9 Responses

1. Theatre for Training

   Mo

   The CIPD website has an article on Theatre for Training under its Topics for Trainers Series. E-mail me if you have difficulty accessing this and I’ll see what I can do to help.

   I once tried to introduce this type of training into an unnamed company but met tremendous resistance from a director who considered it to be trivial.

   The following are companies provide this service:

   actors mean BUSINESS – tel: 0121 355 4554
   AKT Productions Ltd – tel: 020 7495 4043
   As You Like It Productions – tel: 020 7493 6070
   Crag Rats – tel: 01484 686451
   Steps Role Play – tel: 0207 403 9000
   Turn-Key Communications – tel: 0161 419 9993
   Y Touring Theatre Company – tel: 020 7272 5755

   Mike Wills
   mikewills@mwls.com
   http://www.mwls.com

2. TrainingZONEs resources
   Mo,
   If you search the Trainers and consultants directory with the keyword ACTOR you will see a list of relevant companies and their contact details

3. Reality Reflected
   I can highly recommend a company who use professional actors for all manner of business issues, they audition everyone so only use high calibre people. The company name is “Reality Reflected” – the contact is:
   Graeme Southam
   telephone number 01756 748605
   e-mail – graeme@realityreflected.co.uk

4. Using Actors for Training
   Actors can get messages across in interesting ways. The main argument against is that often the participants in such training fail to grasp the key messages as they become destracted by the occasion. Video Arts was set up by some famous actors several years ago and the criticism of their work from professional trainers has been exactly that. We are looking to be entertained or amused by the performers and fail to pick up key messages and message reinforcements.

5. Using Actors in Role Play
   We use actors in some of our training – specifically in role play as part of one of our management development programmes. It has been very well received, largely because it brings a level of realism and challenge to the experience of role play. Through the numerous programmes we have run we have found that we get best value by using skilled actors (we using a professional acting company) who we brief very clearly and support with high quality facilitation. If you would like to discuss anything you might have in mind, please feel free to contact me.

6. thanks
   Thanks to you all for responding so quickly!

7. Drama-based training providers
   Please look at our website on http://www.actorsinmanagement.com where you will see the range of our work in some depth. Our address is 43 Coleraine Road, London N8 OQJ and the phone number is 020 8888 1230.

   Please look at what our clients say about us. Lots of case studies and client feedback available on the site.

8. See us in ‘Training’
   I mentioned to you in a previous comment that we use trained actors within training programmes that we design and deliver and have found enormous benefit in doing so. Have a look at this month’s ‘Training'(published alongside Personnel Today) in the ‘Tried & Tested’ section and you’ll see an article focusing on the benefits of our use of actors within a Management Skills Programme that was designed for Railtrack. If you would like me to get a copy to you, by all means email me and I will send you one.

9. Actors can really bring your training to life!
   Hi Mo, I recently facilitated a series of workshops using actos and it proved to be a very powerful learning medium. If you want to discuss please drop me an e-mail. The company I was working for was EA Consulting and my contact there is Janet Gordon (actor and director) and her number is 020 8948 6244. Angela