There is no script, but there is a rhythm and sequence to a Playback Theatre performance. The conductor is the host and facilitator of the process. After a period of introductions and warming up, someone will volunteer to tell a story. It could be a short moment, or about a longer event. They may be past, present or future stories. They could be about a very special time or about something that happens everyday. In the course of a performance maybe 3,4 or 5 people will come forward to tell a story in this way.

This person, who is called the Teller, will cross from the audience area to the Teller's chair. The story is told from this place with the support of the Conductor. During the interview, the Teller chooses actors to play roles in the story. As the actors are chosen, they stand. When the story is told, the Conductor will say 'Lets watch'.

The performers take this as their cue to set up for the beginning of the enactment. There may be music to set an atmosphere and mood; the actors may use their boxes or chairs to define the space. During the enactment, the actors and musician will spontaneously improvise a re-enactment of the story, and this may happen in different artistic forms. Whether as a naturalistic scene, or through abstract movement or sound, or as a dance, or with puppets and song (or a combination of these forms), the performers attempt to capture and present the essence and heart of the story.