The promise: searching for the creative moment in theatre, business and life

This thesis critically explores my public works as a theatre maker (Artistic Director of The Imaginary Body theatre company since 2001), improvisation teacher (the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London since 2005) and designer-facilitator of corporate leadership and team development events (over the last fifteen years and since 2013 with my own company Spacecraft Ltd). The intention has been to examine the learnings from these public works and the interconnections between the different disciplines I have been working in, in order to document and share any insights, and gain more clarity for the creation of my future public works.
The three public works that I explore are: my theatre play 100 (2001 - 2004 and currently on Pearson’s UK GCSE Drama curriculum); my improvisation teaching at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London (2005 - ongoing) and the corporate leadership and team development work of my company Spacecraft Ltd (2013 - ongoing).
Key insights for my own practice and to share with others include:
• the role and value of improvisation in Reflective Practice
• how improvisation can be a gateway to a different kind of knowing that enables individuals, teams or organisations to meet their promise
• the significance of games in building the skills in individuals and groups to meet and manifest their potential
• the ambiguity of storytelling as a tool that is both enabling and limiting in the pursuit of the promise of an individual, team or organisation
• why imagination is a key factor in making virtual collaboration successful