S01 E30 - Dr. Sarah Saddler / Performing Corporate Bodies, Multinational Theatre in Global India.

Written By Tom Craig

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Professor Sarah Saddler explores her groundbreaking research on the role of Applied Theatre within corporate settings, particularly across India, South Africa, and the UAE. Drawing from her book Performing Corporate Bodies, she discusses how theatre techniques, such as role play and improvisation are used not just for team-building, but as tools to instil corporate values, promote behavioural development, and align employees with company ideologies.

Sarah challenges the traditional view of Applied Theatre as solely activist or liberatory, arguing that in corporate contexts, these methods often blur the lines between empowerment and control. Through ethnographic case studies, she highlights how theatre is employed in tech firms, luxury brands, and even post-apartheid workplaces sometimes reinforcing hierarchies, other times offering cathartic release or subtle resistance.

Our conversation unpacks how this evolving practice reshapes ideas of community, identity, and agency, particularly in neoliberal work environments. We chatted about navigating the emotional complexity for both facilitators and participants, raising significant questions about the ethics of theatrical interventions in profit-driven spaces. Thank you Sarah for sharing your thought-provoking research exploring the power and politics of Applied Performance in unexpected places.

BUY Sarah’s Book HERE!:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Performing-Corporate-Bodies-Multinational-Performance/dp/1032421428

Sarah’s links:

Website - https://baruch.cuny.edu/profiles/faculty/Sarah-Saddler

Applied Theatre Podcast:


X - @Apptheatrepod

Instagram - @AppliedTheatrePod

Email - appliedtheatrepodcast@gmail.com

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#theatre #appliedtheatre #appliedtheatrepodcast #podcast #SarahSaddler #PerformingCorporateBodies

Tom Craig
Next

S01 E29 - Balancing Act / Devising Joy Nurturing Well-being.