be funny be silly be free be you - A 2 day comedy workshop

Wana figure out how to let yourself go and I mean GO in your performances? Maybe you’re a stand-up and you’re like “ok I’m bored of just saying words I wana flippin be funny with my whole being mannn!”?

Or maybe you’re just a regular guy knocking about in regular places doing regular stuff and you’re thinking “I wana be more free, I wana take more risks, damn it, I wana access joy in this life!”.

If so why not come along to my (I’m calling it “experimental”) two day comedy workshop where we can throw stuff about, find what makes us uniquely funny, and explore different ways to access our stupidity, vulnerability, authenticity and freedom.

Drawing on exercises/approaches from the worlds of stand-up, character comedy, clown and performance art, we’ll do improvised work, stream of consciousness exercises, we’ll play shit loads of clown games, make up songs, dance a lot, do some ensemble stuff, a bunch of grounding exercises and we’ll perform for each other a fair amount as well.

We’ll be thinking about how to stay connected, grounded and present to yourself and the audience when you are on stage; How to let yourself be seen in your stupidity; Playing the reality of the room/event/feeling; Bringing truth and vulnerability into your performance; Finding the pleasure in being beautiful on stage. I’m also a Buddhist (what a real one?? kind of, yeah) and community organiser (like Obama) so I’ll be bringing a bit of mindfulness and community building stuff into the mix as well.

But who the hell am I anyway?

People know me as a guy who does comedy which has an anarchic and kinda spiritual vibe. I’m an improviser (but not in the “scene!” sense) and I like to work with the context, setting and audience a lot in my shows. My work is playful and stupid but I’m also really interested in connection and truth in performance. Comparisons have been made to Robin Williams (cos I have hairy arms), and Dr Brown (cos I have hairy arms).

Lawrence Dodd (me - I’m writing this) is a critically acclaimed clown (Comedians Choice Best Newcomer Nominee, Brighton Fringe New Writing Award Nominee, Bitesize Festival Best Comedy Runner Up, Neurodiverse Award Best Comedy Nominee) whose work sits at the intersection of clown, performance art and ritual. He has trained in clown with practitioners including Julia Masli, Spy Monkey and Dr Brown, and is a facilitator and community organiser who has led workshops in clown, comedy and community building across the UK.