The PlaybackNR Workbook

Narrative Reticulation: an explanatory theory for playback theatre

The purpose of this paper is to provide a short explanation of the theory of narrative reticulation (NR). The theory is still in construction, and aspects may still be revised. In order to keep the paper brief, I will for the most part omit examples (please provide illustrations from your own experience). The theory of narrative reticulation, conceived as a comprehensive theory for playback theatre, describes the dynamic balance of four attributes–story, atmosphere, spontaneity, and guidance—allowing a flow of interconnected stories.
The word “reticulation” comes from biology and can be used to describe the veins of a leaf or the lines of the palm. In our context the name evokes the interrelationship of the personal stories told by a community group in playback theatre. Narrative reticulation constitutes a spontaneous, face-to-face mode of communication that stands in contrast to reason-based, planned approaches. It is a tool for assessing effectiveness in playback theatre work, and it may also explain a general approach to reducing social alienation in modern life. The four attributes do not exist in hierarchy, but I will begin with story.

Story
We all know what a story is, whether it is a “true story,” a “newspaper story,” a “short story” in a magazine, a novel, or an actual lie, as in, “a likely story.” However, the kind of story we ask for in playback theatre is different from all of these everyday uses of the word. We seek a personal true experience articulated on the spot. This kind of story appears within a spectrum of conscious awareness, bounded by an obscure unknowing at one extreme (“I have no story”) and a stubborn rigidity on the other (“I need seven characters and three scenes in my story.”) We are hoping that the teller’s story will emerge from a zone of discoverable truth that lies within this spectrum.