How Playback Theatre Unlocked a Surprising Shift in Perspective

How Playback Theatre Unlocked a Surprising Shift in Perspective

A few weeks ago, I found myself participating in something entirely new to me – a performance by a playback theatre company named Story Lane Playback Theatre, via Zoom. My day had been frustrating, filled with unexpected turns that threw my plans out the window. I felt grumpy and tired. My head was focused on thinking about the mountain of work I felt I needed to, and hadn’t. I didn't want to share how I was feeling. I wanted to keep it to myself.

As I watched, and listened, I found myself so moved by the performers who drew stories with their bodies, and made words to represent the stories that were shared. Close to the end of the performance the invitation was again given to the audience to share our stories. I surprised myself, and shared mine.

The Power of Being Seen and Heard

I talked about my day – not holding back on my frustrations or grumpiness. I shared the stories from a walk with my daughter, our encounters with (six!) dogs, visits to parks, and stopping by the ocean. The actors played back my story through different lenses – through the voice of my daughter experiencing our day together, the park witnessing our joy, the ocean narrating our interaction with its waves and salty air, through the voices (woofs?) of joy of the dogs we met and patted.

It was wonderful. I found myself cycling through tears and laughter in rapid succession. When I woke up the next morning, there was a lightness within me – I felt relaxed towards the events of the day before, and prepared to manage them if the day ahead presented a similar path.

A Lesson in Perspective Shifting

What struck me most profoundly wasn’t just the emotional release but how this experience led to a shift in perspective without me having to rationalize or think through my emotions. Instead of wrestling internally to manage or suppress these feelings alone, as is often instinctual for many of us when dealing with stress or frustration. Sharing my story and having it held in this way had led to a viewpoint shit.

This shift in viewpoint isn't something I take lightly; altering our perspectives can feel like moving mountains at times—especially when tackled alone. I get it, when we're feeling low—be it from exhaustion, sadness, aloneness, sheer frustration—finding another angle or imagining there’s another way to see things can seem nearly impossible.

Mindful Coaching: A Path Toward Perspective Shifts

This is where mindful coaching can play a role — a process akin to what playback theatre facilitated for me but in a more personal setting. It’s about sitting together with whatever situation life is throwing your way—holding both its difficulties and its joys—and gently making space for new ways of seeing things that might have seemed too difficult or heavy to tackle on your own.

The beauty of coaching is often experienced not in eradicating challenges or making huge changes, but rather bringing (hidden) struggles into the light by allowing oneself, and our experience of our world to be seen, heard, and supported with empathy.

Get in touch if you're curious to talk more about how this might look for you.

x H