Applied theatre in corporate training

This article aims to be a synthesis among the latest learning and development books as well as academic journals across organizational behaviour, educational theatre, drama therapy, and performance studies. It pinpoints five management‐related competencies that the new trend of applied theatre in corporate training can facilitate.

This briefing is prepared by an Asian practitioner‐performer‐scholar who identifies and distils knowledge in Western interdisciplinary contexts.

This article concludes that applied theatre can be a new concept and methodology for corporate training to enhance the main competencies in business settings – leadership, communication, creativity, team building, and emotion management. Practical implications – This study provides a conceptual foundation and practical language for human resource and training professionals as well as company directors who choose and evaluate training methodology.

This briefing links theory with practice as well as connecting academia to industry. It saves busy businesspeople's and researchers' time to integrate multiple‐fielded knowledge by presenting it in an insightful and single‐minded format.