Industrial Theatre

Understanding Industrial Theatre (Applied Theatre)  

When Industrial Theatre was first introduced in South Africa in the early 80’s it was mostly used as a carrot/stick method for management to inform staff of company expectations and the subsequent repercussions, if said expectation wasn’t met.

Little emphasis was placed on understanding individual need, individual behaviour and what drives said behaviour. Industrial Theatre has since developed into a value-adding change agent whose main aim is to provide a voice for each party involved. To give a true representation of each party’s experience of the situation, albeit their perceived reality which may be far from objective truth.

The Jungian theory of archetypes states that there are pre-supposed character traits in specific types of people. By clearly defining and developing different character traits and personalities in characters on stage or on screen, it becomes easy for the viewer to identify with some of them. Care must be taken to guide your audience to consciously challenge their own attitude, behaviour and methods for the purpose of growth and learning.

Our approach is scientific and measurable and not just used to create a fleeting ‘rah-rah’ moment.

All our interventions are created to meet your ‘audience’ where they are at, in their current state. We gain an understanding of what their pain points are, what those unmentionables and untouchables are which we dare not talk about. We also find the elements which people celebrate within the organisation. It is one thing to address the negatives, but we must drive a positive outcome, individuals should leave our interventions with a want for ‘BEING’ the intended requested change and not just ‘DOING’ it for the sake of ‘compliance’.

Understanding the current organisational state give us insight as to where and how to create a safe psychological space to ensure an optimal learning experience. This is done through our resident industrial psychologist and our change management specialist. All our interventions are facilitated to ensure;

1. a) The intended message did come across as not to leave room for open interpretation that might lead into corridor talk
2. b) Open platform for safe dialogue. Audience members can point fingers at situations and characters which they saw on stage or on screen. Undesired behaviour can be pointed out and addressed without blaming someone directly involved within the company
3. c) Individual ownership once your audience embarks on the character journey