theatre Intervention (Organisation & People)

AIDMAT Indigenous Learning Center
Organisational theatre Intervention: Towards
Corporate and Social Change
History has proved that indigenous
theatrical mode of learning has been one of
most ancient method to impact social
change globally .Either we trace
Shakespear or kalidas's contribution of the
past or revisit andragogy of modern times
that has set innovative method to set an
educational revolution Social sector
organizations have been using such a
method as a powerful tool over the years
through 'street plays' through community
Interactive mode of drama or
role plays are the enactment of
real and imagined events
through roles and situations. It
has been used over the ages to
portray human behaviour and
activities and to expose social
and political issues with
outstanding effectiveness.
participation and their enactment mode conveying stories of change what society
needs to address.
Theater has embodied several creative methods with real life experiences on the
stage where we work together ,live and interact. Corporate sector have also begun
exploring such training learning methods in their educational programmes on
selective mode .
Theatrical intervention
It signifies how real-life actors (humans as well as organisations) live and adapt
themselves to changing environments and how they change their environment by
their actions. Plays, written and evolved by people themselves for specific
organisational problems, are staged in front of organisational audiences with the
aim of changing employees' work behaviours”.Theorists and practitioners of
theatre have always seen their art as a way of investigating social life. Some were
descriptive (like the Realists); some had an idea of bringing change to society.
AIDMAT indigenous learning center defines the techniques of theater to
investigate organisational life. Theater tools are used in connection with the
organisational world. Similarly musical and performing arts eg. dance ,drama,
painting and many other blended cultural tools have always been a great
motivator to bring social change
Drama and Role Plays
Interactive theater has been experimented with in the social context where 'spectactors'
are invited to suggest and enact solutions to forms of oppression and social
problems. It is possible to bring social innovations and creativity by engaging the
employees and community through direct and indirect participation. As viewers
and actors they get hooked to address the common institutional issues for directed
goal. Role play techniques are used as simulated learning design that is quite
different from dram where script is offered . But combination of drmam with role
play technique are being used effectively for educational purposes. Aidmat with
strong social roots explores and collaborates on such technique with corporate
world. It has begun experimenting new a design for several social projects at
grassroots level in partnership several
known theatrical groups and also at its
own in corporate world.
Organisational Theater
OM means first of all tailor-made plays
staged for a specific organisation or a
subgroup in an organisation.
Organisational theater consists of the
following elements. Generally, professional
performers would take up from out sideor
employees themselves stage a play.
The concept of using drama in
training is for subjects to learn
in an effective way about a
subject matter, which is
presented in a realistic manner
that would engage and involves
the subjects throughout he
action. Therefore, subjects are
not passive recipients of
information, nor are they just an
audience, but active participants.
Employees or learning group themselves prepare or evolve the script rehearse and
act in small groups through mime or dialogue to present before community to get
their feedback .Facilitator acts passively to support the team and joins as moderator
at the end. He may act as an anchor.
Case Methods
Are converted in to community role plays where every one is hooked to draw
lessons as viewer and act as well. The play is directed towards a clearly defined
audience, e.g. the service department, the sales people, the branch managers,
production unit and research unit or allied functional team as per case learning goal
and requirement. (Each case has potential to be converted in to a powerful drama
with strong message.)
Theater Presentation
Aims at getting the audience deeply involved and confronting it with hidden
conflicts, subconscious behavioural patterns or with painful truths. The audience is
exposed to well known situations on stage. Typical problem situations dramatized
in organisational theater plays include sexual harassment, gender issues, conflict
management, communication barriers between middle and lower management,
and discrimination. Learners group forum Theater is developed as a process that
allows the audience to become directors and scriptwriters with an experienced
facilitator/theatre director. It is an exciting and innovative way of exploring
sensitive issues and opening up discussion for people to discuss freely to focus on
multi thematic areas on behavioural skills and their related
value on main cluster areas.
Conceptual Thrust
Mindset
Character
Competencies
In the Organisational theater forum created in the learning
group attempts are made to focus and redefine problem or issue
that is encapsulated in a written script which allows the participants to explore the
characters, personalities and issues . It is then 'acted' out by the group to an audience
(other colleagues) who attempt to make interventions to alter the course of the
dramatic action by proposing solutions using the Forum Theater technique.
Predictions are made in the written script as to when and what these interventions
could be. Case method conversion in to roleplay and dramatic intervention drive the
entire viewers in to actors and learning and acting community This provides subjects
with the opportunity to learn about their behaviour and attitudes in action, as well as