5-day Slapstick & Physical Comedy School
with Joe Dieffenbacher
Develop your performance toolkit with slapstick comedy - from trips and falls to subtle prop play, turn accidents into artistry and laughs!
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The Bristol Clown School is delighted to welcome back Joe Dieffenbacher for a 5-day intensive exploring slapstick and physical comedy.
Physical Comedy is a form of dance but it’s off the beat. Most dance styles focus on control, flow and grace. Physical Comedy uses interruption and eccentricity to find creative ways of moving and connecting with the audience. It welcomes the unexpected and revels in awkwardness and mischief. Problems and accidents are not something to fear but opportunities for creativity and comedy. This can include hits and falls, slaps and pies, but also more subtle slapstick where the clown plays with props, clothes, furniture, sounds, colours, shapes. It includes everything from the knockabout and anarchy of the Three Stooges and the Young Ones, the classic physical comedy of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the visual and verbal slapstick of Monty Python, the mad invention of the set designers for Mischief Theatre and the ‘Goes Wrong’ shows, and the more subtle prop play of Jacques Tati. This type of training will help you develop spatial awareness and greater skill in how to use your body. It opens you up to the possibilities for play with the physical world – the body as well as objects, costumes, even the wall and the floor. This capricious way of moving through the world to discover new ideas for physical and visual play, and how to use slapstick to develop comic scenes and characters. Learning slapstick will also develop your confidence in performance, helping failures to become opportunities for imaginative and inventive play. WHAT WILL THE 5-DAY COURSE INCLUDE?
"I feel like I'm walking away from his class with greater body awareness. He brought a disciplined and regimented feeling to the class but never lost the sense of play and fun. He gave me physical confidence by putting my sense of balance, strength and flexibility to the test."
Student, ACT San Francisco WHO IS THIS FOR:
Actors, Clowns, Comedians, Entertainers, Dancers, Improv Artists, Street Performers, Puppeteers, Mimes, Cabaret Artists, Teachers, Adults who want to encourage their inner kid and playfulness and Curious People. |
How it works
★ Dates Monday 16 - Friday 20 February ★ Times: Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 11am - 5pm Friday 10am - 4pm ★ Venue: The Spark Space, Bristol, BS5 9HH ★ Application and Investment: To apply please fill in this form by Friday 30 January: https://forms.gle/4HjEJQVvHc2CEGVL9 Once invited; the course investment is: £325 - Supporter/ High earner £300 - Full Price £275 - Concession (low/no income, student) If you’re not sure if your level of experience would support you to join this workshop, please email us and we will be happy to help identify if the workshop is right for you. WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT JOE'S WORK
"Joe is an amazing, compassionate and unbelievably knowledgeable teacher. He knows how to lead you to a gate and give you the tools so you can learn to open the gate yourself. He is encouraging and loving, but will not accept less than your best. His eye for precision, play and comedy have shown me the world of clown in a beautiful light." Allison Daniel, Puppeteer, Teacher, Acrobat "Everyday in Joe's Physical Theatre class was a challenge. Joe always pushed us to get past the obvious and dig deeper into ourselves. Offer this guy a job as a full-time professor. He’s brilliant!" Student, Coastal Carolina University "Joe has taught me how to open up, play, mess with the world and let it mess with me. I will never be the same after this class and that's a wonderful feeling." Rebekah Cavinder, Ringling Clown and Performing Artist |
