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UF theater troupe adds drama to the workplace

The group mixes improvisation with a business message for a new perspective on office issues.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
Published September 27, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Part Six Sigma, part Saturday Night Live, the University of Florida's Business Theatre troupe stepped under the spotlight Tuesday night to offer its audience of business leaders workplace advice with a comedic edge.

One of the vignettes, "The Public Criticism," was an example of how not to win friends and influence people in the office.

In that scene, Kelly Pester plays a new employee who just can't answer the phone on time. Her boss's reaction is to yell and glower. "Never, I repeat, never, let the phone ring more than three times," actor Paul Gabbard snaps.

"I know, but ... " Kelly starts.

"I said never," Paul yells, and stomps off.

Kelly watches him leave. "Did you see how that jerk yelled at me?" she vents to a co-worker.

"Freeze!" yells Zach Huddleston, who's leading the troupe.

The troupe has been performing for business professionals near Gainesville for more than a year, but Tuesday's performance in a conference room at the Mahaffey Theater marked its Tampa Bay debut. In the audience were employees of companies from around the country who are participating in a UF program designed to nurture rising business leaders, as well as representatives from local companies that might bring the troupe to perform for their own employees.

The idea of the theater troupe is to put people at ease examining sensitive workplace issues, like discrimination, sexual harassment and fairness.

Theater for the corporate world is an up-and-coming trend, said the people behind Tuesday's performance, citing improv companies like Second City in Chicago. Its corporate division has worked with dozens of Fortune 1000 companies.

Live theater, they say, gets people involved in a dilemma in a way that a PowerPoint presentation just can't.

The performance at the Mahaffey was part of UF's Emerging Leader Certificate Program. Sixteen participants from as far as Arizona are enrolled in the current round of the program, which is taking place this week at the Hilton in downtown St. Petersburg.

Wells Fargo Home Equity, Cox Target Media and Kohler Co. were among the companies that sent employees to this week's program, which is administered by the university's Leadership Development Institute.

Part of Tuesday's training was to figure out how to avoid the disastrous scenes depicted by the performers.

So after soliciting suggestions from the 30 or so people in the audience, the actors - most of them college students - improvise a replay of "The Public Criticism." This time, Gabbard takes Pester into his office before criticizing her, doesn't raise his voice and asks her if there's anything he can do to help her answer the phone on time.

"Yes," Kelly replies. "The phone's all the way across the room, and it's rotary, and I have to put a quarter in it. It's kind of stressful."

Paul says he'll try to get something a little more wireless.

"One of the tricks to business theater is that people see themselves in some of the scenes," said Ron Kirsch, the director of UF's Leadership Development Institute. "They can engage in the scene, but they don't have to confess that they've ever gotten involved or seen something like this."

Christina Rexrode can be reached at crexrode@sptimes.com or 727 893-8318.

[Last modified September 27, 2006, 10:38:23]