The Theatre of War: leader development between personal identity and person-in-role

The aim of this study was to develop new knowledge about theatre as a form of and platform for learning in leadership development. We asked: How is theatre perceived as learning in leadership development? The context of our study was leadership training at the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy, where a group of 14 leaders was given the assignment The Theatre of War: Planning and performing a five-act show for an audience of 50 people at the city theatre. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted and participatory observations were documented in the educator’s logbook. Our data analysis developed five categories of findings. Our research points out at the ways in which theatre is perceived as learning in leadership development, broadening from the feeling of uncertainty and anxiety to the experience of community, holistic identity, empathy towards the other and oneself, and transformative learning.