Theatre for a better workplace
Theatre is the latest tool for human resources development in Dubai. Rajeev Nair has the details
Imagine addressing all those workplace woes out in the open through interactive sessions, where you play out — as in theatre — your grievances and discover solutions. It is a concept increasingly gaining acceptance in the corporate world, and the trend has reached Dubai too.
Scenez Group, a Dubai Media City-based company specialising in theatre projects, has unveiled Dubai’s first ‘Theatre at Work’ corporate training workshops. It is a fun-packed approach to understand human psychology and the various patterns of human behaviour and thus, bring about the desired HR development.
One of the latest approaches in HR training, the use of theatre has been standardised to a few techniques. One is the Forum Theatre, developed by prominent theatre practitioner Augusto Boal. It addresses team development and conflict resolution in the corporate environment. The Alexander Technique, developed by Mathew Alexander coupled with the Grotowskian method (Jerzy Grotowski, Poland) is a movement/yoga- inspired technique used for stress management and developing the right body language for more efficient communication.
Sam Bardawil, whose did his studies at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London, and the University of Bristol, offers the training in Dubai. “Theatre for training is a new development in the HR industry,” he says. “It has caught up in the last 3 to 4 years in the UK because unlike traditional training, it focuses on bringing out the emotional elements. It gives a lot of attention to human beings, treating them as a bundle of emotions and even as spiritual beings.”
Augusto Boal had devised the Forum Theatre after touring through Brazil to educate the people about their rights through theatre. “But at the end of the sessions, the people would become so charged they wanted to revolt,” says Bardawil. “That is when he realised the power of theatre. He resolved that he would never say anything on stage, which he is not willing to implement in real life.”
Forum Theatre was built on that basic premise. “Here, people watch a play that tackles a subject related to their lives and work together as a team to resolve the issues. The play has a very simple theme and every one can relate to it. People then suggest solutions by acting them out,” explains Bardawil.
Forum Theatre is an emotional, physical and intellectual experience, says Bardawil. “It is a quick check of what it is like to implement the changes in your life, and hopefully enable you to go back and do it in real life.”
When such a play is done, the spectators start reacting and suggesting as if they are watching their lives on a mirror. Since the end-result is freeing people of their oppression, the practice is also called the “Theatre of the Oppressed.” The people who take part are “spect-actors” — not spectators or actors. “They have to observe and act,” explains Bardawil.
He says that the Grotowskian technique he follows is also referred to as Poor Theatre because in this style of training, there are no props, decoration or lighting. “It is all about actors being in an empty space using their own faculties to bring out as much as they can to communicate to the audience. They have to get the inflexion, intonation and articulation of their voice right. They must have the right facial expression and body language.”
The principle of the Grotowskian technique rests on the fact that as they grow older, people tend to hide their emotions and spontaneous feelings. “We start putting on masks, which is visible in our voice, our postures and our body language. We tend to hide what we really feel,” explains Bardawil.
The Grotowskian technique thus aims at liberating individuals from these masks. “This is very important if you want to connect to the corporate world. The Grotowskian technique helps you find your own way of expressing yourself, and understanding how you can use your body to portray different feelings.”
The third kind of training using the Alexander Technique is mostly about stress release and stress management. “Stress manifests physically as voice changes and body pains,” says Bardawil. “Alexander Technique synchronises body movement and breathing, which is very important in releasing stress. You discover your points of stress, release them and remove the tension from the body.”
The Theatre at Work events can be held over one week or even months. “The size of the corporate group does not matter,” says Bardawil. “The training is based on collaboration and the minimum we might need to conduct the workshop is 7 to 8 people.”
Bardawil’s own initiation into theatre therapy was after studying Art History and discovering certain courses where you can use art therapy for personal development. He later discovered drama therapy before venturing into corporate training using theatre techniques. He later taught at the American University in Beirut while also conducting freelance theatre training workshops.
He says there has been tremendous self-realisation from his own learning. “I think it changed my life completely. I became aware of my own inconsistencies about who I am, my strengths and what I need to work on. I am not concerned about what others think about me — often, a negative thought that blocks me from being what I truly am. The moment you realise your limitations and abilities, your ego starts deflating. And that is the way forward…”
And as bottom lines go, Theatre at Work helps re-discover the child in you, where you are not ashamed to show your true emotions. “It is getting to the true you, and not what is in the surface.”
Caption:
Christina Chammas, general manager, Scenez Group; and Sam Bardawil.
