Soltanoff / Wendt
THIS & THAT
8 Jan - 18 Feb
Access, Discussions & Show Guidance
8 Jan - 18 FebMimeLondon brings the chance to study different physical and visual theatre skills with leading practitioners. You’ll find puppetry, commedia, clown, mime and devised theatre - there’s something for all levels of experience, so dive in!
If you are interested in participating in one of the festival’s workshops and require access support in order to do so, please email access@mimelondon.com with details and with any questions. We will endeavour to accommodate your access needs. All venues have step-free access and accessible toilets.
Main Image: Gecko Workshop. Photo: Malachy Luckie
THEATRE RE
The Art of Details
Mon 8 - Fri 12 Jan 10am - 5pm
Shoreditch Town Hall
£325 (£300 concessions)
Minimum age: 18+
Book now >
more about this workshop >
The Art of Details
Shoreditch Town Hall
380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
Old St tube / Shoreditch High Street train
For professional and semi-professional performers, actors and dancers as well as visual artists, students and recent graduates. No previous experience of Corporeal Mime is required to join, only curiosity and playfulness.
Throughout the week, we will focus on why and how the tiniest choices play a key part in the way we develop our shows.
Through Corporeal Mime and the study of articulation - space, body, rhythms, and weight - we will explore how the smallest things take on a larger significance and become more than what they are. Participants will learn to own and play with physical details to enhance their performance skills, develop new material, and push the boundaries of what theatre, without a playwright, can do. Each day will begin with physical conditioning work, to then progress towards training and technique, culminating in the opportunity to devise a short presentation true to the Theatre Re process.
This 5-day workshop is led by Guillaume Pigé (Theatre Re Director and RADA Associate Teacher) and Claudia Marciano (Theatre Re Performer and Teacher).
Shoreditch Town Hall
380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
Old St tube / Shoreditch High Street train
For professional and semi-professional performers, actors and dancers as well as visual artists, students and recent graduates. No previous experience of Corporeal Mime is required to join, only curiosity and playfulness.
Throughout the week, we will focus on why and how the tiniest choices play a key part in the way we develop our shows.
Through Corporeal Mime and the study of articulation - space, body, rhythms, and weight - we will explore how the smallest things take on a larger significance and become more than what they are. Participants will learn to own and play with physical details to enhance their performance skills, develop new material, and push the boundaries of what theatre, without a playwright, can do. Each day will begin with physical conditioning work, to then progress towards training and technique, culminating in the opportunity to devise a short presentation true to the Theatre Re process.
This 5-day workshop is led by Guillaume Pigé (Theatre Re Director and RADA Associate Teacher) and Claudia Marciano (Theatre Re Performer and Teacher).
NOLA RAE
Let Your Body Do The Talking
Sat 27 & Sun 28 Jan 10am - 5pm
LAMDA London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art
£175 (£150 concessions)
Minimum age: 18+
Book now >
more about this workshop >
Let Your Body Do the Talking
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA
Baron’s Court/Hammersmith tube
For enthusiastic professional or amateur performers aged 18+ who want to know what makes visual theatre tick and who are not afraid to move.
An insight in how to work without text, paying special attention to the rhythm of movement and how to express ideas with maximum clarity. All parts of the body (and mind) will come into play, with the emphasis on play. Through mime, clowning, improvisation and imagination, students will have a chance to discover aspects of comic performance that are universal, enabling them to connect more deeply with their audiences. Wear practice clothes and bring one juggling ball.
This 2-day workshop is led by Nola Rae. Born in Sydney, she immigrated to London in 1963. Trained at the Royal Ballet School in London, she danced at Malmö Stadsteater and at Tivoli Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen before turning to mime and studying with Marcel Marceau in Paris. After working with Research Theatre Kiss, Friends Roadshow and the Bristol Old Vic, she founded the London Mime Theatre with her partner Matthew Ridout in 1974 and premiered her first solo show in France at the Nancy Festival in 1975. To date Nola has toured her work to 69 countries.
As a teacher, she has lead mime and clowning workshops worldwide. As a director she has taken on Lorca, Ibsen, Strindberg, Shakespeare, Dumas and Bram Stoker, subverting serious works into Clown comedies.
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA
Baron’s Court/Hammersmith tube
For enthusiastic professional or amateur performers aged 18+ who want to know what makes visual theatre tick and who are not afraid to move.
An insight in how to work without text, paying special attention to the rhythm of movement and how to express ideas with maximum clarity. All parts of the body (and mind) will come into play, with the emphasis on play. Through mime, clowning, improvisation and imagination, students will have a chance to discover aspects of comic performance that are universal, enabling them to connect more deeply with their audiences. Wear practice clothes and bring one juggling ball.
This 2-day workshop is led by Nola Rae. Born in Sydney, she immigrated to London in 1963. Trained at the Royal Ballet School in London, she danced at Malmö Stadsteater and at Tivoli Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen before turning to mime and studying with Marcel Marceau in Paris. After working with Research Theatre Kiss, Friends Roadshow and the Bristol Old Vic, she founded the London Mime Theatre with her partner Matthew Ridout in 1974 and premiered her first solo show in France at the Nancy Festival in 1975. To date Nola has toured her work to 69 countries.
As a teacher, she has lead mime and clowning workshops worldwide. As a director she has taken on Lorca, Ibsen, Strindberg, Shakespeare, Dumas and Bram Stoker, subverting serious works into Clown comedies.
VAMOS THEATRE
Full Mask Masterclass
Sat 3 & Sun 4 Feb 11am - 4pm
Shoreditch Town Hall
£135 (£120 concessions)
Minimum age: 18+
Book now >
more about this workshop >
Full Mask Masterclass
Shoreditch Town Hall
380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
Old St tube / Shoreditch High Street train
For everyone, especially actors, performers and theatre practitioners.
This creative, high energy and inspiring masterclass from Vamos Theatre gives participants a thorough grounding in full mask technique. Through exercises and shared exploration, the masterclass introduces mask characterisation, mask physicality, and techniques such as clocking, stillness and isolation, helping to build confidence and understanding of mask performance. More advanced full mask skills and a deeper understanding of the form will also be covered, including devising - both individually and as a mask ensemble.
This 2-day workshop is led by Honor Hoskins, Creative Producer at Vamos Theatre, which strives to increase the pool of available mask talent in the UK and often finds new performers for its productions through these masterclasses.
Vamos’ show Boy on the Roof plays at Shoreditch Town Hall Thu 1 - Sun 4 Feb
Shoreditch Town Hall
380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
Old St tube / Shoreditch High Street train
For everyone, especially actors, performers and theatre practitioners.
This creative, high energy and inspiring masterclass from Vamos Theatre gives participants a thorough grounding in full mask technique. Through exercises and shared exploration, the masterclass introduces mask characterisation, mask physicality, and techniques such as clocking, stillness and isolation, helping to build confidence and understanding of mask performance. More advanced full mask skills and a deeper understanding of the form will also be covered, including devising - both individually and as a mask ensemble.
This 2-day workshop is led by Honor Hoskins, Creative Producer at Vamos Theatre, which strives to increase the pool of available mask talent in the UK and often finds new performers for its productions through these masterclasses.
Vamos’ show Boy on the Roof plays at Shoreditch Town Hall Thu 1 - Sun 4 Feb
LIZ WALKER /
CURIOUS SCHOOL OF PUPPETRY
Animate, Manipulate, Play
Sat 3 & Sun 4 Feb 10am - 5pm
LAMDA London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art
£175 (£150 concessions)
Minimum age: 18+
Book now >
more about this workshop >
Animate, Manipulate, Play
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA
Baron’s Court/Hammersmith tube
For the general public and performers who are interested in developing puppetry skills and technique.
This 2-day workshop will be visually based, mostly using simple ‘bunraku’, table-top type puppets. We will explore the bringing to life of form and the animation of figures through breathing, movement, focus and character, as well as the different roles of the puppeteer and their relationship to the puppet, for example present or not present.
Participants will experience working together to operate puppets and the complicity which that brings to a piece. The workshop will be taught through simple, guided exercises and improvisations and also use texts to explore, interpret and realise short pieces. The emphasis will be on developing puppetry skills and building confidence through technique, observation, experimentation and play.
The Curious School of Puppetry was founded in 2015 by Sarah Wright to provide an artist-led training programme for adults seeking to expand their professional work and creative practice with the art of puppetry. This workshop will be led by Liz Walker, artistic director of Invisible Thread Theatre of Animation, one of the two companies that formed following the split of renowned puppet company, Faulty Optic.
A 4-week puppetry season plays at the Barbican Pit Theatre 23 Jan – 17 Feb
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA
Baron’s Court/Hammersmith tube
For the general public and performers who are interested in developing puppetry skills and technique.
This 2-day workshop will be visually based, mostly using simple ‘bunraku’, table-top type puppets. We will explore the bringing to life of form and the animation of figures through breathing, movement, focus and character, as well as the different roles of the puppeteer and their relationship to the puppet, for example present or not present.
Participants will experience working together to operate puppets and the complicity which that brings to a piece. The workshop will be taught through simple, guided exercises and improvisations and also use texts to explore, interpret and realise short pieces. The emphasis will be on developing puppetry skills and building confidence through technique, observation, experimentation and play.
The Curious School of Puppetry was founded in 2015 by Sarah Wright to provide an artist-led training programme for adults seeking to expand their professional work and creative practice with the art of puppetry. This workshop will be led by Liz Walker, artistic director of Invisible Thread Theatre of Animation, one of the two companies that formed following the split of renowned puppet company, Faulty Optic.
A 4-week puppetry season plays at the Barbican Pit Theatre 23 Jan – 17 Feb
GECKO THEATRE
Devising Physical Theatre
Sat 10 & Sun 11 Feb 10am - 5pm
LAMDA London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art
£175 (£150 concessions)
Minimum age: 18+
Book now >
more about this workshop >
Devising Physical Theatre
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA
Baron’s Court/Hammersmith tube
Suitable for students of theatre, drama, dance, movement, choreography, multidisciplinary arts or those who have graduated within the last three years interested in deepening their devising knowledge and experience.
Join internationally acclaimed physical theatre company Gecko for a special weekend residency to dive into their unique, visceral and poetic style and explore how they devise and create movement and tell stories.
Led by Gecko’s highly experienced devising performers, our Residencies are a practical and engaging exploration of the processes and performance techniques we use when creating a show. They are the perfect opportunity to experience first-hand the tools used by the company to devise and create our productions.
Through preparation, ensemble building, serious play, simple beginnings and highly physical, dynamic tasks and activities, we focus on methods for creating movement for performance. We delve into the use of breath and language to express, and open doors to accessing emotional spaces safely. Participants will be nurtured and challenged in their artistic decision-making, and will move, have fun, express, and connect with themselves and others through creative discovery.
We are excited to work with open hearted, curious, creative and collaborative individuals. Gecko is committed to diversity, inclusion and equality within the arts and welcomes participants from all backgrounds.
Gecko’s show Kin plays at the National Theatre Fri 12 – Sat 27 Jan
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA
Baron’s Court/Hammersmith tube
Suitable for students of theatre, drama, dance, movement, choreography, multidisciplinary arts or those who have graduated within the last three years interested in deepening their devising knowledge and experience.
Join internationally acclaimed physical theatre company Gecko for a special weekend residency to dive into their unique, visceral and poetic style and explore how they devise and create movement and tell stories.
Led by Gecko’s highly experienced devising performers, our Residencies are a practical and engaging exploration of the processes and performance techniques we use when creating a show. They are the perfect opportunity to experience first-hand the tools used by the company to devise and create our productions.
Through preparation, ensemble building, serious play, simple beginnings and highly physical, dynamic tasks and activities, we focus on methods for creating movement for performance. We delve into the use of breath and language to express, and open doors to accessing emotional spaces safely. Participants will be nurtured and challenged in their artistic decision-making, and will move, have fun, express, and connect with themselves and others through creative discovery.
We are excited to work with open hearted, curious, creative and collaborative individuals. Gecko is committed to diversity, inclusion and equality within the arts and welcomes participants from all backgrounds.
Gecko’s show Kin plays at the National Theatre Fri 12 – Sat 27 Jan
DIDI HOPKINS
Carry On Commedia
Sat 17 & Sun 18 Feb 10am - 5pm
LAMDA London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art
£175 (£150 concessions)
Minimum age: 18+
Book now >
more about this workshop >
Carry On Commedia
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA
Baron’s Court/Hammersmith tube
For actors, directors, performers, musicians, theatre makers and teachers - no previous commedia experience required
A 2-day deep dive into the world of Commedia to play with the tradition of La Commedia dell’Arte - the Art of being a Professional Actor - and see how it nourishes contemporary theatre making and performance. Masks, characters, movement, improvisation, the grammar of theatre and space, the dynamic of the audience, the roots of physical storytelling … all essential foundations of an oral tradition that has evolved across centuries - and for anyone who has ever wanted a tour of the world of Commedia.
Didi Hopkins is a director and movement director, and with Ninian Kinnier-Wilson, devised a simple way of capturing and teaching Commedia which she does internationally and in the UK. Work includes Commedia consultant with Richard Bean on One Man, Two Guvnors, movement director for Selina Cadell’s restoration shows at the RSC, and most recently working with Eddie Izzard as movement director on Great Expectations (New York, Garrick, 2023) and Hamlet (New York, 2024).
LAMDA
155 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA
Baron’s Court/Hammersmith tube
For actors, directors, performers, musicians, theatre makers and teachers - no previous commedia experience required
A 2-day deep dive into the world of Commedia to play with the tradition of La Commedia dell’Arte - the Art of being a Professional Actor - and see how it nourishes contemporary theatre making and performance. Masks, characters, movement, improvisation, the grammar of theatre and space, the dynamic of the audience, the roots of physical storytelling … all essential foundations of an oral tradition that has evolved across centuries - and for anyone who has ever wanted a tour of the world of Commedia.
Didi Hopkins is a director and movement director, and with Ninian Kinnier-Wilson, devised a simple way of capturing and teaching Commedia which she does internationally and in the UK. Work includes Commedia consultant with Richard Bean on One Man, Two Guvnors, movement director for Selina Cadell’s restoration shows at the RSC, and most recently working with Eddie Izzard as movement director on Great Expectations (New York, Garrick, 2023) and Hamlet (New York, 2024).