Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh.
Join us in Lordship Recreation Ground on Saturday 31st July for chuckles, giggles, and belly laughs. To book, simply scroll down and fill out the form!
Please meet us at the designated Info Point 15 minutes prior to your workshop, which is situated behind the Hub Café.
Intro to Stand-Up Comedy, 2 – 3pm
In this workshop, we’ll cover joke writing, structure and stage craft while doing some confidence building games to get you comfortable before sharing with the group your ideas for future comedy sets. Suitable for ages 18+.
Sarah Callaghan is an award-winning comedian and writer. In 2014, she was named as One to Watch by Time Out and in 2015 she took her critically acclaimed debut show Elephant to the Edinburgh Fringe. Elephant subsequently toured to the prestigious Soho Theatre for a run of shows in 2016, and then on to the Perth and Sydney Comedy Festivals in Australia. Sarah has also appeared on E4’s Virtually Famous as a guest on Seann Walsh’s team.
More infoHow to Cabaret, 2 – 3pm
Abigail will talk about her experiences of using circus skills, song, dance and character to deliver comedy in a cabaret setting. Passing on her wealth of tips and tricks, from finding a piece of costume or a prop and using it as inspiration for a new comedy creation, to receiving briefs of all kinds and writing-to-order. Participants are encouraged to bring props, costume or writing to the workshop, or to simply turn up and play!
Abigail Collins is a performer and writer. She is the proud recipient of the Fool Of Muncaster Award (home of the last professional working court fool in the UK), winner of Best Actress Comedy Film Festival of America and Best Comic Act at MBA, Italy. Alan Davies calls her mix of character comedy, one-liners and in-your-face audience participation, “Absolutely brilliant”. Her first comic novel, Everybody’s Doing It, was released at Christmas.
More infoMagical Adventure of our Imaginations, 2 – 2.30pm
Join us on an interactive, theatrical, playful journey created by you! We will travel wherever our imaginations take us. Sometimes lively, other times calm. Pirates, princesses, frogs, dragons, chocolate factories, robots, swamps – who knows what we’ll encounter? That’s up to you! Suitable for ages 4-8.  But all imaginative humans are welcome!
Suzy Harvey is a theatre-maker who specialises in Joy and Connection and has been loving leading adventures like this for many years. She harnesses the energy of children’s ideas and turns them into something magical.
Let’s Play!, 3 – 4pm
A whistlestop workshop tour of Silent Faces Theatre’s playful style. Expect physical comedy and clowning exercises in a joyful workshop designed to get you playing and moving and potentially. . . giggling. Suitable for ages 11+.
Silent Faces have been making seriously silly theatre since 2015. Combining their unique style of clowning, physical comedy, mime and new writing, they create high-concept devised theatre that tackles big issues. Previous productions include Follow Suit (2016), A Clown Show About Rain (2018) and the “richly comic” (Guardian ****) Godot Is A Woman (2021). This workshop will be led by Cordelia Stevenson and Jack Wakely from Silent Faces.
More infoLaughter Yoga, 4 – 5pm
Laughter is so good for our health, mentally and physically, so let’s do it! You don’t have to feel like laughing, because this laughter practice gives you all the health benefits whether it’s real or not. Suzy will guide you through a series of laughter exercises and a relaxing meditation to close. Are you ready? Hee hee ha ha ha!
Suzy Harvey is a specialist in Joy and Connection. Since March 2020, she has been hosting laughter yoga online every weekday morning as Everybody Laugh Together. She is also a Giggle Doctor in Children’s Hospital and hosts interactive Everybody-Friendly Screenings of old musicals.
More infoDiscover Your Inner Drag Persona, 5 – 6pm
Delve into your inner drag-being in this workshop with Jodie Mitchell of Off-Broadway Award winning troupe Pecs Drag Kings! You’ll learn about the history of drag, how to walk the walk, talk the talk and explore your aesthetic, as well as how to start discovering your very own drag persona. See you there, Your Majesty. Suitable for all ages, guidance 14+.
Jodie Mitchell is a stand-up comedian, writer and Drag King. They co-founded the queer women and non-binary comedy night sensation The LOL Word and write and perform as their macho, Glaswegian alter-ego John Travulva with Pecs Drag Kings, with whom they won an Off-Broadway Award in 2020. Jodie co-hosts cult hit podcasts Secret Dinosaur Cult and The Drag King Cast and has recently written on Sex Education season 3.
More infoAny questions?
Fill out the form to book your free Laughter is the Best Medicine workshops and a member of the team will be in touch!