Meet The Executive Director

The Story:

Peter, you were a Chartered Accountant. How did you become an actor?

Deep down, I've always been an actor. But life has a way of giving us exactly what we need, when we need it. When I turned 30, I had a business degree from University of Toronto and had just become the fourth CA in my family. Studying business was the best possible introduction to theatre that I could have received. There is a lot of drama in business today.

How did you find your way?

I found my calling gradually. After leaving “corporate Canada,” I spent two years in theology working toward a Masters in Divinity. I learned very quickly that the priesthood was not for me, but in making that discovery, I finally committed to my lifelong dream of becoming an actor. I set a goal to obtain paid acting work within five years and I started looking for acting training and work. Six months later, I landed my first paid role. I began finding other forms of theatre at work in the community and I realized that there are many, many ways that theatre can contribute.

How did you relate theatre to business?

Theatre is story telling in action. And there are very rich, dramatic stories to be discovered and told in business. Fortunately, I know the language of both business and theatre. I studied forum theatre and other forms of community story telling and I quickly realized that this type of theatre could have broad applications in the right kinds of companies.

Who and what are the "right kinds of companies"?

Well, several of them are listed in playsthatwork's Clients and Projects.

The right kind of company knows that experiential learning and transfer of learning require that our heads and our hearts be engaged. The right kind of company knows that experiential learning like this is unique to each individual and must challenge learners personally, because behavioural choices are learned over years of living and are informed by our personal values and principles.

The right kind of company knows that this kind of exploration takes courage and patience. The right kind of company knows that other traditional forms of training often don't amount to much when learners leave the classrooms and go back to their lives, because they don't have the ability to transfer their new skills into practice on their own. When it comes to behavioural-based learning, connecting with the learner's "gut" and giving them a chance to practice new skills is a prescription to a much higher likelihood of transfer.

How long have you been doing this work?

playsthatwork started in 1989 (under the name Focus Management Group Ltd.) and, in various ways, we have been involved with adult experiential learning ever since. We have been helping companies and individuals with financial and retirement planning for years. playsthatwork has been our major focus since 1999.

Are you involved in traditional theatre as well?

Absolutely. I have many stage credits under my belt as well as much learning in the areas of scene study, improvisation and audition techniques. I have performed in plays in various parts of Canada, the US, England and South America. Over the last several years, theatre in business has been my sole focus.

What was your inspiration for this unique work?

I was inspired by an interview I once saw with Sir Anthony Hopkins. He effectively said: “An actor has a chance to see the world in a brand new way every time he/she takes on a role. The actor's pursuit of the “truth” for that character opens up a whole new perspective on life. Once an actor plays a character, the way he/she perceived that character is changed forever.” If more people were opened to these concepts in business today, they and their businesses would be far better off. And I mean this holistically, not only financially.

---

The Data:

• Bachelor of Commerce, University of Toronto – 1983
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, membership – 1985
• Thorne Riddell – 1983 – 1986
• TD Greenline – 1986 – 1988
• Trinity College, Toronto, Masters of Divinity Programme – 1990 – 1991
• playsthatwork (formerly Focus Management Group Ltd.) – founded 1989

See Peter's story in the Utne magazine, Jan/Feb issue at Acclaim