The use of the BASIC Ph model as an additional listening tool for Playback Theater performers and conductors: An exploratory study

This exploratory study seeks to assess the integration of the BASIC Ph model of coping and resilience with Playback Theater, as a tool that can be used by performers to provide a distinctively attuned presentation of the story to the teller. The BASIC Ph model proposes that people respond to life in six different coping styles or “languages”. This study compared the experiences of five tellers who each witnessed two versions of their story: a standard Playback Theater performance and one that was informed by the BASIC Ph model. Qualitative analysis of written and filmed data was carried out following the BASIC Ph method, including an analysis of the tellers’ coping styles using three sources: the Six Part Story Making technique, the story told at the performance, and a semi-structured interview with the tellers. The performances themselves were also analyzed following the BASIC Ph method. Methodological difficulties, especially regarding the coding of nonverbal, theatrical material through the BASIC Ph method are discussed. The findings suggest that applying the BASIC Ph model may help the performers to refine the resonance experienced by the tellers and that incorporating the BASIC Ph model in a Playback Theater context, particularly a therapeutic one, may result in a greater impact and resonance for the tellers.