In this three-day residency, Small Nose will focus on enabling artists to embody the skills of the clown, allowing every artist space and time to discover and use their own individual skills. Small Nose draws on their experience of being the only UK producers of Phillippe Gaulier’s internationally acclaimed workshop ‘Le Clown’, which was hosted seven times at Trestle Arts Base. In addition they will bring their own unique insight into the power of clown as a force for education, wellbeing and positive mental health, drawing on extensive practitioner experience and academic research. But, most of all the residency will focus on laughter…and lots of it!

Small Nose are an East of England based clown company led by co-directors Mark Curtis (the small one) and Jason Mitchell (the tall one). They create live performance and educational engagement projects. They collectively have over 25 years’ experience of creating and delivering workshops for professional artists, and themselves have been taught by renowned practitioners Phillippe Gaulier, John Wright, Angela De Castro and Spy Monkey. They have worked as either actors or practitioners for companies including the RSC, National Theatre of Scotland, Trestle and Told by an Idiot.

Day One – £70

Day One – ‘Clowning Foundations’ – Opening the door and finding your silly!

Rediscovering your joy and delight in the unknown through games, laughter, and play, in which we develop the skills to ‘discover the game,’ will focus on enabling artists to embody the skills of the clown, allowing every artist space and time to discover and utilise their skills.

Day Two – £70 or day 1 & 2 @ £120

‘Clowning Skills’ – A serious business! Finding a way to be creatively free. We use anything, any provocation that helps or serves us to get to where we want to be, creatively free! We even have a play with a selection of half-masks to level up the physicality.

Day Three – £70 0r day 1,2 & 3 @ £150

This clowning workshop uses games and exercises to nurture your clown, alongside linking this process within an educational context: ‘We call it Clowning around with Resilience.’ – This is our WHY! Why our company exists – our mission! It’s simple, really – the world needs clowns -people who know how to find and share their joy as they connect with others.

At Small Nose, we believe in a unique approach to social change—one that harnesses the power of play, laughter, and curiosity. Our educational workshops and theatre-based shows are designed to inspire and engage, using the principles of theatre clown to create meaningful experiences. 

To sign up for the workshops, please complete the form below 👇