This case study describes how theatre or drama methodology, when not narrowly perceived as "Industrial Theatre" can be applied within the business environment.

The corporate unit of a Human Resource Department of a large utility consisting of approximately 30 people needed to rethink their role as internal consultants for the business and develop an operational plan to fulfill that role.

The client required a session based on dramatic solutions that would be facilitated in a creative and fun manner, while still clearly depicting the required learning areas. The session was one and a half days in duration.

The following outcomes had to be achieved:

• Clear role understanding
• Individual transition understanding
• Operational action plan (50% complete)
• Participants energized and enthused

The dramatic solutions included animated storytelling, improvisation-theatre games, music and short skits.

With animated storytelling a carefully chosen story was told by a narrator and then acted out by mime artists. They became the objects and characters within the story (parable) as told by the narrator. Two different stories were used

Improvisation-theatre is a technique that involves highly skilled improvisation actors and relies on the audience for the basic themes around which the actors then improvise short skits, scenes or interactive games.

The music intervention created interaction and learning by getting the audience to sing along and learn their departments theme song for the year.

All of the above techniques were integrated in the strategic planning process. After each dramatic intervention, a facilitation session followed, either in small groups or in the large group. The facilitation created learning by linking the themes portrayed by the dramatic intervention to the workplace issues.

Over and above the fun and energy that the dramatic solutions created, it ensured that consultants were able to understand the key differences between the old role that they played versus the required new role. Issues regarding how to make the transition between the old and new role was also clarified.

The session impacted on behavioral level, because the dramatic techniques clearly depicted the new behavior that was required. Lastly, dramatizing the issues on both cognitive and emotive level continually reinforced the key messages, although very different techniques were used.

Theatre in this case study was applied to achieve internal communication, create learning on behavioral level and help with skill development.