All the world’s a stage for local digital marketing company Digitas Inc.

So when the firm’s senior-level executives wanted to improve their communication skills they took cues from professional actors.

Digitas execs and communications officers tapped the prestigious New York City acting group TAI Resources and The Actors Institute – whose list of alums includes Sigourney Weaver and Marisa Tomei – blending techniques from the fine art of acting with fast-paced corporate culture.

Lessons included everything from tips on posture to role-playing exercises, said John Stevens, vice president and director of communications for Digitas. And, yes, even a little Shakespeare.

“You may actually do something that is akin to oratory work,” Stevens said, using “classical pieces of theater training to help you understand how to hit some emotional points.”

A number of actors are exiting the stage for the office, bringing a theatrical flair to the media coaching industry. For corporations, acting classes can help hone communication skills with colleagues, clients and the media.

Once focused on advancing actors’ careers, The Acting Institute now does approximately 90 percent of its work with corporate clients, according to head of strategy Graeme Thomson’s estimates.

It’s an alternative to traditional media classes focusing on avoiding uncomfortable questions, Thomson said. “What we are helping people do is stop this constant dance around the truth . . . and start talking from a place where they can be honest and authentic,” he added.

Apparently it isn’t cheap.

Thomson wouldn’t give detailed figures but said the workshops fetch “premium” media training prices.

Arlington-based The Ariel Group Inc. charges around $9,000 for its two- to three-day workshops, which limit enrollment to eight per class. The group only hires instructors with a combo of acting and business experience, said Chief Executive Sean Kavanagh.

The company has seen growth over the past five years and an impressive client list, including Coca-Cola, Gillette Co. and even NASA. The group’s success is only natural, said Kavanagh, who sees similarities between the theater and Fortune 500 companies.

“All of us can pick up ‘Romeo and Juliet’. . . and get something out of it. It takes an actor to bring it to life on the stage,” he said. “It’s the same for business.”