Mark Masters’ Post

As that nice Mr Bowie would say, "Let's dance to the song they're playin' on the radio." 🕺 Experiencing live theatre offers a unique opportunity to enrich your personal and professional life. Here are five key benefits: - Stress relief: Getting lost in a live performance allows you to disconnect from daily pressures and immerse in a different world, promoting mental relaxation. - Cultural enrichment: Theatre exposes you to diverse perspectives and stories, fostering empathy and cultural awareness that can enhance workplace dynamics. - Creative inspiration: Watching innovative performances can spark creativity and fresh ideas, beneficial for problem-solving and project development. - Quality time: Attending theatre with family, friends, or colleagues strengthens relationships and encourages meaningful conversations outside of work. - Mental stimulation: Theatre challenges your mind, enhancing critical thinking and emotional intelligence, which are valuable skills in any professional setting. Balancing work and personal life is crucial, and theatre provides a fulfilling way to achieve that harmony. 🎭 #WorkLifeBalance #Theatre #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment

#MondayMorningDesk 🌟 It's an invigorating time to bring back #MondayMorningDesk as I step into my role as Managing Director at Jubilee Theatre. This weekly post has always been about setting intentions and aligning my week with purpose. I'm excited to share how these mornings shape my leadership and the exciting developments at the theatre. As I settle into this role, my desk is not just a workspace but a reflection of the mission we carry forward at Jubilee Theatre. Here, I blend my passion for the arts with my dedication to service, underpinned by the belief that my work is a form of stewardship—curating experiences that resonate deeply with our community and beyond. Walking into my office each Monday, I am reminded of my Purpose Statement: 'I am a Curator for the Creator.' This affirmation guides my actions and decisions, ensuring that every production, every community interaction, and every strategic decision is infused with integrity and vision. It's a commitment to honor my faith openly, allowing it to illuminate the path we tread at the theatre. At Jubilee, we're not just putting on shows; we are creating a space where stories are told that reflect the diversity and vibrancy of human experience. It's here that my role intersects with my faith—believing that through these stories, we can touch hearts and open minds, fostering a community that thrives on understanding and respect. This Monday, as I look at the week ahead, I'm focused on the ongoing projects that breathe life into our theatre: - Preparing for the upcoming season(s) themed "Reflective (43), Rooted(44), Reunited(45)...The nEXt 42," which promises to be a profound exploration of our collective and individual journeys. - Enhancing community engagement through planned events that aim to bring us closer, celebrate our stories, and foster new connections. - Navigating the complexities of leadership with the grace and wisdom that my faith instills in me. Here's to a week of purposeful work and meaningful achievements. May we all find joy in our roles and remember the greater purpose behind our daily tasks. #Leadership #FaithInAction #PurposeDrivenLife #TheatreLife #CommunityBuilding

For someone who has spent a significant amount of their life involved with theater, I've found myself making connections from the theater world to the marketing world. But, how does the world of Theater relate to a career in marketing? Surprisingly, they relate a lot more than you think. Presentations serve as the theater of the marketing world, where you gather your audience, whether they're clients, supervisors, or colleagues, to both entertain and educate them about your findings. When you present, you become the star of your own show, experiencing many of the same emotions that come with performing on stage. Want to learn more about the skills that I've taken from theater and how I've applied them to my marketing career? Click this link to read it on my blog: https://wix.to/JpsEPiw #newblogpost #marketingstudent

A legendary Broadway theater director gave me this advice a few years ago and it still rings in my head every time I'm preparing a keynote or a customer meeting... He said "everything that happens on stage must have a specific, clear reason to be there. It must have intent. Otherwise, it breaks the story." At first I thought he was being way too obsessive, but of course he is right (and being obsessive has won him several Tony Awards). He helped me learn that having an audience is a gift. It's a privilege. They are there to be served, and they deserve an unbroken story. This is 100% true in business too. Having a prospect to sell to is a privilege. Having an audience to speak to is a privilege. People's attention is a gift that we should not take for granted. When we strategically choose what we will say and show during a meeting, and thoughtfully decide what we will not say and not show, we serve our audience well. When we make those content choices based on what will give them the best experience rather than on what will serve ourselves, we increase the chances that they will respond by giving us what we want. There's so much in our day to day work that we can not control, but ensuring that everything we say and show to the audiences we serve has intent is something we can absolutely do, and then do more, and then do again. #bestadvice

For the most part, Professional Speakers are solo acts and may not have the skills to be effectively present with other speakers, or to develop a dual perspective. The skill set required to contribute effectively to dual or group presentations – to simply be on stage with others - is one that is readily demonstrated in the performing arts as performers focus their connection with an audience through a heightened awareness of other ‘performers’. In “Point/Counterpoint: A Connected Perspective”, professional theatre practitioners Simone de Haas & Lewis Jones demonstrate the art of combining contrasting voices and ideas to create a unique approach to audience engagement. The breakout session itself will be a practical demonstration of how to apply the principles of stagecraft to being on stage with others and will include practical exercises that will ensure participants can readily apply these principles to their practice as professional speakers. #PSACONNECT24 #PSACONVENTION #PSAPROFESSIONALSPEAKER #CONNECTEDBUSINESS #CONNECTEDAPPROACH #CONNECTEDCONTENT

Traffic system morphology

Our core values at Bridge Tea House Pop Up Theatre! 👇 (We think corporate culture could take a thing or two from this!) 🙏 Honesty is the best policy. 🫂 A problem shared is a problem halved. ❌ Taking drugs or alcohol is not an option. 🫸 Hungry, angry, lonely or tired? HALT. 📢 Intuition speaks volumes. Of course, the arts sector doesn’t always have the best reputation when it comes to company culture, either. 😬 Hours are long, the work can be emotionally and physically exhausting, pay doesn’t always reflect the effort you put in… We want to change that and set a BETTER example for creatives everywhere. 👋 ⬇️ What do you love about your company culture? #Arts #TheatreCompany #Culture #Values

What is my superpower? Besides being 'Super Dad' (self-anointed and proudly owned!), one of them is theatre - the kind that values collaboration, self-organization, and empowers everyone involved. The kind of theatre that marries imagination with expression, where rehearsals are moments of deep presence, preparing for the unexpected and organic to emerge. Anything can happen... I’m no star director or performer, but years in theatre devising and cultural immersions have reshaped my worldview in unexpected and wonderful ways. My facilitation approach in organisational spaces is deeply rooted in these expansive experinces of theatre-making. Theatre has taught me to shed inhibitions, connect mind and body, and grant permission, to myself and my collaborators, while guiding others in creative exploration beyond the stage. Curious to get a taste of this? Join me and Tarryn Lee for a one-day '#TheatreSprint' in Linden, #Johannesburg on October 5th, 2024. No theatre experience is needed. If you’re a coach, leader, facilitator, or creatively curious, join us to uncover new layers of your creative self and explore self-expression in fresh, embodied, and unexpected ways. What You’ll Experience: 🎭 Play with your thinking, broaden perspectives, and build adaptability through fun, engaging methods. 🎭 Dive into theatre-making to inspire and enrich your work with artistic creativity. 🎭 Learn innovative ways to engage your body in creative work and collaboration. 🎭 Explore devised-theatre methodologies to create and perform. 🎭 Reflect on how to practice and strategically apply embodiment in your creative work. "Making theatre means to live enchantments…to invent mirrors of the world as we know it, or of worlds as dissimilar from reality as a fantastic delirium.” —Eugenio Barba Curious? Link is in the comments... #moveyourthinking #circlesofattention #TheatreSprint #Johannesburg

Check out my latest blog interview for Central Florida Vocal Arts & Opera del Sol featuring the topic of taking lessons from performing arts experiences and applying them to other aspects of your life. Give it a read!

Keen for something a little different? Have a free hour at 17:00 SAST today? Then consider jumping in and joining our free, 1 hour online session, 'The Interplay of Beings', the third of our online series exploring theatre perspectives for facilitators. We will be exploring ensemble, collaboration and relationships. It will be a conversation, but also a creative doing. Gentle warning: You might be guided into your creative discomfort! Link in comments: #moveyourthinking #creativeleadership #creativefacilitation #theatremaking #circlesofattention #embodiedleadership #facilitationskills