Clown and Archetypes - two-day workshop with Peta Lily

Name: Clown and Archetypes - two-day workshop with Peta Lily
Start: 2025-12-06T10:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-12-07T17:00:00+00:00
Location: The Spark Space, 138a Church Road Redfield Bristol BS5 9HH

Schedule

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025 at 10:00 am to Sun, 07 Dec, 2025 at 05:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

The Spark Space, 138a Church Road Redfield Bristol BS5 9HH | Bristol, EN

Bring more perspectives to your clown play by exploring the Archetypes! Explore humanity via the openness of the Clown.
The Bristol Clown School is delighted to be hosting theatre maker, performer & teacher, Peta Lily again with this unique melding of archetype work and clown.
"a joyfully bonkers rollercoaster of states, images, characters and emotions. Peta offers myriad routes into the archetypes, using music, text, poetry, images. As a performer/creator I feel inspired and excited to crack on with my solo show, with death, the trickster, the hero and co. as my guides!"
Saskia Solomons, theatre maker/performer & storyteller
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AT A GLANCE
Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th December
10am - 5pm
The Spark Space
138a Church Road
Redfield
Bristol
BS5 9HH
£200 - Supporter/ High earner
£180 - Full Price
£160 - Concession (low/no income, student)
EARLYBIRD DEAL:
£150 if you pay before 8 November
"CLOWN AND..." WORKSHOP BUNDLE
All 4 workshops - £420 (save £120)
To apply fill in this application form - https://forms.gle/GjT6UJiAYExrHhkM6
Contact Robyn directly for information and to arrange payment [email protected]
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Joseph Campbell believed that the Archetypes are built into the ‘wiring’ of every human being. In our waking life or in our dreams, we may, at moments recognise either in ourselves or in others enduring and familiar aspects of humanity such as: Hero, Child, Maiden, Mother, Trickster, Fool, Lover, Crone, Death and Lucifer.
The Archetype of the Trickster is the ancestor of the contemporary expression of clown. The Fool (another archetype) is one branch of the same tree – associated, but a distinct form from Clown. The clown has evolved over time - you could say it has melded-in aspects of Child and Angel. But we’re not here to theorise, we’ll be focusing on experiencing, immersing and play experiments!
On this course, Peta Lily melds her Archetype work with her Clown teaching to bring a nourishing and rewarding experience to explore and immerse into new perspectives. We’ll explore a number of Archetypes to help you stretch out into different expressive states and to widen and deepen your clown play (or your special field of work). There will be physical and vocal work, moments of improvisation with half-mask and we will also experiment with scenes where Archetypes meet.
WHAT WILL THE COURSE INCLUDE?
★ Enjoyable warms ups and processes encourage intuition, embodiment and imagination. Introduction to or refresher in Clown state.
★ Guided journeys allow you to immerse into direct experience of the Archetypes. A ‘step-in’, ‘step-out’ process allows you to access the Archetype in an embodied way.
★ Experimental play with Archetypes in Clown state. Experimental play with Archetype Masks (half-masks).
★ A process of linking voice to emotion inside different body zones helps participants find more colour and connection for clown and vocal work.
★ In Clown, we’ll explore improvised meetings between the Archetypal roles.
WHO IS THIS FOR:
Almost anyone. Participants' background experience can vary – past participants include circus performers, improvisers, puppeteers, physical theatre practitioners, cabaret performers, comedians. Some have also been therapists, theatre directors, stage designers, writers, lawyers, IT consultants and once, a tree surgeon.
The work can be challenging. Peta Lily creates a safe container where the work and the necessary skills are introduced carefully and respectfully.
To support this, participants need to commit to being punctual and present for all hours of the course.
Also be aware the prime aim of the work is performance-based and not therapeutic and participants must take responsibility for their own well-being.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:
Peta Lily is a director, performer, theatre maker and teacher who uses physical theatre and acting techniques to direct plays and devise theatre pieces in the UK and overseas. She was one of the leading artists of the Physical Theatre movement in the 80’s/90’s and has a long career as a solo performer. She also works as a movement director and teaches at RADA and RCSSD. Contributor to ‘Mime into Physical Theatre: A UK Cultural History 1970–2000’ complied by Mark Evans and Simon Murray, Routledge. Contributor to ‘Notes on Creation’ – a resource book on Devising compiled by Oli Pinchbeck and Declan Mee of Katapult, Berlin, supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste.
https://www.petalily.com/
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PETA'S ARCHETYPE WORK
★ "This workshop revealed an unexpected richness in the archetypes (so many different aspects playable from each one - even Death had more dimensions than expected!) Full-body physical work, play text extracts and suggested improvised dialogues … fun, and also very encouraging." - Uli Wright, Student Director
★ "Highly recommend - Peta is a powerful and supportive workshop leader who always gets you to “stretch your own edges” (her words). Creative, imaginative and expands your toolkit." - Course Participant
★ "Enables you to stretch beyond the familiar comfort zones and explore all the multitudes you contain as a person." – Gerry B, Writer, Performer.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PETA'S CLOWN WORK
★ "I discovered so much about myself and the world of clown! The best laugh I had for a long time!" - Course Participant
★ "Peta is a wonderful workshop facilitator. She works with such playfulness and fluidity that it’s hard to imagine anyone coming away not having learnt a lot about emotional truth. A huge asset to any actor. " - Damien Warren-Smith, Actor (aka Garry Starr)
The CLOWN AND ... series
Welcome to our Clown and… series – where clowning meets other creative forms!
Discover new dimensions of your creative practice by exploring the intersection of clowning with different artistic disciplines. How does the spontaneity, playfulness, and vulnerability of clown transform other modalities and vice versa?
Through this series, you’ll:
★ Expand your creative range by blending clowning with unexpected forms
★ Deepen your expression by embracing risk, curiosity, and joy
★ Reimagine performance through the unique lens of the clown
Whether you're a performer, artist, or simply curious, join us to play, experiment, and uncover fresh ways to create. The clown is your guide - where will the journey take you?
Check out the full series:
Saturday 27 September
Clown & Improv
1-day workshop with Holly Meechan
Sunday 28 September
Clown & Puppetry
1-day workshop with Katie Tranter
Sat 18 & Sun 19 October
Clown & Slapstick Comedy
2-day workshop with Joe Dieffenbacher
Sat 6 & Sun 7 December
Clown & Archetypes
2-day workshop with Peta Lily