for Playback Theatre Trainers and Practitioners

As practitioners and trainers of Playback Theatre, we agree to uphold the following Codeof Ethics:

Respect:

We interact with our audiences, students, tellers, company members, and colleagues with respect at all times. We acknowledge and affirm the integrity of the other party and behave in a way that does not seek to undermine or shame the other. We understand and respect the rituals, traditions, principles, and practices of Playback Theatre, and undertake to acquire that knowledge.

Inclusiveness:

We are open to any story and also ready engage with ethical complexities within a story.We seek to include voices that are often unheard in our communities.

Emergence:

We allow the events of a performance to emerge out of the moment, without beingpreset or manipulated. Stories or tellers are not chosen prior to the show (unless in exceptional situations, which should be transparent.)

Competence:

We commit to ensuring that we have sufficient training and supervision for any Playback Theatre project that we undertake, acquiring further training as needed. We commit to practicing and/or teaching Playback Theatre at the level of our competence and not beyond.

Human rights:

We promote the human rights of all those present and not present. When necessary we take appropriate action to address prejudice that may be expressed consciously or unconsciously by a teller or workshop participant.

Collegial relationships:

We strive to maintain respectful, cooperative, and supportive relationships within the Playback Theatre community. We respect boundaries between companies andundertake to be transparent with our colleagues, particularly in areas which may have financial or professional impact, including in relation to financial supporters.

We respect each other’s proprietary material including company names, publicity materials, and project descriptions. When companies, training entities, or trainers are in geographical proximity they need to negotiate and respect regional agreements.

Privacy and confidentiality:

We acknowledge that stories told in a performance are not subject to confidentiality. However, we undertake to repeat or write about stories only in a respectful and discreet way.

For trainers of Playback Theatre:

Ethics topics in training:

As trainers, we commit to developing self-awareness and awareness in our students ofethical issues in Playback Theatre.

Supervision:

As trainers, we commit to an adequate level of supervision.