Before the advent of modern technology, theatre plays were a venue to express the ills of society to shape the minds of the public. Over the years, it has become a form of art and a means of preserving the history, traditions and culture of a place. It has earned high artistic and entertainment value while maintaining its purpose of educating its audience.
Plays revolve around various themes, such as love, friendship, revenge, class struggles, and many more. The theatre arts also offer various stories that can add insights to entrepreneurs and business owners. Let us take a look at these 10 classical and modern plays that give us a glimpse of the business world. You can read their book versions or watch them in theatres to learn from the situations and characters presented in these dramas.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Frank Loesser’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a 1961 musical based on Shepherd Mead’s book of the same title. The play revolves around J. Pierrepont Finch, who first worked in a company by starting in the mailroom. By reading How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and taking advice from it, he rose to become the chairman of the board.
There are always bumps and walls throughout the entrepreneurial journey, but one can always learn how to surpass them.
Death of a Salesman
The stage play Death of a Salesman is one of the internationally acclaimed dramas of the 20th century. The story is about Willy Loman, a salesman who found himself incapable of driving and travelling for the job. In between dreams, hallucinations and reality, Willy experienced one disappointment to another. The story ended with Willy committing suicide, thinking that the money from the insurance could help his son start a business.
Disappointments are ever-present in the business world. Things may not turn out the way we want it to be, but there is always a better option without following Willy’s footsteps.
The Merchant of Venice
The William Shakespeare 16th-century classic The Merchant of Venice touched on the themes of friendship, love and revenge. Antonio is a merchant in Venice whose friend, Bassiano, needed money to court the love of his life, Portia. With Antonio’s fleet at sea, he is short of funds but promises his friend that he will act as the guarantor. Unfortunately, Bassiano turns to the Jewish moneylender Shylock, who agrees to the loan without interest but with the condition that he can take a pound of Antonio’s flesh if they do not pay on time.
Entrepreneurship offers a huge risk. Loans have to be made to allow a business to take off. Misfortunes may happen and there will be people who will take advantage of the situation.
Glengarry Glen Ross
If you are looking for some exciting drama, then Glengarry Glen Ross may be the play you’ve been wanting to watch. David Mamet presents the cutthroat world of the real estate industry through a group of real estate agents who are desperate to sell lots in Glengarry Highlands and in Glen Ross Farms. These characters go to extreme lengths like stealing leads, intimidation and deception.
Some of the challenges in business are meeting targets, making profits and dealing with unsavoury individuals. The story allows you to pause and think of solutions without sacrificing your business and your values.
The Producers
Mel Brooks made an adaptation of his 1967 film The Producers into a musical. The main characters, Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, figured out that they could make more money with a flop than with a hit. So they went out to raise millions and come up with a low-budget production. As it turned out, it became a hit, which posed a big problem for them.
The play can bring so much laughter, but it also shows that honesty is an important trait in business because the opposite can lead to disaster, as much as loyalty is a valued quality among partners.
The Lehman Trilogy
Originally created as a radio drama, Stefano Massini created a three-act play about the Lehman Brothers. A young German, Henry Lehman, and his two brothers established a business in the US. But 163 years later, their firm collapsed into bankruptcy that sparked the financial crisis in 2008.
In the story, a family business has grown and passed on from one generation to another. Despite its long history, certain situations led to their downfall, leaving lessons for entrepreneurs to ponder on.
The Adding Machine
This 1923 play by Elmer Rice is about an accountant called Mr Zero who served in a large company for 25 years, only to be replaced by an adding machine. Through his anger, he killed his boss, which led to his execution. The scenes continued with Zero’s soul wandering in the afterlife, where he was found useless and was sent back to the world.
The Adding Machine shows the realities in certain industries where technology takes over the human aspect of a business.
Ink
One of the new plays is Ink, which premiered in 2017. Set in London in 1969, it is about Rupert Murdoch who purchased The Sun, a struggling newspaper. With the aim of making it a popular source of news and crush the competition, he hires Larry Lamb as an editor and they go to extreme lengths to reach their goal.
The story touched on ethics and money, factors that many entrepreneurs take into consideration when running a business.
Grand Hotel
The interesting feature of Grand Hotel, a musical from Luther Davis’ book of the same title, are the characters of those staying in the Grand Hotel. The hotel guests are composed of a Jewish bookkeeper, a prima ballerina, a doctor, a businessman, a Baron and a Hollywood hopeful, whose lives became intertwined through their chance encounters in the hotel, giving the audience a glimpse of their struggles and dreams.
Although the play in itself is not about business, it shows the colours of people that can also make one think about those they meet every day. But for those in the hospitality industry, they will find the story’s setting and scenes interesting and insightful.
Enron
Based on Enron’s financial collapse, British playwright Lucy Prebble wrote the play Enron, which premiered in 2009. The plot brings the audience through the rise and fall of this Texas-based company, exposing deceit, fraud and greed.
While the play is entertaining in itself, its depiction of Enron’s demise that ended in bankruptcy is a major lesson to many business owners.
If these plays piqued your interest, maybe it’s time to check out your local theatres on their line up of shows. It would be nice to sit through a play, enjoy the performance and bring home the lessons it leaves its audience. More importantly, see how you can apply these lessons to your entrepreneurial