"Overture, curtains, lights..." : engaging 'millennial' marketing students through business theatre

Engaging university students of a millennial generation is a learning challenge currently facing marketing educators. In an attempt to engage millennial students and depart from the typically low-key introduction associated with the first class in many marketing units, a piece of business theatre, inspired by the theatre in education movement, was performed in a core, second-year Marketing Communications unit. Interpretive research, via a cartoon test, sought to explore student perceptions of business theatre's educational contribution. Findings from the exploratory study suggest that students perceived the business theatre activity to be attention-grabbing, different and beneficial to their learning. Results of the pilot study have implications for educators seeking new means for engaging students by altering teacher-student dynamics and fostering a positive learning environment.