2006, 75’

An out-of-shape Superman, a self-absorbed Cleopatra, an activist Native American, an overly rational academic, and a macho man stuck in the 1980s perform, via playback, a text written for them by Ms. Y and directed by Ms. P—on a brightly lit stage that feels too small for them…

It is unclear how much of these roles, dictated to them through playback, truly belong to them and how much stems from the writer’s imagination. Is it possible to live a playback version of our lives? How real are we within the roles imposed on us? Can we find answers to these questions through seven scenes and seven questions?

Written and directed by Yeşim Özsoy based on the real-life stories of the performers, Playback was staged at GalataPerform during the 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 seasons. It was also presented at the 0090 Kunstenfestival in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2006.

“Playback” is a technique familiar from television, theatre, and cinema—one that has long been part of our lives. It is, in essence, the story of a lie: a manifestation of safe choices in the world of spectacle, an endless performance, and above all, a perfect blend of truth and fiction.

The five characters of Playback move back and forth between authenticity and artificiality. As they test the limits of their lives, they present their inner worlds and personal histories to the audience. Developed through a unique writing process involving both the playwright and the performers, the play ultimately poses a fundamental question: Where is reality? How much of what we hear is true, and how much is fabricated? Can even our own stories drift away from reality?

As the play unfolds in playback form, the performers present themselves through their stories across seven scenes—“Childhood,” “Bomb,” “Faith,” “Decision,” “Politics,” “Sexuality,” and “Death”—both on stage and in their struggle to exist. This continues until they begin to resist the directions imposed by the playback script they can no longer escape.