Be challenged and liberated to explore your full expressive potential. This is rich territory for devising work; truly actor-centred theatre where the performer can create anything.
“To express drama in the most vital way imaginable; to perform at the height of one’s powers with all available means”
Cost:
£50 full price
£25 students/Equity members
in association with and hosted by
Break free from realism. Step into a world of heightened emotion, dreamlike imagery, and bold physical storytelling.
Expressionism is one of the most liberating performance styles an actor can explore. It invites you to unleash the full expressive power of your body, voice, and imagination to create theatre that is raw, poetic, and larger than life.
This dynamic, participatory workshop is designed for actors, students, teachers, and theatre-makers who want to push beyond naturalism and dive into the vivid, distorted, and often surreal worlds of Expressionist drama.
The workshop covers:
Corporeal Mime — wear emotions on the outside; transform impulse into powerful stage images.
The Grotesque & the Bouffon — exaggeration, satire, and the total character mask.
The Chorus of Heightened Expression — ensemble work that sculpts space and creates multi-sensory worlds.
Physicalising Language — vocal patterning, soundscaping, and collective voice.
Actor–Spectator Dynamic — breaking the fourth wall with direct address, asides, and self-reflection.
Key Take Aways:
For performers:
Stretch beyond your comfort zone and awaken your full expressive potential.
Create theatre with minimal reliance on set, props, or costume.
Unlock a toolkit for devising bold, actor-centred theatre.
For teachers:
Challenge every student to discover new possibilities.
Develop ensemble complicité through movement and voice.
Provide exciting new routes into devising and performance.
Gather a toolkit for teaching Berkoff, Metamorphosis, Machinal, Woyzeck; a gateway into Total Theatre and Surrealism.
What participants say:
“The workshop was amazing! Cheryl has so much energy. I went from knowing nothing to knowing loads in just a few hours.”
“Excellent, all-round amazing day!” ”
“Practical and jam-packed! Excellent leader who really knows her stuff!”
More About Expressionism:
Expressionism was an art movement that occurred in the early twentieth century, simultaneously in art, literature, theatre and film. In theatre, the style was a deliberate departure from the realism of Stanislavsky, favouring instead vivid imagery and symbolism to show inner feelings and ideas. Expressionist plays often have a dreamlike, or nightmarish quality; shadowy, unrealistic lighting; angular, symbolic, simplified set pieces; characters lose their individuality; plays may be satirically comical with dark clown-like characters. Dialogue may be poetic, rhapsodic featuring long lyrical monologues or staccato phrases and expletives. A key characteristic is the use of pause and silence, carefully placed in counterpoint to speech, held for an abnormal length of time.
About the Workshop Leader:
Cheryl Stapleton is a performer, director, and teacher with over 30 years’ experience. She founded Learning Through Theatre™ primarily to provide theatre workshops, specialising in commedia dell’arte, expressionism and physical theatre. Cheryl trained in drama at Brunel University, studied physical theatre, mask, and mime at École Philippe Gaulier, and furthered her commedia practice with Antonio Fava and John Rudlin. She also worked with Michael Chase to develop her skills in mask-making. Cheryl teaches theatre skills internationally in schools, drama schools and universities. She is also an artist with ISTA (International School Theatre Association) and delivers private and corporate voice and presentation coaching.