In the field of learning and development, thinking and practice coming out of the USA often leads the way. Though surprisingly it seems that working with actors to bring training to life is relatively unexplored stateside. Sure there are companies of actors who teach business people acting and improve techniques, or even play out large theatre events set in the world of corporations. But using actors as a resource to help people in organisations practice tricky situations is relatively new.
So our hunt for actors in the USA began at the twin Meccas of US drama: LA and New York. Many of the actors we met had strong connections to the UK and some had lived here and worked in the UK-based roleplay industry. And many had experience of working in other industries beside acting. They also brought their unique experiences and connections, from Improv skills to business school diplomas. This had lead us in turn to develop the teams in LA and New York and to build teams in Chicago and Texas.
I was lucky enough to go over to train the actors and on my first trip stayed near Manhattan Beach, LA and then three days later on Manhattan, NY. I was taken to the beach and SoHo House in LA, Japanese Improv nights and Broadway shows in New York. I was spoilt rotten. And the React Actors in the US have become valuable assets to the React team.
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