Comedy and Performance

Book Now

• Spaces are limited so early booking is encouraged
• Bookings will close at 5pm on Friday 17 January or when the course reaches full capacity

Ages 18+

Course Dates & Times

Tuesday evenings on 21, 28 January, 4, 11, 18, 25 February 2025
7pm–9pm

About Comedy and Performance

This six-week evening course will explore comedy and humour for performers.

Throughout the six weeks you will learn practical techniques to successfully draw out the comedic elements of your performance.

Through a series of games, exercises and scenes, you will engage in the techniques of  actors and theatre practitioners Keith Johnstone, John Wright, Augusto Boal, Phillipe Gaulier and others. You’ll try a variety of comic performances from slapstick to stand up, scripted to unscripted and sketch to solo.

By working together as a group, and individually, you will explore the art of laughter in a joyful, supportive environment and you will finish the course feeling more confident and comfortable incorporating humour into your performances.

Expect to laugh with others, take risks and have lots of fun!

Who is the course for?

• Anyone aged 18 and over interested in exploring comedy performance. The course is focused on actors wanting to find the comedy within their performance, but is also suitable for comedians who want to improve their stage presence and everyone in between!
• The course is suitable for beginners. 
• There is no upper age limit on this course. We encourage and welcome participants from all ages 18 and over.

What can I expect?

The course will cover key skills including:

• Comic timing
• Joke structure and delivery
• Making yourself and others laugh
• Spontaneity in scripted and unscripted comedy
• Honing your comic instincts and developing your comic voice
• Working and connecting to others on stage and the audience
• Verbal and non-verbal comic storytelling
• Knowing and understanding the building blocks of improvisation
• Finding fun in failure through clowning 
• Creating comic characters
• Drawing out the comedic elements within text
• Trusting yourself and your ideas
• Writing and sharing new work in a creative and nurturing ensemble

Do I need anything for the course?

Comfortable clothing and a notebook.

Course Fee

£290

Book Now

• Spaces are limited so early booking is encouraged
• Bookings will close at 5pm on Friday 17 January or when the course reaches full capacity

Eligibility

• For everyone aged 18+. There is no upper age limit on this course. We encourage and welcome participants from all ages 18 and over.
• Participants must have sufficient English language skills to cope with course demands.

About the Course Tutor

The course is taught by Jonathan Oldfield.

Jonathan Oldfield is a performer, writer and director.

He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, with Antonio Fava in Commedia dell’Arte and with John Yorke in storytelling. He is co-creator of BBC Radio 4’s character comedy series Time of the Week starring Sian Clifford. He was second place winner at Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off 2024 and is a Pleasance Theatre Associate Artist 2024-26.

He directs comedy shows, including; Joe Kent Walters is Frankie Monroe: Live!!! which won the Best Newcomer Award at Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Awards 2024 and was winner of Best Show at Leicester Comedy Festival 2024, and the multi-award winning Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon, which was named 3rd best comedy show of 2023 in The Telegraph and was winner of the Dave Best Joke of the Fringe 2023.

 As a teacher and workshop leader, he has taught in the UK and internationally including; Soho Theatre, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Q Factory (Amsterdam), Scottish Storytelling Centre (Edinburgh), the BBC and as a visiting lecturer across universities in the United States (Rice University Texas, John Carroll University Ohio, University of Notre Dame Indiana, Kansas State University and others)