News Release:
Port Macquarie businessman acts in his own interests
| 19/1/04 010/04 Acting as a tool for business is very underrated suggests Port Macquarie businessman Lance Thompson who has spent the last ten days brushing up his performance skills at the University of New England Summer School, "The Actors Craft", in Armidale. A stalwart of the Port Macquarie Players for the last 15 years, Mr Thompson, Managing Director of the successful manufacturing and export business Thompson Brushes says acting keeps him in contact with the right side of his brain. "It allows me to keep a balanced outlook and helps me to think more creatively," he says. "This is very useful in business. Many business people use theatre skills every day without realising it and a lot of modern business theories come directly from acting workshops. "I believe the study of the arts offers an excellent business training as it involves exploring possibilities and solving problems, lateral thinking and understanding the perspectives of others." With a first degree majoring in Philosophy as well as a Diploma of Business, Mr Thompson, started his business in partnership with his father in Port Macquarie 20 years ago because they liked the place. During that period they have built their local workforce to 25 and have also established a manufacturing plant in China which exports to the US and European markets.
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He says many of the techniques he has been learning at UNE's first acting Summer School for external students are directly transferable to both his business and his next task for the Port Macquarie Players, to direct Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. "Learning to develop a character and to work with other actors is very similar to building a successful workforce," he explains. "People who don't understand the process of acting training are scared like hell of letting go of their inhibitions but I find it a great way to handle stress. Acting is a stressful and high energy activity and the techniques you learn for handling stress on stage work just as well in everyday life. "This has been a fantastic Summer School. It was well presented with great direction by our tutor Sue Fell and it generated a lot of energy, excitement and good performances from some very talented people." Mr Thompson was one of 30 participants in "The Actors Craft" Summer School which was held in response to requests from the University's external students to balance their academic studies with intensive theatre skills workshops. Media contact: Sue Fell, UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 3506 or Lance
Thompson (02) 6581 0244 |
