Theatre Workout Workshops
Best Theatre Workshop Company UK
Education and Training Awards, 2024
Best Education Provider
British Youth Travel Awards, 2023
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Our workshops put you centre stage, combining taught theatre techniques with student-led practice and exploration.
We give students and groups the opportunity to play, create and perform beyond their expectations!
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Play | Create | Perform
Through play, we allow students the freedom to create, giving them the confidence to perform beyond their expectations.
With a focus on the creative process, students don't just copy choreography to a song, they explore the characters, the music, and dance style before applying them to the creation of their own performance, guided by our experienced practitioners.
Giving students ownership of the work they produce develops a greater understanding of what theatre can do, and unlocks their own creativity.
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Whether you're looking for a workshop to support a West End or Stratford theatre trip, or you want us to come to your school or business, we'll tailor a workshop to give you a unique theatre experience!
Tailored To You
Creating your bespoke workshop
The more you can tell us about your group, and what you want them to learn and experience, the better we can prepare your bespoke workshop to meet your needs.
Our practitioners will continue to listen to the group on the day, adapting and evolving their plans in response to make their experience unique.
All our practitioners are industry professionals with drama school or equivalent training, with at least three years professional experience in their field, working as actors, directors, dancers, etc. All have prior teaching experience, and some have been with us since we started in 2006!
Official West End Workshops
Since 2006, Theatre Workout has created the official show workshops for 40 major West End plays and musicals.
Current partners include Mrs. Doubtfire and Tina.
See all our past partners here.
Bespoke Masterclasses are available for any other show visit in London's West End or Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Our official Workshops
Theatre Workout has partnered with the following shows to develop their official educational workshop programmes. Contact us for more details.
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1984
Created in partnership with Headlong Theatre to explore the world of 1984.
Students worked with improvisation, games and other exercises designed to place students in the position of Comrade 6079 Winston Smith, challenging them to act as necessary to comply with and avoid upsetting Big Brother.
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Groups explored the perception of reality, rules, double speak, double think, thought crime, newspeak, and power, challenging students to comply, think, unthank, respond, un-respond, speak and newspeak their way through the workshop.
The 39 Steps
Developed in 2012, this workshops focused on acting techniques used by the cast in the creation of the show, exploring multi-role playing, character development, storytelling (the core of all theatre) and devising theatre techniques to recreate scenes from the play, including:
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Vocal and speech techniques to improve communication
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Improvisation games to perform with spontaneity and creativity
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Character development techniques for multi-role playing
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Physicality and movement skills
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Image and forum theatre
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Storytelling and devising theatre
A Chorus Line
Created for the Broadway transfer to the London Palladium, and starring one of our practitioners, this workshops placed students in the auditionee's shoes as they experienced a workshop audition with a dance and singing call.
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Students are taught dance choreography in real time, challenging them to learn and perform to the highest standards, followed by a chance to sing a song of their choice, after which feedback was offered.
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An acting workshop is also available for non-musical students in which they performed solo a rehearsed speech and improvised group scenes.
A Doll's House
Created for the West End transfer of the Young Vic production, this workshop explored the world of the play through a series of acting techniques including character development, voice and speech, emotional engagement, and movement before working on key scenes.
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Students walked in the character's shoes and developed a greater understanding of the themes, syle and culture of the production.
All My Sons
Created in partnership with NIMAX Productions for the West End production starring David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker, this workshop was an acting masterclass focused on understanding the central characters and their relationships in this stunning production.
An Ideal Husband
Created in partnership with NIMAX Theatres, this workshop explored the world of Oscar Wilde's witty play through acting techniques including voice and speech, character development, posture and poise, improvisation and scene studies of key scenes from the play.
This workshop allowed students to make their own interpretations and learn a little of the direction and staging from this production.
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
We developed a programme of three workshops for Beautiful - The Carole King Musical:
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Drama Workshop which explores the shows central story, characters and themes of friendship, family and being truthful with oneself.
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Musical Theatre Workshop, focusing on performance techniques through the performance of key songs from the show
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Songwriting Workshop, exploring songwriting, poetry and creative writing techniques to create original material.
Bend It Like Beckham
We developed two official workshops for this new musical to support its educational programme for schools:
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Drama Workshop which explores the shows central characters, relationships, themes and story through professional acting techniques and improvisation.
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Musical Theatre Workshop, focusing on acting through song as students learn professional musical theatre techniques, using key songs from the show
Birdsong
An acting masterclass in which students explored the issues of war, peace, love and other relationships as they followed the central character's story through this epic play.
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Students explored acting techniques including voice and speech, gesture and physicality, and improvisation before working on key scenes and performing with direction taken from the West End production.
Carousel
Starring Lesley Garret at the Savoy Theatre, Theatre Workout created the officail education programme for Carousel featuring classical musical theatre skills and operatic singing.
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Working with a dancer and a singer, students learned classic techniques before working on an ensemble number from the show.
Carries War
This official workshop for schools taught students acting and performance skills as they explored techniques used by the cast in the creation of the play.
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They gained a greater understanding of the play through the performance of key scenes, learning about children's evacuation during World War II, and engaging with the adventures of the central characters.
Chicago
Theatre Workout has develope the official workshops for two productions of Chicago - The original production and its return to the Phoenix Theatre for it's 21st Anniversary.
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Rooted in the unique dance styles of Bob Fosse, this workshop taught the original choreography to All That Jazz, while allowing students some freedom to choreograph their own section of the routine in the same style, to explore the creative process of devising choreography.
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage
Working closely with the Choreographer and Dance Captain for Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage, and led by professional dancers and choreographers specialising in ballroom dance, Theatre Workout created a dance masterclass for audiences.
The workshop explore some of the iconic dance styles from the stage and film productions, before teaching ensemble choreography to one of the main numbers.
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Theatre Workout also taught about 3000 people Johnny's Mambo in Trafalgar Square before a screening of the film in 2010.
Dreamgirls
Theatre Workout developed two workshops for Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre:
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Drama Workshop: focused on the central story of Effie White to explore key themes in the show, such as friendship, ambition, and fighting adversity.
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Musical Theatre Workshop: Ideal for more advanced students, this workshop focuses on musical theatre performance with a focus on 'acting through song', looking at I Am Changing and One Night Only, learning to analyse songs from an actor's perspective.
Hairspray
Theatre Workout developed the official education programme for Hairspray when it first opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2008.
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As a musical theatre masterclass, this workshop taught students acting, singing and dance techniques before teaching choreography and staging You Can't Stop The Beat, replicating the show's choreography.
In The Heights
Theatre Workout was delighted to create the official workshop for In The Heights, the multi-award-winning production by Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton.
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Our two workshop options for groups of all ages explored all-round musical theatre, or the creative process of devising choreography.
Combining Hip-Hop with contemporary musical theatre styles, In The Heights offered a unique opportunity to explore new performance styles and devising techniques.
I Can't Sing
Theatre Workout created the official workshops and teachers education pack for I Can't Sing, the short-lived musical at the London Palladium set in the world of the X Factor talent show.
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Students were taught all-round musical theatre techniques through the staging of songs from the show, along with character development to build confidence in their performance.
Jersey Boys
Musical Theatre workshops explored all-round technique focusing on the concept of 'Acting Through Song', while also exploring themes, characters and stories from the show.
A drama workshop focused on acting, storytelling and devising exercises inspired by characters, stories and themes from the show, such as friendship, changing times, politics and changing culture.
Career Development Talks offered advice and information on future training and career pathways in the theatre and music industries.
Joseph
Created for the revival starring Lee Mead at the Adelphi Theatre in partnership with Andrew Lloyd Webbers Really Useful Productions, Theatre Workout created a musical theatre masterclass suitable for all ages.
The workshop explored the central story and themes from Joseph through the performance of key songs, such Any Dream Will Do.
The Kite Runner
Theatre Workout developed two workshops for The Kite Runner, targeted at secondary and further education groups, teaching performance techniques while exploring the educational themes within the production.
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A Drama Workshop focused on the key themes of friendship, betrayal and guilt, explored through drama games and improvisation exercises. It was suitable for all groups but was aimed at younger and less experienced students.
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An Acting Workshop, Aimed at GCSE, A-Level and degree students taught character development, voice and other acting techniques, before working on key scene and improvisation exercises set around the plot and central characters of the play, exploring ivotal moments around Amir’s life and relationships with Hassan, Baba and Assef.
The Lion King
Theatre Workout was contracted to to develop workshops for Disney's The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre from 2009-2015.
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Theatre Workout's workshop was based on techniques used by Julie Taymore in the creation of the show, inspired by the work of French theatre practitioner and acting coach Jacques Lecoq, and Balinese Dance to explore physicality, animal acting, mask and clown work, through the staging of an ensemble number from the show.
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While Theatre Workout no longer offers Lion King workshops, bespoke workshops based on physical theatre and musical theatre are still available.
The Lord Of The Rings - The Musical
One of Theatre Workout's first West End collaborations was with Kevin Wallace's The Lord Of The Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
This physical theatre and musical theatre workshop combination taught techniques from both schools of theatre performance as students leared about the characters and themes in the show, devising and improvising their interpretations of orks and elves, hobbits and more...
Mrs Doubtfire
Theatre Workout created two workshops for MRS. DOUBTFIRE in 2024 on acting and musical theatre to exands audiences' theatre experience.
We aim to challenge and inspire students through character-led activities, helping students experience this great story through theatre.
Love Never Dies
In partnership with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Productions, Theatre Workout created the official workshop programme for the world premier of Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre.
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This musical theatre workshop focused on acting through song as students staged songs and choreography from the West End production.
The Railway Children
An educational drama workshop was developed for any student group. It explores the central themes within the production, such as family, friendship, danger and risk, and doing right and wrong, delivered through the use of drama games and performance techniques, such as storytelling, role-play and improvisation.
The workshop relates to techniques used by the show’s creators in the development and rehearsal of the production, enabling students to experience the processes used in the creation of the show by the cast.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
In partnership with NIMAX Theatres and the Chichester Festival Theatre, this workshop explored the violent gangster underworld of Arturo Ui and its reflection of the rise of Hitler through games, improvisations and acting techniques.
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Students put these lessons into practice through the staging of key scenes from the play to develop a greater understanding of Arturo Ui, his metamorphosis and evolution over the course of the play.
Shrek- The Musical
In partnership with Dreamworksh Productions, Theatre Workout developed the exclusive workshops for Shrek at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and after the Royal Premier we worked in collaboration with the Princes Foundation for Children and the Arts.
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An all-round musical workshop taught students about believing in themselves, about accepting differences, embrasing diversity and friendship through key songs from the show.
Singin' In The Rain
Our first collaboration with Chichester Festival Theatre, this musical theatre masterclass explored classical musical theatre performance styles as students learned acting, singing and dance skills before learning choreography to an ensemble number from the show.
Sister Act
Our first collaboration with Chichester Festival Theatre, this musical theatre masterclass explored classical musical theatre performance styles as students learned acting, singing and dance skills before learning choreography to an ensemble number from the show.
Sister Act
With a focus on acting through song and developing singing techniques, this exlusive workshop for the Broadway transfer of Sister Act was a great hit with school groups.
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The workshop followed Delores as she brought life to the nunnery and inspired them to embrace their community. The workshop taught acting and singing techniques used in Raise Your Voice, before staging other ensemble songs from the show.
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Workshops were re-launched in 2024
The Sound Of Music
Theatre Workout's first West End collaboration was the creation of the exclusive West End Workshop for The Sound Of Music following the TV talent contest.
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This workshop explored songwriting as students re-wrote My Favourite Things, musical theatre acting and singing techniques through the performance of key songs, and improvisation exercises and games to exlore the show's central themes.
Stepping Out
Groups could engage with one of two workshops for this West End production:
A Drama Workshop explored a range of acting exercises, learning techniques before putting them into practice through scene studies and performance, covering issues such as voice and speech, character development, improvised devising and script work.
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A Dance Class taught tap steps and dance techniques as they learned choreography set to their level of ability, with reference to characters and acting techniques as they learned to ‘act through dance’.
This House
Another collaboration with NIMAX Theatres and Chichester Festival Theatre, Theatre Workout created the exclusive West End Workshop for This House.
The workshop explored politics, manipulation, game playing, diplomacy, improvisation and public speaking though a range of acting techniques as groups rehearsed and performed key scenes from the play.
Waitress
The exclusive West End Workshop for the Broadway transfer of Waitress to London.
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An all-round musical theatre workshop covered acting, singing, and dance as students explored the performance techniques used in the creation and staging of the show with a focus on acting through song.
A Drama Workshop offered a confidence building learning experience. With a focus on character and story, groups who chose this option learned a range of performance skills as they explore scenes from the show, create characters, and devise their own staging and performance.
The Wizard Of Oz
Another exclusive West End Workshop for Andrew Lloyd Webbers production of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.
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Based on musical theatre techniques, this workshop explored the central themes, characters and performance style of the show through the staging of key songs.
Zorro The Musical
This exclusive West End Workshop for Zorro The Musical offered two unique workshops:
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A Musical Theatre Workshop bringing together lots of different skills as students staged key songs from the show
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A Stage Combat Workshop taught basic sward fighting and unarmed stage combat techniques to choreograph fight choreography.