Clown and Slapstick Comedy - two-day workshop with Joe Dieffenbacher

Name: Clown and Slapstick Comedy - two-day workshop with Joe Dieffenbacher
Start: 2025-10-18T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2025-10-19T17:00:00+01:00
Location: St Werburghs

Schedule

Sat, 18 Oct, 2025 at 10:00 am to Sun, 19 Oct, 2025 at 05:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

St Werburghs | Bristol, EN

Expand your performance toolkit with slapstick comedy - from trips and falls to subtle prop play, turn accidents into artistry and laughs!
Join actor, director, author, theatre maker Joe Dieffenbacher for this two day exploration of physical comedy and eccentric movement to expand your range for physical and visual play, and to develop comic scenes and characters.
*****************************************
AT A GLANCE
Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th October
10am - 5pm
St Werburghs
Bristol
BS2 9UB
£200 - Supporter/ High earner
£180 - Full Price
£160 - Concession (low/no income, student)
EARLYBIRD DEAL:
£150 if you pay before 20 September
"CLOWN AND..." WORKSHOP BUNDLE
All 4 workshops - £420 (save £120)
Contact Robyn directly to arrange payment [email protected]
*****************************************
When you mention the word slapstick, most people think it’s an abusive form of comedy where clowns slap, punch and kick each other, throw pies in someone’s face, or get hit with boards.
In essence, slapstick is how the human body responds to the real world in comic ways. 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.
Slapstick is a form of dance. It’s a way of moving off the beat. It searches for eccentric ways of interacting with the world, it welcomes mistakes and revels in awkwardness and ineptitude. We’ll use 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.
WHAT WILL THE COURSE INCLUDE?
★ Explore basic slapstick techniques such as how to trip, slip, slide and tumble in eccentric ways.
★ Change the way you think about problems: they’re opportunities for comedy and character development.
★ Find both broad and subtle ways to play with slapstick.
★ How to use accidents to create comic moments, reveal your character, and get laughs.
★ How slapstick can reveal more about a character, generate play with props, costumes, and furniture.
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), Curious People.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Joe Dieffenbacher is an actor, director and teacher working in theatre, film, circus, comedy, puppetry and clown. He was Physical Theatre Director for productions at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Shakespeare’s Globe in London, Circus Skills Director with the Scottish National Opera, Master Teacher at Clown Conservatory-San Francisco and the Dell’Arte School in California. He's worked with pop sensations Take That, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Holiday on Ice, and tours with his own company, nakupelle. Joe’s produced a film series on YouTube on How to Learn Slapstick, and is the author of CLOWN The Physical Comedian and DRAMA GAMES for Clowning & Physical Comedy.
http://joedieffenbacher.com
PREVIOUS PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK:
★ "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
★ "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
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