Theatre was limited to the dramatics cell of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, till the B-school introduced drama and role-play in its curriculum to prepare its students for real-life situations.

The institute organised a day-long workshop by theatre group Nandikar for the students of the managing innovation course. Over 70 students attended the compulsory workshop that stressed on communication and negotiation skills and convivial learning.

“Theatre uses a lot of tools through which one can experience situations that students so far learnt only through lectures,” said Biswatosh Saha, a faculty member who is part of IIM’s strategic management group.

Several B-schools across the country are warming up to theatre and role-play, including IIM, Lucknow, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, and the Future School of Business, Calcutta.

“Theatre helps recreate a scenario that students might face when they step into the shoes of managers,” said Mousumi Ghosh, the director of the Future School of Business.

The institute is preparing to perform a play next month based on The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, a leadership fable by Patrick Lencioni.

After the performance, the students in the audience will be asked to come on stage and participate in role-plays on situations taken from the play.

According to professors at IIM, Calcutta, a number of parallels can be drawn between management and theatre. Whether it is pausing in the right places while speaking or stressing on words to make an impact, communication skills are crucial for all management students as well as theatre actors, they stressed.

Saha feels that everything about being a manager cannot be learnt through the chalk and talk method. This is where theatre groups like Nandikar come in.

Students of IIM, Calcutta, who attended the workshop conducted by Rudraprasad Sengupta and his team swear by the effectiveness of theatre as a medium of learning.

“Emoting effectively with the right amount of stress on words helps you make an impact. Theatre teaches you how to control your emotions and that is what managers need to do,” said Harsh Chhabaria, a second-year student of IIM, Calcutta.