IOU runs a range of workshops in which participants delve into the working processes of the company and experiment with ways of combining images, words and music, utilising a variety of media. Facilitators are fully experienced and the emphasis is on developing the ideas and skills of participants.

IOU Workshops can include:

i. the development of images with sound or music.

ii. the making of costumes, masks, puppets, props and simple sets.

iii. the writing of poems, lyrics, monologues and stories.

iv. the mapping out and enactment of short scenes or tableaux.

v. the exploration of movement and voice.

Some or all of these elements are used to explore the process of devising theatre, according to the time available. All workshops include an introduction to IOU's work, illustrated with video. Set exercises and projects provide a strong framework in which to explore creativity and share skills.

Workshops are adapted to suit individual needs and can take the form of a self-contained day, a two or three day block or an intensive week or fortnight.

Working both individually and in small groups, ideas are developed and extended into scenarios using a mapping process developed by IOU to explore ideas and possibilities and to clarify group ideas. Mapping helps to build landscape, establish signposts and identify possible directions. The process of building will allow images, words and sounds to find their place in the whole - enabling surprising connections and an internal logic to develop. This will help in devising a scenario from the starting points suggested by the combination of the objects, images and short extracts of text that are brought to the workshop by participants.

For further information or to book a workshop tailored to your needs, please contact the company.

"The workshop offered us a new way to experiment - alternative and refreshing" - participant's feedback