Bouffon Intensive
Berlin 15 - 26 November 2027
Unleash your rebellious spirit through satire, provocation, and outrageous play.
Application Deadline: 7 June 2027
Overview
This boundless style of grotesque comedy empowers you to create dangerously funny satire about the world we live in. As socially unacceptable as they are hilarious, Bouffons take great pleasure in mocking the things we humans hold most dear.
Living on the fringes of society, Bouffons observe the ridiculous games we play with sharp eyes and fierce honesty. They do not care what society thinks of them, which frees them to act out everything they see. In doing so, they hold up a mirror to the audience, exposing the aspects of human behavior that most of us would rather avoid.
Skills Covered
Improvising as a “Band” of Bouffons
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Flocking and moving as a chorus
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Shape-shifting together as Bouffons
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Creating collective states of play and madness
Unlocking Your Unique Bouffon
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Discovering how your Bouffon moves, breathes, and speaks
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Amplifying the physicality and presence of your Bouffon
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Masking the body with foam and body modification to create grotesque forms
Imitating the World
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Shape-shifting into everything from politicians to bus drivers to houseplants
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Creating entire worlds with your band of Bouffons — from the European Parliament to the Serengeti
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Transforming people, places, objects, and systems through ensemble play
Building Bouffon Dramaturgy
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Amplifying themes into dizzying, fractal comic structures through “Spiral Madness”
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Escalating repetition, rhythm, and collective games
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Building satire through improvisation
Writing with Bouffons
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Using topical research to fuel improvisation and creation
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Developing material from themes, obsessions, and current events
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Creating irreverent satire through play
Freeing Your Voice
Letting your Bouffon say the things you want to say but normally “can’t”
Exploring freedom, provocation, and complicity through comedy
The Program
“Flocking”
In the first days of the workshop, you will develop the core ensemble skills needed to create work in this style of comedy. Bouffons perform together in groups called “bands,” moving and responding as a collective organism.
Beginning with chorus work and flocking exercises, you will learn to shape-shift together into people, objects, and environments. From this foundation, the ensemble begins improvising together in states of collective play — playing games as children do, which gradually evolve into grotesque imitations of human behavior.
Finding Your Bouffon
Fueled by the collective madness of the group, you will enter increasingly heightened states of play. These states often reveal unexpected forms within each performer’s body and imagination. Using foam and other materials, you will learn how to amplify these forms to create the grotesque physical body of your Bouffon.
Create Through Improvisation
During the creation phase of the workshop, you will explore themes from the world that genuinely interest or provoke you. Combining topical research with improvisation in your band of Bouffons, you will devise several pieces of wild, irreverent satire.
Perform!
In the final stage of the workshop, selected pieces will be deepened, refined, and shaped for performance. On the last day of the workshop, we will present the work to an invited audience of friends and colleagues
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Note on Satire
Bouffons do not only mock the things we disagree with — they also mock the things we cherish, protect, and identify with. Participants should come prepared to laugh not only at the world around them, but also at themselves.
About the teacher
Peter Sweet’s embodied approach to theater combines the madness of play with the rigour of technique. He shares the most effective tools that he has discovered and developed over 25 years of performing, teaching and directing. His unique pedagogy is grounded in his long practice of the Alexander Technique, Wu Tao breath work, and a wide range of somatic and martial arts.
Peter studied physical theatre at the Helikos School in Florence under Giovanni Fusetti and Matteo Destro, contemporary dance at SEAD in Salzburg, and circus at École du Cirque Zofy (CH). He certified as a teacher of the Alexander Technique at AZAT in Munich.
His solo and duo shows—including Meet Pete Sweet, Swinging High, BOOM!, and the current touring production Foolish Doom—have been performed in over 20 countries. He served as director of creation and performance in the circus department at Die Etage Berlin and is a thesis advisor and coach for the Master in Choreography at Fontys (NL). He has also taught at Stockholm University of the Arts, ZHdK in Zurich, and the Theaterakademie August Everding in Munich.
Peter is currently based in Berlin, where he directs professional companies, teaches workshops and throws his heart into every project that he dives into. In his free time he reads fantasy, plays the drums, and flies kites on the Tempelhofer Feld.
Workshop Logistics
Language: English
The workshop will be taught in English. A basic understanding of English is required to participate. The teacher also speaks German, French, and Indonesian, and can provide translation when needed.
Maximum Number of Participants: 15 participants
Once 15 students are confirmed, the workshop is full. Additional applicants will be placed on a waiting list.
Attendance Full-time attendance is required. The pedagogy is progressive, with each day building on the work of the previous days.
Important Note on the Nature of this Work
Bouffon is physically, vocally, and emotionally demanding work. Participants should come prepared for rigorous ensemble-based creation, movement, and high levels of play.
Schedule:
15 - 26 November, 2027 (Monday–Friday)
Daily, 10:00–18:00
20 - 21 Rest Days (Saturday–Sunday)
Location:
ImprovWorks Berlin
Rudolfstraße 14, 10245 Berlin
Our home base will be a large, bright studio for development work located in a vibrant and central part of Berlin. The space includes a kitchen, as well as both indoor and outdoor break out spaces. There are many ammenities and transport options within short waking distance.
Attendance: Full-time attendance is required. The pedagogy is progressive, with each day building on the work of the previous days.
Sliding Scale Tuition: : €450 – €900
We want this workshop to be accessible to people with a range of economic means, so we offer a sliding scale.
Apply Here:
Application deadline: 7 June 2027
Application Process:
1. Apply by the deadline. Submit your application using the application form.
2. Group selection. After the deadline, Peter will review all applications together and create the workshop group. You will be notified of the outcome within one week of the deadline.
3. Confirm your place. If accepted, you will have seven days from the date you receive your acceptance to pay the workshop fee and secure your place.
Payment:
Once you register for the workshop, your workshop fees are due within 5 days to confirm your spot. If this presents a challenge, please contact us — payment in installments is available upon request.
Please note that your fee includes a €115 non-refundable deposit (except in the case of workshop cancellation due to force majeure).
Tuition does not include food or lodging. Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel and accommodations in Berlin.
We look forward to seeing you in the studio!
Questions?
Wondering if this workshop is right for you, or have questions
about participating?
Questions about registration, payment, or logistics?
Would you like to connect with Peter directly or set up a call?
Feel free to reach out via email: info@petersweet.com
Berkay Buyuk
“The most valuable thing was the freedom to go mad at the edges of humanity, while still feeling held by a deep artistic and pedagogical structure in a very safe space. It felt like receiving a key to Pandora’s box, together with instructions for how to open and close it safely.
It is a deep and liberating workshop. It'll give you tools but also permission to be wild, poetic, and fully alive. I would recommend it to anyone interested in performance, pedagogy and especially activism.''
Onur Akdağ
"Anybody who considers taking this journey should be prepared to sweat, go madly wild and have a lot of fun."
Matilda Materni
"Be prepared to discover aspects of yourself that you may have never seen or that you were unconsciously hiding to yourself. It is not always pleasant to face the evil side of oneself, but it teaches you so much about your fears and pleasures. Go go go!"
Alejandro Duran
"This bouffon trip takes you from concrete technique to the chaos of the universe, with everything in between. It is a melting pot for creativity. An adventure well worth the sweat! Be grotesque and pay attention to your nose!"