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The Toolbox
What is The Toolbox?
We believe the best way to prepare yourself for working in the theatre is to deepen your experience and understanding of different techniques and approaches to theatre making. So, we've designed a physical and practical workshop to help theatremakers broaden their creative horizons and fill up their creative Toolboxes with the help of expert practitioners.
The Toolbox is series of 5 workshops for theatremakers and creatives to learn five disciplines from five different experts in their field. Each day different practitioners will teach and talk through different forms of and approaches to theatremaking, such as Clown, Movement, Six-viewpoints method, Approaching Text, Puppetry and beyond.
These workshops will be focused on learning how, when and why you might incorporate different methods into your creative practice.
Who is The Toolbox for?
The Toolbox is aimed at all theatremakers, whether you're an actor, director, writer, technician or stagehand. We encourage people of all abilities to join us and learn more about their craft.
Even the most seasoned actor will find something valuable on this course. Get a taster of how an eclectic pool of different directors work and experience the specifities of their crafts firsthand.
How much is it? Where and When?
The Toolbox is £100 for all 5 workshops or £25 per workshop.
If you would like to attend all the workshops, but cannot afford to pay all at once, please send us an email and we can set up a payment plan that suits you. (thedirectorsplayground@gmail.com)
All workshops will be held in Hoxton, every Thursday evening in May
List of Services
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Meisner with Beru TessemaList Item 1
Meisner for the Actor and Director
Come and explore the Meisner Technique, which encourages actors to listen and engage truthfully with the stimuli they receive while acting. Meisner’s philosophy has become one of the most prolific acting techniques in the industry today,
This workshop will focus on exploring the Meisner technique in relation to working with actors, and how to meaningfully incorporate Meisner's techniques and exercises into your theatre making practice.
Beru Tessema is an Ethiopian-British writer and director based in London. He is a graduate of the London Film School and RADA. Beru’s stage play Exile in North Weezy was shortlisted for the Papatango Playwriting Prize, and his latest play, House of Ife, premiered at Bush Theatre to brilliant reviews. In addition to his work as a writer and director, Beru is an actor and teaches Screen Acting at RADA
2nd May, 7-10pm
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Clown with Dan LeesList Item 2
Freedom in Failing: Clowning and the art of play.
This workshop will explore what makes you funny. We are all humorous in different ways. We each have our own unique comedic self. The clown is at its essence you, not a character you play.
As human beings we are all fallible and it is this imperfection that gives us our humanity. We are conditioned to always be good and hide our mistakes and faults. Conversely the clown finds pleasure in being bad and does not disguise anything, as a result he finds freedom from the normal constraints imposed on us, in our day-to-day lives. By embodying the true idiotic self, with optimism and sensitivity, we can find freedom on stage, opening up the imagination to find a place of infinite possibilities for laughter and play.
The clown exists in the moment, responding to and constantly finding games with the audience and fellow performers. Through a series of playful exercises, games and improvisations you will be encouraged to take risks, be impulsive and to find the pleasure to be stupid.
Dan teaches clowning and physical theatre at the UK National Centre for Circus Arts, London Studio Centre and East 15. Dan regularly tours with Clowns Without Borders UK, most recently he was facilitating workshops and performing in Ukraine. Dan is co-founder of the London Clown Festival.
In addition to teaching and performing clown, Dan has directed shows for some of the biggest clowns in the industry, including Viggo Venn, Julia Mail and the Duncan Bros.
9th May, 7-10pm
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Community Facilitation with Maya ShimminList Item 3
Facilitation: Making Theatre with Children, Young People and Communities
In this workshop, from games to devising tasks to communication styles, we will explore approaches in making theatre inclusively with and for young people and various communities.
Learn to engage and create theatre with communities by practically examining the exercises and approaches used when facilitating workshops with children, young people and various different community groups.
Maya specialises in inclusive practice with young people. She has worked as a Lead Facilitator with organisations including Haringey Shed and Unique Community across a variety of settings including multisensory workshops in specialist provision schools and intergenerational projects with children and adults with dementia. She is currently Volunteer and Training Manager at Angel Shed, training over 90 volunteers annually in inclusive facilitation and delivering Inclusivity Training nationally to variety of arts organisations, theatres and youth arts charities.
16th May, 7-10pm
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Movement with Sean Hollands
Growing Ideas Through Movement
An idea is a seed, that could be a character, a concept, a moment, a theme, a line. Movement is a powerful tool for us to explore those seeds and empower ourselves to explore different perspectives.
Our bodies feel things through motion, and the storyteller in our heads begins to generate new ideas when we begin to play with movement.
In this workshop we will look at how we take a seed and delve into an exploration through movement. This workshop is all about how to create physical sequences, and how they can continue to inform your work. You will sweat, play, and make
Sean Hollands is a Director and Movement Director specialising in theatre and performance. He is a Theatre Practitioner for the internationally renowned physical theatre company Frantic Assembly. His movement direction on Warheads led to an Olivier Award nomination, and he is a previous recipient of the Bryan Forbes Award. Sean has developed a movement process that focuses on accessibility and play, empowering actors to go beyond their imagination, and find creativity through action.
23rd May, 7-10pm
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Approaching Text with Audrey SheffieldList Item 4
Practically Approaching Text
This workshop will be an opportunity to explore and experience a condensed version of Audrey's approach to process and rehearsals – with a focus on script analysis, creating character, and how to vividly bring both to life.
Looking at a specific scene from THE EFFECT by Lucy Prebble, and introducing several simple steps, it’ll be a chance to jump into text – from both an actor’s and a director’s perspective, and to work as a full company, as well as in smaller groups too.
We’ll step through and apply these layers, with detail and guidance, to see how they can affect overall perception, dynamic, rhythm, staging and performance – all within the incredibly rich and beautifully crafted world of this brilliant play.
Audrey is an award-winning UK and international freelance director for theatre and video games -
specialising in new writing. Currently Associate Director on Stranger Things: The First Shadow in the West End, she was an Old Vic 12 Director 2019, nominated for the Arts FoundationAward 2018 and Finalist Best Director for the Off-West End Awards. As director, theatre includes work for: The National Theatre, Royal Court, Almeida, Young Vic, Kiln, Hampstead, Old Vic, and Theatre503 .
30th May, 7-10pm
