Improvisational Theatre as Public Pedagogy: A Case Study of ‘Aesthetic’ Pedagogy in Leadership Development

How does improvisational theatre promote aesthetic learning in leaders, emphasizing emotion and somatic, or sensory, knowledge? While improvisational theatre has been used in organizational settings, there is little empirical research describing the aesthetic learning process geared towards preparing educational leaders. Based on a case study of an educational leadership institute using grounded theory to investigate the use of improvisational theatre, four learning conditions emerged for promoting the phenomenon of the aesthetic learning process. The article describes key features of this process - catharsis, empathy, and heightened sensory perception - as compared to works by Dewey, Greene, and Freire. These aesthetic aspects challenge the traditional role of leadership ‘trainer’ and leadership ‘student’ and reflect a more collaborative conception of leadership development as conveyed in public pedagogy literature.