Theatre, Teams, Trust.

“Drama is inherent in all human interaction and its use as a tool for self-expression and empowerment reaches the crevices and crannies of the mind and soul” says TT Srinath ?in his book, “All the World Is a Stage, Drama and its evidence in the Corporate World”.

The history of theatre finds itself deep-rooted during the time of the cave dwellers. The interplay of rituals, music, art, dancing, and narrative created a sense of unity and community. The corporate world is not unfamiliar with such a notion. A theatre ensemble acting to reach a single aim—its ultimate production—is comparable to the idea of team building and unity in order to achieve a common purpose.

It is interesting when the arts and corporates align, as one of the key products that evolve out of it is theatre-based training. Training workshops are safe spaces for people to be entirely themselves, to be seen and heard.

In the corporate world, different departments collaborate across expertise to form an integrated team with various goals in mind. It is essential to identify the instinctive power of team dynamics. Paul Mathew T , Founder-Facilitator ‘Corporate Theatre’ believes that “teams are not built, they happen”. They are a “collection of interdependent skill sets”. He believes it is integral to transform or “define the environment” the employees are in rather than trying to change themselves altogether.

Anand Mittal, a Drama-based Facilitator and Coach, says that in order to involve the employees better, a common theatre technique called “Play, Pause, Theatre” or “Forum Theatre” can be used. This includes providing the actor volunteers with a situation to be staged. The audience members are free to stop the actors or “pause the scene” and change whatever they want in the scene. In some scenarios, the audience members are called on stage to act it out. This is when they become a “Spect-actor”, says Mr Mittal. Naturally, the participants feel their goals align which enhances their performance altogether.

A few theatre techniques applied in the corporate world are “silly games” as Paul Mathew defines it, scripted plays, roleplays and so on. Participants find themselves turning ?a vague script into a play well done, delivering excellence beyond their own expectations.

When it comes to dealing with conflicts at the workplace, it is important for each team member to understand their objective. Possessiveness of a certain idea curbs creativity, says Paul Mathew.

When it comes to theatre, “character profiling” or a “character study” is done in order to understand the character better. An actor is made to go into the character’s world. Likewise, one of the reasons conflicts arise owes to the fact that one may not understand someone else’s world or view.

According to Sunil Vishnu K (He/Him) , Co-founder and Artistic Director of Training Sideways and Evam, theatre is required in the corporate world for two reasons. One of the mottos by which the company “Training Sideways” founded themselves on is to conduct training programs without the usual sitting-down-at-a-table-staring-at-PPTs all-day long. “From death by PPT, we will give you life” he affirms. Another reason is that through theatre, the learning gained is entirely experiential and is proven to have been received well by those involved.

It is vital that teams are witness to continuous appreciation. This uplifts them and motivates them to give it their best. Paul Mathew elucidates that it is a lot more powerful to bring about a sense of integration where people understand each other beyond the titles they possess in an organization. It is important for teams to be on journeys of growth. “Teams that play together stay together” says Anand Mittal.

The author, Neha Verghis is a guest writer at TATE Leadership Consulting LLP .