For nearly two decades, Virginia Reed Murphy has used the power of storytelling to heal Memphis. As the founder of Everystory, formerly known as Playback Memphis, Murphy has built a nonprofit rooted in the belief that people change when they feel genuinely seen and heard. In classrooms, community centers and performance spaces across the city, her organization creates opportunities for young people and adults alike to practice empathy, deepen emotional awareness and connect across differences.
At the center of Everystory’s work is Be The Peace, an innovative social-emotional learning program that blends storytelling, improvisation, mindfulness and Playback Theatre. The program serves students and educators through workshops and live performances designed to strengthen communication skills, emotional resilience and compassionate conflict resolution.
While the current program now focuses heavily on youth, its inspiration grew from a different audience. For six years, Murphy facilitated a program that brought formerly incarcerated individuals together with law enforcement. The effect was profound, but limited in scale. As the organization began to evaluate how to broaden its reach, those participants helped shape the next step.
“The individuals who had been incarcerated wanted to see Playback programming grow in the schools because they felt if they had been exposed to Playback Theatre at a younger age, it could have made a needed difference in their lives, and potentially saved them from going down the path that led to their incarceration,” Murphy said. “Today we have one of those former participants now serving as programming staff.”
This realization served as the foundation for Be The Peace, a curriculum built around six core attitudes: gratitude, non-judgment, curiosity, patience, trust and humor. Murphy drew those principles from mindfulness-based stress reduction training she completed through the University of California, Berkeley, between 2021 and 2023.
“Playback Theatre training is grounded in the practice of mindful listening, so it was a natural fit,” she explained. “There is ample research demonstrating that mindfulness-based school interventions increase prosocial behavior, resilience and executive function, while decreasing anxiety, attention problems and conduct behaviors. Who wouldn’t benefit from strengthening these muscles?”
Inside a Be The Peace workshop, students are encouraged to reflect on personal experiences, listen deeply to one another and practice expressing emotions without judgment or fear. Sessions often culminate in live performances where members of the Everystory ensemble act out audience stories in real time, allowing participants to witness their own experiences transformed into art.
For many young people, particularly those struggling with confidence or emotional isolation, the experience can be unexpectedly powerful. “What I’ve learned about myself is that I’m very strong and it just needed to be pulled out of me,” said one student participant. "Playback Theater pretty much pulled the fearfulness out and put the courage back in." Another student described the experience as "a way of opening up about things you never thought you would open up about."
Dr. Melita Thomas, Director of the Division of Alternative Education for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, said this about the Be The Peace program. “I have witnessed the transformation of the George Washington Carver students who were involved in the program. Many of the students walked into the program carrying the weight of labels – students who have been expelled, troubled students. As the program began, I watched those walls start to come down. Something powerful happened – the environment created by Be The Peace gave the students permission to let their guards down. They were speaking up, laughing - their innocence was shining through. When young people are given the opportunity to be heard, to be safe and to express themselves without judgment, you begin to see who they really are.”
Beyond the measurable outcomes, which include a 21 percent increase in compassion among participants, Murphy remains focused on something more difficult to quantify. She wants young people to understand that their stories carry value and that listening can itself become an act of healing.
That commitment continues to shape every workshop, every performance and every story shared. In a city well-acquainted with both struggle and resilience, Everystory is proving that the simplest act - giving someone the safe space to be genuinely seen and heard - is often the most revolutionary catalyst for healing.
After 18 years of living and leading transformative healing work through Everystory, Murphy will transition out of the organization this fall to focus on acquiring her licensure in professional counseling. She hopes to continue being a resource on and off the stage and is excited to join the Memphis Center for Mindful Living.