The Picnic: Physical Theatre & Ensemble Movement Workshop

About the Workshop: We are not just learning steps; we are deconstructing the ordinary. Using the framework of a social picnic, we will explore how a group moves, breathes, and breaks apart as one.

This is not a picnic. It is a disruption of the everyday. It is a search for the story beneath the surface.

Turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Join Roarrr Theatre’s Artistic Director, Portia Yuran Li, and Designer Effie Gu, for a high-energy 2-hour session exploring collective movement and visual storytelling.

This session serves as a creative laboratory for Roarrr Theatre’s upcoming production. We invite you to step into our rehearsal process, explore our training methods, and help bring a new world to life.

This session is designed for everyone—actors, movers, and the curious. No dance background is required, only a willingness to:

• MOVE beyond naturalism.
• DISRUPT safe patterns.
• CREATE visual poetry.

What to Expect:

• Ensemble Training: High-energy physical conditioning to build group intuition.
• Non-Verbal Narrative: How to hold a cup, pass an apple, or sit in silence with high stakes.
• The Sharing: A final collaborative piece where we rebuild the picnic from the ground up.

What You Will Gain:

• A deeper understanding of physical storytelling.
• Practical tools for devising original work.
• The opportunity to network with fellow creatives.
• Exclusive Invite: Participants will be credited as contributors to the R&D of our new show.
• Potential Festival Showcase including： Vault Festival， Camden Fringe.

Location：Bob Kayley Theatre, Minghella Studios, University of Reading RG6 6BT

Note: Please note this performance will be filmed, by agreeing to attend you acknowledge and agree for your image to appear in footage.

Lead Facilitator:
Portia Yuran Li | Artistic Director of Roarrr Theatre. Portia specializes in physical narrative and ensemble training, blending Eastern and Western methodologies to create visceral, visual performance. @portia__lee

Effie Gu | Senior Technician at Reading University in the Department of Theatre, Film and Televison. @effieguyuan

What to wear: Your ideal picnic clothes, or comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely. We do have lots of costume and dressing room to provide.

Essential: Please bring a water bottle.

ROARRR THEATRE @roarrrtheatre

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