SOULPEPPER’S CORPORATE TRAINING TEAM
One of Canada’s most celebrated cultural institutions wants to share its expertise in communications and storytelling to help strengthen your workplace culture.
Soulpepper artist Derek Boyes has more than 20 years of experience in the corporate training world and has brought together like-minded experts in this field to simulate authentic work place scenarios to allow challenging and fulsome learning.
For the past four years Derek’s team has partnered with one of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies on successfully coaching their senior executives and directors to sharpen their messages and launch change in their culture. Below are some of the services Soulpepper’s Corporate Training Team can provide for your organization.
Not sure what might work best for your environment? We’d love to connect and put together a custom package that is right for you. corporate@soulpepper.ca
TEAM BUILDING DAY
Time Commitment – 5-6 hours
Number of Participants – up to 25 per room (able to accommodate multiple rooms)
What is it?
Participants will partake in a variety of theatre and improve games and exercises that focus on active listening, critical thinking, communication and team building, topped off with dinner and a show.
What do we do during this workshop?
Give your employees an off-site experience they will never forget in the home of the multi award-winning Soulpepper theatre company in Toronto’s beautiful Distillery Historic District. Soulpepper’s highly successful corporate training team lead by artist Derek Boyes will take a theatrical approach to the event that will provide insights and practical take-aways in team building, interpersonal skills, body language and message sharpening. This entertaining and rigorous experience can be capped off by a backstage tour, artist meet-and-greet, dinner and a show.
Workshop Components:
- Exploring trust and interpersonal skills
- Body language and communications
- Igniting Positive Change workshop
“We had an amazing day!”
- J.S., Director, Telecommunications Sector
To learn more about details, costs, and availability, please contact: Corporate@Soulpepper.ca
HOW TO DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE YOUR PRESENTATIONS
Time Commitment - 2 hour minimum
Number of participants – 1 per session
What is it?
“Friends, Romans, countrymen”, let Soulpepper’s highly successful corporate team help you intensify and confidently deliver your next presentation in a rigorous and impactful one-on-one coaching session. Soulpepper’s experienced coaches are capable of combining their corporate experience with their award-winning performance abilities to offer insights and tools that will prove valuable well beyond the next presentation.
Workshop learnings include:
- Sharpening your message
- Vocal and Breathing techniques
- Enhancing Body Language
- Optimize your delivery
- Maximize your confidence
To learn more about details, costs, and availability, please contact: Corporate@Soulpepper.ca
IGNITE POSITIVE CHANGE
Time Commitment – 2 hours
Number of participants – 2-12
What is it?
All employees have a conversation or an unproductive relationship they have been avoiding. Ignoring or working around the issue only adds to the frustration and toxicity in the workplace. Our coaching and practical preparation models give your company’s leaders the expertise and confidence to Ignite Positive Change in your organization.
What do we do during this workshop?
A half-day workshop will allow participants to identify, research and practice delivering a direct impactful message to stimulate powerful conversations that Ignite Positive Change. It can accommodate up to 12 delegates per day and take place in an environment that would provide a plenary room and 3 break-out rooms.
NOTE: A full day experience adds Corporate Culture Forum Theatre to the session. This has proven to be an entertaining and challenging way for corporate leaders to practice their approaches to detoxifying their work relationships.
“Thank you so much… I feel like I’ve been banging my head on a wall and you just showed me a door to walk through instead.”
- K.T. Senior Manager, Not for Profit Sector
To learn more about details, costs, and availability, please contact: Corporate@Soulpepper.ca
CORPORATE CULTURE FORUM THEATRE
Time Commitment – 2 hours
Number of participants – 4-12
What is it?
Holding a mirror up to corporate nature. Soulpepper uses the UNESCO sanctioned method for change to dramatically identify the strengths and challenges facing a company’s workplace, and addressing potentially toxic elements.
What do we do during this workshop?
Soulpepper will connect with your HR team and create an interactive situation where up to 12 delegates observe a meeting between 2 employees of a fictional company that mirror the major behaviour concerns your company has identified. The observing delegates give their feedback about what they have identified as intolerable behaviors and offer suggestions to one of the employees to see if they can affect the toxic conversation. What they don’t know is that soon after restarting the scenario, the facilitator will rotate the delegates into the action to play the part and see if they can embody their suggestions. This has proven to be an entertaining and challenging way for your company’s leaders to practice their approaches to detoxifying their work relationships. This can be a stand-alone experience but it is also a perfect precursor to the Ignite Positive Change workshop that Soulpepper also offers.
“Thank you for bringing it to life for our Executives. It was much appreciated.”
– Deborah M. Director, Telecommunications Sector
To learn more about details, costs, and availability, please contact: Corporate@Soulpepper.ca

Derek Boyes has been a Soulpepper ensemble member since 2004 and has acted and directed in more than 40 productions. He has been a key member of their youth outreach and audience enrichment initiatives through his years with the company. Derek has also been part of the Stratford Festival and Shaw Festival ensembles.
In 2004, Derek began a relationship with Practice Works inc. an industry leading company that offered their clients the opportunity to practice their communication skills with performers trained to react to their approaches in an authentic and rigorous roleplay and provide emotional feedback from the character’s point of view. From 2006 to 2010, Derek became one of the lead trainers for the company as well as performing the “simulations”. Derek travelled from coast to coast in Canada and to New York with companies that included KPMG, Sun Life Financial and TD Bank.
Derek leads a team of 6 interpersonal skills experts that has successfully helped a national communications company develop and implement a major culture change initiative.