Playing the ‘Magic If’ A theatre director’s perspective on intervening

• This chapter contributes to the current discussion on the deployment of artistic competences in organizational interventions by reflecting on my role as an actor and director in an intervention project with municipal managers. The focus here is on an episode in the intervention when the participants started to question the project. The data are presented as an autobiographical narrative in the form of scripted film scenes, representing stages of my cognitive process as actor and director attempting to comprehend the underlying reasons for the questioning. A commentary in the form of a voice-over traces my reflections and intuitive actions during this process. This retrospective inquiry showed that in order to deal with the participant’s doubts and questioning I relied on both theoretical constructs and practical skills acquired over time in my artistic practice and training. These competences, skills and affects become embodied. Two key competences were at play here (1) The ability to recognize given circumstances at play, and (2) The art of modulating given circumstances at play.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Scenkonst (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Performing Arts (hsv//eng)

Keyword

acting

directing

artistic interventions in organisations

artistic inquiry

art-based methods

artistic research

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kap (subject category)