Playback Theatre - Live and Real
The Creative Mental Health Forum and Collective Care Retreat is delighted to welcome Associate Professor, Dramatherapist Drew Bird as a specialist workshop presenter at our 2024 event in Boon Wurrung Country, Inverloch.
Drew will be sharing his passion for Playback Theatre in a special 4 hour intensive workshop on Sunday 5th May 2024.
Attendees can expect to engage in warm-up activities and exercises designed to give you the confidence you need to integrate aspects of Playback Theatre into your practice immediately!
What is Playback Theatre? Think Dramatherapy meets live theatre, where real life stories are brought by participants and the audience. These stories are brought to life in the here and now by a troupe of actors and musicians with the help of an experienced Director. Experiencing Playback Theatre is like receiving the gift of empathy – ultimately a connecting experience of being seen, heard and cared for in a truly embodied and creative sense.
About Drew
A/Prof Drew Bird, Ph.D., is a registered Drama Therapist. He is Head of the Creative Arts Therapies Program and Drama Therapy lead in the Master of Creative Arts Therapy program at University of Melbourne’s Creative Arts Therapies Research Unit (CATRU).
Drew’s clinical background is child and adolescent mental health, adult mental health, palliative care, learning disabilities and school settings.
He joined the Dramatherapy journal editorial board in 2019 and was editor of the Journal from 2021- 2023. Currently he sits on the editorial board of the Creative Arts in Education and Therapy Journal (CAET) and co-editing a book on drama therapy, spirituality and religion.
Recent research interests and publications have focussed on heuristic inquiry, arts-based research, a/r/tography and dramatic improvisation and performance as research into therapy and teaching practice.
Drew has a long-standing practice in Playback Theatre as both actor, trainer and director and is looking forward to sharing this passion for Playback with participants at the 2024 Creative Mental Health Forum.
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