SDEA Launches School of Playback Theatre Affiliated with Centre for Playback Theatre
by SDEA
A Global Standard
This affiliation means SDEA’s Playback Theatre programmes will be recognised as meeting the standards, values, and pedagogical approaches upheld by the global Playback Theatre community. This includes aligning with CPT’s mission to foster ethical, high-quality training in Playback Theatre and delivery of core curriculum elements consistent with CPT’s approved syllabi.
Students who train at SDEA School of Playback Theatre will receive official recognition of completed courses and gain a formal stepping stone toward international certification in Playback Theatre.
“With this affiliation, our Playback Theatre community in Singapore is more connected with a global network of Playback Theatre learning, practice, and care.” shares Cheng, who will be leading the Playback Theatre Core Training programme with SDEA in August this year.
“This is not just a fantastic opportunity to be accredited at a global standard, but also marks a great step forward for the community of Playback Theatre practitioners in Singapore.” shares Aishwariyah Shanmuganathan, President of SDEA (Committee 2023–2025).
About Playback Theatre
Playback Theatre is practiced in over 70 countries around the world, from Japan to Australia to Nepal and around Europe. It is a form of community theatre where personal stories from the audience are improvised spontaneously on stage. This applied theatre method seeks to create community connections and dialogue through surfacing untold stories from lesser heard voices.
“(In Singapore) It has a lot of potential in building dialogue in community settings, in education, and even in corporate settings. We honour real stories and we turn them into theatre that builds empathy trust and community.” shares Cheng, who was until recently, Artistic Director at Tapestry Playback Theatre Ltd, Singapore’s first Playback Theatre company founded in 2002.
Cheng was also a founder-member of 3 Cups of Kopi Playback Theatre and 好久不见 Long Time No See Playback Theatre. There are now 5 active Playback Theatre groups in Singapore.
“Ultimately this is about building and supporting the vibrant development of Playback Theatre in Singapore. We are hoping to do better Playback Theatre, we are hoping Playback Theatre becomes a more impactful tool in different ways, in different community settings in Singapore.”
SDEA is hosting the Playback Theatre Core Training workshop from 23rd to 31st August, with more programmes and training opportunities in the future.