This course will take a group of participants through a rehearsal process of a short piece, or several short scenes, depending on the make-up of the group. We will then explore the 'performance' element of our work, and investigate what changes, what is required, and what it feels like. How do we handle this transition?

The course will be in three parts:

Short period of group work and acting process. (We will decide on how we proceed during this time.)

Longer process on a text or idea. Could be one or multiple groups. Building and layering the story, meaning and character, with a view to staging it.
(This could be naturalistic or stylised; with or without text; inside or outside; funny or serious.)

Performance: We will then move into a new part of the process, with an 'audience', and refine and develop the work further.

The course will not follow a particular theatre practitioner, but could well use several fitting approaches. It will be suitable for experienced performers, as well as those who may not have performed at all. It only requires participants that are open, and happy to work on a project that may require you to be 'seen'. (Although no-one will be made to, of course.)

We will have a respectful, dynamic and fun class, where we listen to each other, and work together, whilst maybe challenging ourselves to question what we perceive as acting and performing.

A course for directors as well as actors looking to build skills. We will use texts from contemporary American theatre to delve into scene work, covering script analysis, how to direct actors more effectively (and for actors, how to be directed more effectively), and how to strengthen the actor/director partnership. The aim is to develop directors who are thoughtful, communicative, and collaborative leaders.

In this course we will focus on breaking down the elements that go into creating a piece of physical theatre. We will work and play with tempo, focus, duration, spatial relationships, shape, repetition, gesture and kinesthetic response/ impulse. We will discover how awareness of these elements puts you in control of the creative process and gives a language which can be used to talk about and describe ideas. We will layer in text, props and music as we begin to devise short pieces of theatre within imposed restraints to force impulsive and instinctual choices instead of overthinking and over discussing. By learning this approach, you will understand a great framework on which to build a new piece of theatre.

We will also investigate how this kind of work is applicable to a traditional/ classical theatre rehearsal space. 

This course is inspired by the pedagogical and artistic practices of two great theatre makers, Anne Bogart’s Viewpoints and Tanya Gerstle’s Pulse. 

This course is physical, so be ready to use your body.  No experience is required, only the willingness to work and move.

"Speak the speech I pray you trippingly on the tongue." Shakespeare has always been relevant, whether it's performed in historical costume or modern dress. What is important is how you tell a story through his characters that are psychologically and emotionally truthful. So how do you apply the modern acting methodology of Stanislavski and Uta Hagen to a classical text? Using various scenes from Shakespeare's plays like Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Winter’s Tale or Much Ado About Nothing, we shall attempt to unlock the clues in each text to create the mindset and physical life of his characters. The course will look at a practical approach to 'acting' Shakespeare and how you tell the story through those characters.

This will be a thoroughly practical writing course, involving creating, writing, and further developing dialogue-based scenes.

Over the course of the week we will undertake a range of useful exercises to develop our skills in initiating ideas, realising them in script form, and building on them by reading/ acting them.

So although mainly a writing course, it will have a side of acting and maybe even devising.

The focus will be on creating meaningful, layered and dynamic texts, which we can achieve through attention to style, character development, action, location and narrative drive.

We will sometimes work as one group, but also in pairs and individually. We will listen to and read/ act for each other’s scenes.

We will work on several ideas, but you may focus mainly on one idea if you wish. We will work both inside and outside; and take inspiration from the many different environments Clairfontaine has to offer.

We will start with some relevant scenes from established playwrights to elicit the conversation: what is good dialogue?

You can be an experienced writer, or totally inexperienced, or anywhere in between to do this course. It will be a fun, creative and supportive work environment, without pressure to share, or prove yourself.

You will leave with a wide range of exercises, forms, and ideas that will help you produce better and clearer dialogue, and work.

You are welcome to bring work in progress with you.

In this course, we'll focus on embracing the unique qualities of our own voices – including the raw, imperfect, and unexpected – as a source of strength. By regulating the nervous system and making bold, fearless performance choices, we'll build confidence and deepen our connection to the material. 

We'll play with song interpretation, exploring both the vocal and acting choices that bring a song to life. Through analyzing multiple renditions of the same song, we'll uncover how different performers use storytelling and vocal nuances to create distinct interpretations.  

We'll bravely let go of perfectionism and the idea of getting a song "right", and instead find playfulness as a pathway to becoming more empowered, expressive, and daring performers.

This course will focus on how to create a character. We will “mine the script” for all the information that can help us figure out who the character is. We will look at what internal influences might drive the characters’ motivations and objectives and how that manifests in the way they view and move through the world. We will also look at how outside influences and relationships might affect a character. We will imagine the characters’ history and future and how moments in their life affect them in the present.

We will look at ourselves: ‘how can I play someone else if I do not know who I am?’.  

We will investigate the neutral body and how we can build a colourful character from a blank canvas. We will look for inspiration from the natural world, the elements, plants and animals.

We will work on creating two distinct and very different characters, then experiment with these characters in scripted and improv situations. This will lead us into the realm of comedy where we will play with timing and quickly shifting between characters.

This course in inspired by the work and teaching of Jacques Lecoq, Marie Dumont and Larry Moss.

Taking inspiration from creative work done with Caryl Churchill’s play Glass and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, we shall investigate how to anthropomorphise storytelling to create new stories from different perspectives. By allowing our imaginations to dramatise all aspects of a story, we shall attempt to create a new piece of work. Using writers like Angela Carter, Caryl Churchill and Edgar Allan Poe and practical exercises in creating character, atmosphere, and devising narratives, we will create our own pieces of dramatic storytelling.