Virbatim Theatre is a form of Documentary Theatre. The difference between Virbatim Theatre and general Documentary Theatre is that in Virbatin Theatre, the words of the interviewees must be used exactly.
The start of Virbatim Theatre is credited to Anna Deavere Smith. It is said to have started with her 1992 play, Fires in the Mirror, about the Crown Heights riot. She continued this form of theatre with her 1994 play, Twilght: Los Angeles, 1992, about the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
While this form of theatre may use television news broadcasts and newspaper articles, it is rare. When they are used, text from those who spoke or who were quoted must be used exactly as the text is found.
The only okay editing is to move the text around in different positions for the dialog to make sense, and to remove pauses and text fillers such as "uh" and "er." However, somestimes such pauses and fillers may be wanted to keep the intended effect.
It is also important to disclose that everything said may be used in the production. It is important for interviewees to know this as this will allow a playwright or a group of playmakers to use exact words without legal trouble. It is even a good idea to create and informal contract in order to have a record of consent.
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