This joyful workshop will add verve to your character creations, stretch your devising play and get you in touch with your own gloriously flawed humanity. Discover: irrepressible Arlecchino (Harlequin), incorrigible Pulcinella (ancestor of Punch & Judy), crotchety Pantalone, flamboyant Capitano, the hapless Zanni, the unpredictable Witch and more.
Open to beginners and those with workshop or performing experience.
Commedia Dell’Arte originated in Italy and spread its influence across Europe to England, informing characters in plays by Goldoni, Moliere, Shakespeare and in TV sitcoms!
These audacious archetypal characters still have the power to thrill audiences and empower players today.

Peta Lily is a director, performer, theatre maker. She teaches at RCSSD and RADA and leads independent workshops in Commedia, Archetypes and Clown. She has also developed a new clown genre: Dark Clown, which extends the clown’s range of expression.

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Based on Japanese physical performance techniques, this workshop will practice body-oriented routine exercises based on Japanese physical acting techniques and philosophy and work with ensemble exercises. In the first part of the workshop, students will learn hands-on techniques, routines, and the philosophy of Japanese traditional “kata”. In the second part of the workshop, Ashizawa examines how she reinterprets and reframes traditional codes, using examples from her past works.

Izumi Ashizawa is a Japanese performance and visual artist, born/trained in Tokyo, based in New York. Rooted in her deep study/training in Japanese culture, she specializes in transmedia performance art, particularly keen on reinterpreting male-only-permitted Japanese traditional cultural codes, and places them in a different context to give a new meaning. She has performed and taught all over the world.

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“We try very hard all the time to not appear idiotic, what would happen if we stopped trying?”

We will lead participants through a series of exer­cises and provocations connecting body, voice, imagination and play. 

As a wonderful clown once said, ‘Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.’

The aim of this workshop is to create a supportive atmosphere of play which encourages participants to open up and share themselves fully with each other. The resulting experience might be laugh­ter.

This workshop is for performers and non-performers. People interested in laughter, play and connecting with others.

 Min age 16. Please wear loose comfortable clothing.

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This workshop focuses on the dynamic fusion of dance, physical theatre, and acrobatics, using gravity as a creative partner. It is designed for dancers, actors, and physical performers who wish to explore the physical limits of theatrical expression. Participants will dive into physical research, learning how to safely, intentionally, and expressively launch themselves into space. Through guided improvisation and advanced floorwork, artists will build a connection between their moving bodies and the audience. The workshop provides a safe yet challenging environment to push personal boundaries and develop a raw, authentic stage presence.

 Piergiorgio Milano is an Italian Belgium choreographer, dancer, and physical theatre creator. His unique artistic language seamlessly blends the raw energy of circus arts with the fluidity of contemporary dance.

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The brainchild between Mime and Sign Language, Visual Vernacular (a.k.a. VV) is a form of sign language storytelling performance involving everything from the knee, waist and up. 

VV needs only a small area of the stage to perform great silent visual epics, akin to sign language. 

VV emerges the strongest from those of us growing up communicating visually everyday and without sound as the norm. We are known as the Deaf people. One of us, is called Zoë McWhinney (she/they), recently won the internationally renowned festival Clin d’ Oeil’s Sign Slam championships in Reims, and was shortlisted in the nationally prestigious Forward Poetry Prize 2026, while using her VV skills. Zoë (signname: curly hair) looks forward to meeting you and hosting the VVorkshops.

BOOK HERE

The brainchild between Mime and Sign Language, Visual Vernacular (a.k.a. VV) is a form of sign language storytelling performance involving everything from the knee, waist and up. 

VV needs only a small area of the stage to perform great silent visual epics, akin to sign language. 

VV emerges the strongest from those of us growing up communicating visually everyday and without sound as the norm. We are known as the Deaf people. One of us, is called Zoë McWhinney (she/they), recently won the internationally renowned festival Clin d’ Oeil’s Sign Slam championships in Reims, and was shortlisted in the nationally prestigious Forward Poetry Prize 2026, while using her VV skills. Zoë (signname: curly hair) looks forward to meeting you and hosting the VVorkshops. 

Free places for Deaf participants

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This workshop will focus on developing a playful, expressive performer, opening up our expressive potential through play, connection and movement. We will explore, creating physical sequences, physical devising methods and working as an embodied ensemble to explore ideas, emotion, character or story.

Tmesis Theatre create, develop and share passionate and playful physical theatre, through; acclaimed performance, participation, training, and our festival.

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