The lessons that you learn through character and narration live longer in the memory than what you learn in the classroom. Through the story of the Western CEO and the young migrant girl who works in the factory that produces the socks for his company, you gain an insight into the connectivity of these two worlds, distilling the big issues down to the individual human level. A very effective way of bringing to life the human impact of the macro-issues.

Arts-based approaches to learning in the corporate space can add tremendous value to a more empathetic understanding of cross-cultural issues, leadership development and teamwork. Companies with a passion and desire to enhance the impact of their goods and services, to drive focus to more transactional benefits of understanding one’s target audience, and to make links across different stakeholder groups to improve innovation, would benefit by taking part in Scheherazade’s unique approach to organisational learning.

Scheherazade’s performance was both a surprise and a revelation. In just a few short sketches, we in the audience learned so much, not just about the migrant issue in China, but about empathy, leadership, and the human condition. The actors in the sketches were top notch, and the multimedia effects used were powerful. I am not easily moved by performances, but I was deeply touched by this one. My mind and emotions were engaged in a deep way to consider the issues the characters faced. I would highly recommend having the stellar Scheherazade team to perform in any large gathering or function where people are trying to make a difference.

Scheherazade’s workshop during the China edition of World Economic Forum had a lasting impression on me … Scheherazade put on stage actors who play situations that are well thought out, to trigger a response from the audience. They are indeed close to one’s daily concerns and experiences. The interest lies in the fact that the acting stops suddenly and the audience is then asked — in groups — to develop simple solutions to continue the story of each character. But nobody can talk once on stage and solutions need to be depicted via a “frozen statue”, implying several persons and which is “self explaining”.

What is astonishing is how people, who are relaxed and exterior to the complex human issues (both personal and professional) depicted in the play, can come up with simple and effective ideas to answer to them. I strongly recommend Scheherazade’s approach as the benefits I received from the workshop have been very useful to me — both personally and professionally — over the past months. It makes you stick to the essentials and be innovative, calm and positive in problem solving.