The Toolbox
What is The Toolbox?
We believe the best way to prepare yourself for working in the theatre is to deepen your experience and understanding of different techniques and approaches to theatre making. So, we've designed a physical and practical workshop to help theatremakers broaden their creative horizons and fill up their creative Toolboxes with the help of expert practitioners.
The Toolbox is series of 5 workshops for theatremakers and creatives to learn five disciplines from five different experts in their field. Each day different practitioners will teach and talk through different forms of and approaches to theatremaking, such as Clown, Movement, Six-viewpoints method, Approaching Text, Puppetry and beyond.
These workshops will be focused on learning how, when and why you might incorporate different methods into your creative practice.
Who is The Toolbox for?
The Toolbox is aimed at all theatremakers, whether you're an actor, director, writer, technician or stagehand. We encourage people of all abilities to join us and learn more about their craft.
Even the most seasoned actor will find something valuable on this course. Get a taster of how an eclectic pool of different directors work and experience the specifities of their crafts firsthand.
How much is it? Where and When?
The Toolbox is £100 for all 5 workshops or £25 per workshop.
If you would like to attend all the workshops, but cannot afford to pay all at once, please send us an email and we can set up a payment plan that suits you. (thedirectorsplayground@gmail.com)
All workshops will be held in Hoxton, every Thursday evening in May
List of Services
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Stanislavsky with Anastasia VelikorodnayaList Item 2
Intro to Stanislavsky
This workshop introduces some of the foundational principles and tools in Stanislavsky’s work, who by his research and work inspired and formed the basis of most modern acting techniques. In the form of practical exercises we will explore some principles of work with attention and imagination and discuss how to make them your active tools. We will look into action and objectives and how to use them when working on a scene.
Anastasia is an actor, theatre director and acting tutor. She works as Senior Acting Tutor at RADA and teaches a short course on Stanislavsky system at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Anastasia trained as an actor at Moscow Art Theatre School and for many years worked for a repertory theatre, performing in various productions in Moscow venues (including Moscow Art Theatre, Praktika Theatre, Theatre.DOC, Meyerhold Center and others). In Russia she directed and taught at Moscow Art Theatre School, Moscow School of New Cinema, created short courses at Gogol School,
1st May, 7-10pm
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Puppetry with Romina HyttenList Item 1
Puppetry from the Directors Perspective
We will explore the foundations of modern British theatre puppetry as well the fundamentals of object manipulation. We will investigate how to direct actors alongside puppets and how to note puppetry. With a specific focus on animal puppets this will be a fun workshop for performers and directors to work together and play! Come ready to move!
Romina is an actor, puppeteer and puppetry director. Most recently she was the Resident Director on the International Tour of Life of Pi. Romina won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor alongside her fellow puppeteers for Life of Pi, West End. Some of her other theatre credits include: The Lorax (The Old Vic and Alexander Theatre, Toronto), Dinosaur World Live (USA and UK Tour) and Running Wild (Regents Park OAT and UK Tour).
8th May, 7-10pm
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Clown with Toby ParkList Item 3
An Introduction to Spymonkey’s Theatre of the Funny.
We believe that everyone can be funny in their own unique way, and that the best theatre is one that embraces this quality in its artists. With the emphasis on supporting a space that is accessible, supportive and safe for all to laugh, we will use our favourite games and exercises as practical illustrations, to create belly-laughter with games and improv exercises (the sometimes scary pleasure of saying ‘yes’ to the unknown), explore practical concepts such as ‘finding the game’, the importance of complicity, or fixed point, of playing together with our friends, and of sharing that particular quality of Funny that you and only you can be.
Toby Park is the co-artistic director of Spymonkey. He studied Drama at Hull University, and trained at Fool Time Circus School, Bristol, and with Philippe Gaulier and Monika Pagneaux in Paris. Toby co-created all Spymonkey shows to date. He performed in Stiff (1998-2011), Cooped (2001-2019), Zumanity with Cirque du Soleil (2003-2005), Bless (2007), Moby Dick (2009), Love In (2010), Oedipussy (2012), Mrs Hudson's Christmas Corker (2014), Every Last Trick (2014), The Complete Deaths (2016), Christmas Carol (2018), The Frogs (2024).
15th May, 7-10pm
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Improv in Rehearsal with Diyan Zora
Using Improvisation to Unlock a Scene
How do we access the thoughts and emotions underneath what is being said onstage? How do we free actors when they are stuck? How do we make every moment onstage alive, engaging and clear?
This workshop will look at how improvisation is an incredible tool to help in all of these situations, for both actors and directors.
You will leave with a toolkit of how to lead an improvisation in a rehearsal room. We will look at ways it can be used to unlock a difficult line or scene, or to aid character development. We will explore it as a mechanism to free the actor from overthinking. Finally, we will explore how improvisation games and exercises can re-energise a rehearsal room.
Diyan is a British Iraqi theatre director and writer based in London. As winner of the 2021 Genesis Future Directors Award, Diyan directed Klippies by Jessica Sian at the Young Vic Theatre. Diyan recently formed part of the Bush Theatre's 2022 Emerging Writer's Group.
Theatre includes: Roots (Almeida Theatre); English (RSC/ Kiln Theatre - Olivier Nomination 2025 Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre); Mom, How Did You Meet The Beatles? (Chichester Festival Theatre); Tom Fool (Orange Tree Theatre); Klippies (Young Vic), Ms Y. (Young Vic).
22nd May, 7-10pm
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Neutral Mask with Will PinchinList Item 4
Neutral Mask: Shaping an Imaginative Space
This workshop explores Lecoq’s famous Neutral Mask as a tool to assist the performer in developing imaginative construction of space. It aims to be an introduction to the world of Lecoq, masked performance and devised physical theatre. Through detailed movement analysis and playful improvisation, performers will be asked to step into imagined worlds and make the invisible visible.
Will enjoys teaching Neutral Mask, Bouffon, Clown, and Solo Story at Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance. Originally from upstate New York, Will completed a Practice as Research PhD at Central School of Speech and Drama, entitled “Myth within Contemporary Mask Praxis”. His credits as a devising actor include over 20 original productions, toured nationally and internationally, and received multiple artistic awards.
29th May, 7-10pm
