West Hartford Startup Matches Theatrical Improv with Workplace Training
"Yes and" is the fundamental principle of improvisational theater. It requires performers to accept and build onto another's statement without challenge.
Now a West Hartford firm is showing improv skills can be an asset in the business world.
Ellen Feldman Ornato and Jenny Drescher are the principals behind The Bolder Company. They share similar backgrounds as workplace trainers, executive coaches and improvisational theater performers. They launched ConnectAnd Improv in Middletown in 2014 before moving to West Hartford and rebranding this year as The Bolder Company.
The firm's website lays out the premise clearly: "The Bolder Company is the catalyst for the lasting behavioral change that empowers businesses to thrive. We connect individuals to themselves, to each other, and to the futures of their organizations. We combine fully experiential, improvisation-based learning with grounded, outcomes-focused content to produce lasting behavioral change."