Rooted in our ensemble’s practice of clown, puppetry and physical theatre, we conduct workshops for companies and schools at any level of experience and in a range of different theatre styles.

Physical Theatre

This course gives the participants a practical approach to physical theatre, the workshop is rooted in the body of the performer, exercises to build the expressiveness of the physical body, and awakening listening and the intuitive body.

Each of Flabbergast’s teaching artists will use their own personal in-depth movement practices in various pedagogies (including LeCoq, Grotowski, Butoh, Gaulier) to enhance the learning. workshops move from technical exercises, to the creation of physical scores, to open improvisations.

Clowning

At the heart of Clown is sensitivity, communion with the audience, honesty and a willingness to be vulnerable.

In this workshop, we invite students to find the pleasure, generosity and innocence of their individual Clown through various games and exercises flowing from the Pedagogy of Gaulier and Henry Maynard’s experience as a soloist clown.

We engender and encourage listening skills, and instruct how to intuitively and impulsively respond in the moment in order to engage and build laughter from the audience.

We believe that Clown training provides a vital skill set to the performer and it lies at the heart of Flabbergast Theatre’s work.

Puppetry

Our workshops in puppetry cover the core elements that are used in the manipulation of objects or puppets, such as breath, focus and fixed points.

Flabbergast has a particular interest and experience in Bunraku and tabletop puppetry and how it applies to all puppetry and physical theatre in general.

Students will gain understanding of how to perform as a puppeteer in both choreographed and improvised scores.

Flabbergast has achieved a exceptional reputation for puppetry and puppetry training working with companies such as TNT, ROH, Blind Summit, Complicite amongst others.

Masks and Archetypes

Through explorations of mask with practitioners such as John Wright, Marcello Magni and as part of the LeCoq pedagogy, Flabbergast has found and continues to develop a passion for mask both in performance and as a tool in devising and freeing the actor.

Our workshop uses full face masks such as LeCoq's neutral mask, the Archetypes (Hero, Devil, Hermit, Ogre), larval masks, and half masks such as character masks and Commedia masks to provoke different forms of transformation within the students’ training.