Full Description
This book explores the use of applied theatre and drama in organisations and in executive education to support transformational learning and enhance professional practice.
Writing from an applied theatre perspective, the authors explore the place and purpose of applied theatre approaches in supporting rich and deep learning and development. Examining both the benefits and tensions associated with using applied theatre in executive training and development, the authors show how an applied theatre approach creates new opportunities for applied theatre practitioners, consultants, managers and leaders in designing and delivering transformative learning for their staff. Real-world experiences from practitioners and clients are used throughout the book to apply practice to theory, giving concrete examples for readers to engage with.
This book is an essential resource for theatre practitioners who conduct workplace and work-based training and development, as well as professionals responsible for executive, leadership and consultancy level professional learning within their organisations.
Contents
Foreword by Elvin Turner: The Case for Applied Theatre in the Workplace
Foreword by Michael Anderson: Imaginative Intelligence for Postnormal Times
Introduction: The What, Why and How of This Book
· Applied Theatre and Applied Drama in the World of Work
· The Beginning of the Idea
· Why This Why Now? Beyond a VUCA World
· How the Story Unfolds
1 Contexts and Concepts: Exploring the Landscape of Work and Applied Theatre
· Contextualising the World of Work
· Future Thinking: Workplace Priorities
· Understanding the Super Six
· The Link Between Art, Theatre and Business
· Applied Theatre or Applied Drama? An Exploration of Terminology
· Returning to Intention...
2 Learning in Action: Dramatic Pedagogies
· The Place and Purpose of Applied Theatre
· Transformative Learning
· Experiential Learning: Embodied Praxis
· Reflection, Reflective Practice and Reflexivity
o Elements of Reflective Practice
o Metaxis
o Reflection as an Opening to New Worlds
o Dynamic, Embodied and Reflexive Spiral Model
o Reflection as Diffraction
o Reflection as Narrative, Storytelling and Metaphor
· Psychological Safety: The Elephant in the Room
3 Methods for Change: Exploring Key Conventions
· From Theory to Practice
· Applied Drama and Theatre in Management Education
· Participatory and Rehearsal Forms
· Mapping Applied Theatre Conventions to the Super Six (Hobsbawm, 2025)
o Priority 1: Workplace and Work's Evolution (Hybrid/Remote/Distributed)
o Priority 2: Rights, Equality and Health (Wellbeing/DEI)
o Priority 3: AI Adoption and Tech Infrastructure
o Priority 4: Culture, Leadership and Management
o Priority 5: Demography, Geography and Generations
o Priority 6: Talent, Skills and Learning
· Conclusion: Mind the Gap! Spaces for Intervention
4 Navigating the Work: Insights, Practice and Challenges from the Field
· Practice, Practice, Practice!
· Constructive Impact and the Power of Applied Theatre
· Tensions in Applied Theatre
o Corporate Theatre as a 'Dirty' Word
o The Aesthetic Drift
o Affect vs. Effect
o The 'Applied' Trap and the Deficit Perspective
o Theatre as Organisational Technology vs. Emancipation
o Ethical Practice and Power in Organisational Theatre
o The Economics of Survival
o The Ethics of Collusion
o The Liability of Vulnerability
· So, Where to Next?
5 Continuing Not Concluding: Where Next for Applied Theatre in the World of Work?
· Reconnecting With the Start
o Being Human in a BANI World
o Embodied Practice in a Technology Driven World
o A Practitioner's New Toolkit
o The Ethical Tightrope
o Ecosystems and Systemic Change
o The Golden Thread: A Vision for 2046
· A Final Provocation
