In the 1950s, a certain entanglement between business and theatre emerged, which has expanded in recent decades. The range of manifestations is varied. On the one hand, there are short and singular interventions (e.g. for office parties), which are prepared by theatre groups for that particular situation, in order to thematize, for example, current topics relevant to the company. Theatre groups will also be hired by management to communicate changes to the company’s workforce. On the other hand, corporate theatre makers are engaged long-term to solve problems of internal communication. A special form of the interrelation of business and theatre is also used in employee selection processes. In the context of these assessment centres, applicants’ social and communication skills are evaluated in improvised role-playing games.

This subproject will explore these facets of applied theatre in two case studies. One case study focuses on role-playing processes within the assessment centres of multinational companies. A second case study researches theatre interventions in the context of change management implementation.

• "Assessment Centres as a Theatrical Device" (Florian Evers, M.A.)
• "Theatre as a Tool for Communication Management" (Fabian Lempa, M.A.)