana and her husband. For me, it is a test set up by the invisible "fate", only to make them more determined about whom they choose to love after being played by the time zone. 

A spacious airport, a cup of coffee at hand, and a limitless amount of time waiting and expecting and wating. Your appointment of eight am, my interpretaion of eight pm, has caused this beautiful misunderstanding. If the scene is set in a movie, there could be a milliion versons of fights or madnessess, whereas in life, it is the promise of passion that leads to only one ending - a moment of reunion and a bouquet of kisses.

We're from different worlds, yet we somehow fit together. We have different theories of life, even our accent is of vast difference. But this is what makes life so intersting, isn't it? We tend to find the person to spend life together with the great qualities that completes our own legos. 

However, there are some moments, when we are so different that it's gonna take a little while more to chew on these differences until we memorize someone's name - "Regina".

Being a newbie to a new working environment, every detail could provoke and amplify our own sensative feelings. "Rrrrr...", Regina was trying to refresh her boss's memory about her own name, by pronouncing the first letter of "Regina". 

Because her boss spent a lot of time on bussiness trips, so each time after his arrival at the office, he had a hard time recognizing old and new faces, not to mention the new names. After multiple attempts at making him remember her name, she felt a lack of belonging. Just being on the brink of giving up, she heard him correctly spell out her full name. Finally, this doesn't have to be another embarrasing and obnoxious reunion.

Don't be ashamed of your story.

It will inspire others.

* Your stories shared at the theatre are safe with us ; ) 

* We asked the stories' owners for permission to mention their names and stories in this article

⌚️ Time

20:00 pm - 21:30 pm

Saturday, November 27th

📍 Location 

Floor 5, Loft B, Town of UpperHills

No.5001 Huanggang Rd. FuTian

💴 Ticket

Early Bird - 80 rmb 

Normal - 100 rmb

🔤 Language

English

You want to know more about our systematic playback training workshops, Monday's comedy improv workshop in the Sea World, and English/local drama theatres in Shenzhen? Add my wechat ( id: 13632268974 ) so I will invite you to our Couch Potatoes Playback wechat group!!

STAY TUNED!