Who could benefit from this course?
This course is designed for early-career actors, theatre-makers, drama students, and anyone looking to deepen their acting practice through different approaches to character creation. It is equally valuable for professional actors and performers who want to expand their creative toolkit and explore new methodologies beyond their existing training. This series offers practical techniques that can be applied to rehearsal, devising, auditions, and performance.
How does it work?
Across four practical workshops, participants will explore four influential approaches to building character. Each session focuses on a different practitioner, combining movement, imagination, improvisation, and text work. The series progresses from psychological realism to physical and imaginative performance techniques:
* Week 1: Stanislavski – Inner Action
Explore objectives, actions, given circumstances, and truthful behaviour.
* Week 2: Michael Chekhov – Imagination & Atmosphere
Discover psychological gesture, atmosphere, centres, and psycho-physical character creation.
* Week 3: Rudolf Laban – Movement Qualities & Effort Actions
Develop unique physical characters through weight, space, time, flow, and movement dynamics.
* Week 4: Jacques Lecoq – Play, Physical Theatre & Character Through the Body
Play with movement, rhythm and physical transformation to create expressive characters.
Each class combines guided exercises, ensemble work, improvisation, and opportunities to apply the techniques to character and text.
What do you gain?
By the end of the course you will:
- Gain practical tools from four major acting practitioners.
- Learn multiple approaches to creating believable, embodied characters.
- Develop your imagination, physical awareness, and stage presence.
- Build confidence in creating original and dynamic characters.
- Expand your movement vocabulary and creative process.
- Leave with exercises you can continue using in rehearsal, auditions, and performance.
Dates, Times & Cost
There are 4 workshops across Tuesday evenings:
10, 17, 24 November and 1 December 2026
7:00pm – 9:30pm
In person at The Cockpit, upstairs in Studio 1
£25 per session early bird (book at least 10 days in advance of each session)
£29 per session regular price
Get all four sessions for just £90 when you book by 30 October.
Check out the other workshops in our Theatre Maker programme, and save 10% when you book 2 or more.
Discounts are automatically applied at checkout.
Sofia Barysevich
Sofia is an award-winning theatre director, movement practitioner, and acting teacher whose work combines physical theatre, movement, and psycho-physical acting techniques. She trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, GITIS – Russian Institute of Theatre Arts in Moscow, and the Michael Chekhov Acting Academy, where she deepened her practice in Chekhov’s psycho-physical approach to acting.
Alongside her theatre training, Sofia has completed training in Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and is currently studying Counselling. This interdisciplinary background informs a deep, embodied, and holistic approach to actor training, helping performers build characters through movement, imagination, psychology, and physical awareness.
Sofia is the founder and Artistic Director of the multicultural theatre company WithinTheatre, whose production of 1984 received the Lustrum Award in 2024. Her directing work explores the intersection of movement, devised theatre, and contemporary performance.
Following the success of her recent Michael Chekhov Workshop at The Cockpit and the presentation of her award-winning production Boogie on the Bones at the venue, Sofia returns to The Cockpit with this new four-week training series, offering participants the opportunity to explore internationally recognised acting methodologies in a practical, creative, and supportive environment.
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