The Stagecraft Challenge

The Show must go on….

Anyone who has ever been a part of putting together a play, would forever remember the buzz of the auditorium, the hustle-bustle behind the curtains, the pressure in the rehearsals, the last minute butterflies and panic…. until of course, the screen goes up!

And then, unlike while shooting movies, theatre does not allow for any retakes. This is where the rubber hits the road. All the preparation, dialogue delivery, action & reactions – needs to come together in one seamless flow, to put up a show that will be understood and appreciated. Regardless of any obstacles or roadblocks that then come up, the show must go on….

Avail Program Through

•When run in the physical mode: Teams are assigned topics which could be creative, whacky or linking back to corporate themes and values. It could also be tongue-in-cheek ones aimed at light hearted leg pulling of senior leaders. Putting together a play is no child’s play though. Several questions need to be answered – several decisions to be made. What is the storyline? What about the script and dialogues? Who does what? What if someone forgets his lines? How do we use the props? What make-up to put on? What about the rehearsals? Teams get everything they need to make the play – an assortment of props, make-up kits, wigs, guns, maces, dresses…. and more. The only thing they need to get by themselves though is their imagination.

The buzz in the air in the final moments is palpable – a lot of last minute instructions fly around, backups get decided, the more organized teams are huddled together for a final walk through of roles and responsibilities, nosy competitors are brushed away….. The final buzzer goes off and eventually a hush descends as the first team comes on stage to perform……

•When run in the virtual mode: It is amazing how well this activity can be adapted to the virtual stage. All the initial steps of handing over topics and collaboration between team members to put together a performance remains exactly the same. Only the props are, lets say “home-grown.” When the time arrives for the show to go LIVE, all other participants shut down their cameras and the performing team members are given the stage – the screen space. As in the theatre, the actors enter and exit the screen as they play their roles.

A few key parameters:

2 – 3 hours

Time Limit

Physical or Virtual

Where this can be run

Up to 100

Group sizes

Debrief can be customised

Customisation

Is this workshop right for my team?

The Stagecraft Challenge is an activity that calls for both left brain planning and right brain creativity. The activity brings forth different themes that can be debriefed and discussed at the end of the activity. A few of these being:

• The importance of communication in real and virtual teams
• Horses for courses – the importance of role allocation
• Embracing our discomfort and adapting to new challenges
• Aligning to one vision

If you are looking for an engaging activity, that helps individuals in your team get to know each other better, FocusU invites you to the Stagecraft Challenge