Presented by ClerkinWorks, co-produced with Improbable & Shakespeare’s Globe
Eight improvisation workshops exploring improvisation in theatre, comedy, storytelling, devising and movement led by Creative Facilitator Angela Clerkin. We experiment with being heroes and villains, untold and unlikely tales, and putting our own stories centre stage. Oh, and practice being confident and generous as we fuck up. It’s time to find out what happens when we step through the door…
News: Through The Door Impro workshops are back on Sundays Oct 5th – Nov 23rd 2025
A course of 8 workshops for women, non-binary and trans people who are actors, improvisors, writers, drag kings, dancers, designers, directors and theatre-makers at all levels of experience. The beginner’s level will be a fun and innovative introduction to Impro techniques and working with autobiographical material. The experienced course is more suited if you have previously attended TTD and/or Improbable workshops, or already have improvisation experience and want to play and expand your skill set. Sign up for the one that best fits you. Whichever one you come to, it’s best to be prepared to be surprised.
The workshops are on Sundays 10am-1pm (beginners) & 2-5pm (experienced). It is a course so you sign up for the whole series rather than individual workshops. Prices have been kept as low as possible to make these workshops accessible.
Full Price £180 VAT inc.
No/Low wage £48 The No/Low wage price point is intended for someone in receipt of income-related benefits and/or who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend due to financial barriers.
CREATIVE FACILIATOR ANGELA CLERKIN
Angela is a Creative Facilitator and a qualified Therapist. She started out as a cabaret performer with The Hairy Marys and have worked as a theatre maker, actor, improvisor, writer and director for many years. She is an Improbable Associate Artist and has worked with them as a performer, co-director, co-writer, associate director, Open Space facilitator, World Cafe Host and Impro workshop facilitator. Angela set up Through The Door to create an inclusive space where women, non-binary and trans people have agency to tell their own stories and create new realities through improvisation.
INVITATION:
ClerkinWorks is delighted to produce Through The Door, and I am joined by co-producers Improbable and Shakespeare’s Globe. TTD’s aims are to learn skills, practise taking space and enjoying mistakes, having fun, being ridiculous, generosity of spirit, creating a community, and experiencing agency through improvisation. The participants in previous years have been a mixture of actors, dancers, drag kings, writers, directors, cabaret performers and designers. I’m excited to discover who will come through the door this time.
I am aware of what effect lack of opportunities can have on the spirit, and how tough and isolating it can often be in the arts. Our aim to change things up, supporting those of us who have been marginalised in various ways to take centre stage and hang out there. Together. And also keeping the doors open for others to come through. I have found this approach to be transformative, benefitting everyone, challenging, enriching and changing us – and the stories we improvise.
I lead most of the workshops and we are delighted to have some amazing highly skilled guest facilitators during the course – this time we have the awesome Monica Gaga and Adedamola Bajomo!! Previously they have included improvisor/novelist/theatre maker Stella Duffy, choreographers Pauline Mayers and Jeanifer-Jean Charles, actor Cathy Tyson, Drag Kings Wesley Dykes (Adedmola Bajamo) & Sigi Moonlight (Jacqui Bardelang) and theatre maker/TV writer Emma Frankland.
Sign up! It’s time to find out what happens when you dare to step through the door…
Through The Door’s first incarnation was a course of Improvisation workshops for women and non-binary folk on Sundays Nov-Dec 2018 at Theatre Deli. We accepted 21 people onto the course and there was also a full waiting list. The participants were a mixture of actors, dancers, drag kings, writers, directors, cabaret performers and designers. Almost half were PoC, a large percentage were LGBTQ, ages ranged early 20s to 60s, many low/no income. We kept costs low in order to attract those who are often excluded from workshops due to their prohibitive price. ClerkinWorks donated planning/ coordinating time, Improbable gave financial support and producer Ess Grange, and Theatre Deli donated space. The sessions were led by Angela Clerkin with guest facilitators Pauline Mayers, Stella Duffy and Cathy Tyson. Sound designer Adrienne Quartley joined us on a couple of occasions.
“Time has flown and I know already I feel the need to take part in another extension of Through the Door. It is certainly opening doors within me. Giving me time and strength to take chances with movement and thoughts. All new to me.. It’s been a great experience.” Yasmin Pettigrew
It was exciting to know for sure that when we diversify the performers and facilitators in our practice, providing opportunities to step through the door, we are inviting new stories, and enriching our shared experiences. We took risks, experimented and mashed up various disciplines and as a result the improvisations during the workshops were often rich, diverse, funny, surprising, challenging and varied.
“I am usually wary of coming to improv spaces as they are usually very white, cis and straight – not here. I felt safe to be vulnerable and collaborative as the scenes was/were set perfectly to foster that. I hope this continues as I can see us creating amazing work together and individually as a result of this series of workshops. Thank you for thinking of what inclusive and accessible creative spaces can look like.” Tobi Adebajo
Improvisation is a practice where deep work and transformation can take place – and these workshops felt important and radical. Having highly skilled facilitators from various disciplines leading sessions was exciting and valuable. We are aiming to create a space where the players have agency to tell their own stories and create new realities.
Previous guest facilitators:
Pauline Mayers has a background in dance and choreography. Associate Artist at Leeds Playhouse. AD of The Mayers Ensemble, her solo show What If I Told You was short listed for the Amnesty Freedom of Expression award 2017.
Stella Duffy writes novels and stories, makes theatre, and co-directs Fun Palaces. She has been an improvisor since the mid-1980s, is an Associate Artist with Improbable, and has taught improvisation-for-writers for the Arvon Foundation.
Cathy Tyson enjoys working as an actress in stage, film, tv and radio (Winner LA Film Critics Association Award). Recent workshops for Hammersmith Youth Offending Team and Declaration – a scheme for under-represented actors and writers in Wales.
Lesley Ewen creates performance as an actor and Live Artist, on stage and in film/tv; as a teacher at RADA (Improv/Devising); and as Creative Enabler for Access All Areas. Lesley’s also a director and has just mounted her latest play Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts).
Emma Frankland is a performance and theatre artist. Emma’s None of Us is Yet a Robot project is a series of performance pieces exploring gender, trans identity and the politics of transition. She plays the title role in the upcoming BBC radio adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando’.
Jeanefer Jean-Charles is a Mass Movement Director, Choreographer and Creative Consultant, who has worked in over 21 countries, and whose work appears in the Guinness Book of World Records. She directs movement for large scale events with a specialism in mass movement.
Pauline Mayers has a background in dance and choreography. Associate Artist at Leeds Playhouse. AD of The Mayers Ensemble, her solo show What If I Told You was short listed for the Amnesty Freedom of Expression award 2017.
Stella Duffy writes novels and stories, makes theatre, and co-directs Fun Palaces. She has been an improvisor since the mid-1980s, is an Associate Artist with Improbable, and has taught improvisation-for-writers for the Arvon Foundation.
Cathy Tyson enjoys working as an actress in stage, film, tv and radio (Winner LA Film Critics Association Award). Recent workshops for Hammersmith Youth Offending Team and Declaration – a scheme for under-represented actors and writers in Wales.
Lesley Ewen creates performance as an actor and Live Artist, on stage and in film/tv; as a teacher at RADA (Improv/Devising); and as Creative Enabler for Access All Areas. Lesley’s also a director and has just mounted her latest play Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts).
Emma Frankland is a performance and theatre artist. Emma’s None of Us is Yet a Robot project is a series of performance pieces exploring gender, trans identity and the politics of transition. She plays the title role in the upcoming BBC radio adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando’.
Jeanefer Jean-Charles is a Mass Movement Director, Choreographer and Creative Consultant, who has worked in over 21 countries, and whose work appears in the Guinness Book of World Records. She directs movement for large scale events with a specialism in mass movement.
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