Everyone has a story to tell.
What if you could tell your story and watch it come to life before your eyes?
Chicago Playback Theatre Ensembe (CPTE) is a performance ensemble, which brings personal stories told by the audience to life onstage using improvisational theatre, movement, and music. Unlike other Improv you might see in Chicago, Playback is not focused on comedy. Audience experiences of any kind, from the profound to the ordinary, from the joyful to the sorrowful, are worthy of attention, respect, and a voice with CPTE.
We believe that sharing audience stories builds community, strengthens empathy, and ignites dialogue. Founded in 2019, CPTE is the only professional ensemble in Chicago currently using Playback Theatre to perform audience stories. We aim to create spaces where stories from all over Chicagoland will be voiced, heard, and reflected back. We do this by providing free and affordable performances and educational workshops.
Collaborations:
- Woodlawn Restorative Justice Hub – Playback workshops for their restorative justice youth program
- Eli Tea Bar & Dorothy – Pride month performances centered on queer stories
- No Shame On U – Public virtual performances centered on topics of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Wise Up – Private virtual performance on stories about community for Wise Up’s senior members
- Sulzer Regional Library – Public shows centering family stories from storytellers of all ages
- Bezazian Branch Library – Public show for their Community Coffee event and a private show for a local summer camp’s grade school youth
- Lincoln Belmont Branch Library – Public show celebrating magical stories at their Pottermania Party on Harry Potter’s birthday
- Berger Park Cultural Center – Public show celebrating community stories at their Arts Showcase event
- Nothing Without a Company – Public outdoor performance at Douglas Park drawing out community stories for the company’s playwriting workshops
- State Matters – The director of this nonpartisan educational organization that provides resources on civic knowledge joined our post-show discussion after our show exploring stories on what it means to be an American
- Howard Brown Health – Provided us free pronoun pins and pamphlets on their resources for us to have available for audiences at our Pride centered shows and beyond