Theatre As A Learning Tool

A person who has done theatre in his/her life is likely to handle the HR role a great deal better because theatre would have taught him/her goal setting, communication, empathy, situational leadership, time management, and, diversity and inclusion.

- Sunil Vishnu K

HR stands for the acronym human resources, and, if we further break it down -human refers to "human beings" and resource means "supplies one can draw in order to function effectively." Hence, when human beings are drawn and utilised for higher performance, the term human resources gains meaning. Theatre on the other hand, comes from the word theatron (meaning a specific place), which means a place where performance related to an actual or imaginary event is staged by people. So, what do HR and theatre have in common? people and performance!

Look at the corporate dynamics. Projects are envisioned, plans are drawn, goals are set, leaders show the way, people are allocated roles, project kicks off, people deliver on their promises on time, they adapt to the changing circumstances, and finally, they perform and deliver. The scenario is more or less the same for a theatre company, which has to deliver a flawless performance in each show, and, keep the audience engaged. So, running a theatre group is not very different than a corporate, with the added anguishes such as artists' ego, want of funds, audience with a limited attention span, and, fewer trained actors.