Discover how improvisation can unlock new ideas and bring performances to life. Join The Cockpit's new resident company for this full-day workshop, exploring improvisation as a tool for devising. Drawing on Lecoq and physical theatre traditions, we will generate material, embrace spontaneity, build ensemble awareness and build original work without sitting down to write.
Who could benefit from this course?
This workshop is ideal for actors, theatre-makers, directors, writers, and performers who want to develop their creative process and explore new ways of generating material.
No experience in improvisation is required, and this is not an improvisational comedy class. Instead, the workshop focuses on improvisation as a means of discovery, collaboration, and experimentation within devised theatre.
Whether you are new to devising or an experienced artist looking to refresh your practice, the session offers a welcoming environment in which to take creative risks, trust your instincts, and connect with fellow theatre-makers and potential collaborators.
How does it work?
Beginning with ensemble warm-ups and playful exercises, participants will explore a range of improvisational techniques designed to encourage spontaneity, responsiveness, and creative confidence.
Through structured improvisations and group devising tasks, we will generate scenes from physical action, interaction, and unexpected discoveries. Participants will experiment with accepting offers, building on ideas, and creating material in real time, while exploring how improvisation can be used as a practical tool for devising performance.
Throughout the day, there will be opportunities to share work, reflect on the creative process, and exchange ideas with other artists.
What do you gain?
- Practical tools for generating material through improvisation.
- Greater confidence in making creative choices and embracing uncertainty.
- Stronger ensemble and listening skills.
- New approaches to devising and scene creation.
- Inspiration for future projects and creative processes.
- Opportunities to meet and connect with fellow theatre-makers and collaborators.
- A playful and supportive environment in which to experiment and take creative risks.
Dates, Times & Cost
Sunday, 11 October, 2026
10:30am to 5:30pm
£99 early bird (book by 28th September)
regular price £110
Save 10% when you book 2 or more Theatre Maker workshops.
Check out our other "Devising With" sessions:
Introduction to Devising (15 September)
Devising with Images (3 October)
Devising with Live Cinema (18 October)
THE PALIMPSEST PROJECT
The workshop is led by Beckett Gray and Sam Critchlow of The Palimpsest Project, an international, neurodivergent-led theatre company creating interdisciplinary work that combines physical theatre, puppetry, live cinema, and explorations with sound.
Together, they co-created and performed Imprints, an OFFIE-nominated production exploring memory, identity, and belonging through fragmented storytelling and innovative theatrical forms. Their practice prioritises collaboration, playfulness, and accessibility, creating environments where participants feel supported to experiment and develop their own creative voices.
Sam Critchlow is a theatre director, performer, and Lecoq-trained deviser from the North West. They hold an MA in Directing from Rose Bruford College and trained at the École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris and Avignon. Their credits include Project Dictator (Rhum and Clay) and Où Reste Encore un Peu (Avignon Off 2024), alongside Imprints. Sam’s work draws on physical theatre, clown, mask, mime, object theatre, and puppetry, with a particular interest in visual storytelling, devised performance, and collaborative creation. He is passionate about helping participants discover new ways of expressing themselves through theatre.
Beckett Gray is a neurodivergent, genderqueer performer and drag artist with an MA in Acting from Mountview. Their work includes Portrait of A Queer in Panic (Kaleidoscope Theatre Festival, King’s Head Theatre) and Bark Bark (Summerhall Arts). As a performer and theatre maker, Beckett is particularly interested in exploring identity, queerness, and the ways theatre can externalise internal experiences, combining autobiographical material with imaginative and physical forms of storytelling.
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