Bouffon with Peter Sweet | 19 - 31 October 2026

Bouffon Intensive 2026

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

• Flocking and moving as a chorus

• Shape-shifting together as Bouffons

• Creating collective states of play and madness

Unlocking Your Unique Bouffon

• Discovering how your Bouffon moves, breathes, and speaks

• Amplifying the physicality and presence of your Bouffon

• Masking the body with foam and body modification to create grotesque forms

Imitating the World

• Shape-shifting into everything from politicians to bus drivers to houseplants

• Creating entire worlds with your band of Bouffons — from the European Parliament to the Serengeti

• Transforming people, places, objects, and systems through ensemble play

Building Bouffon Dramaturgy

• Amplifying themes into dizzying, fractal comic structures through “Spiral Madness”

• Escalating repetition, rhythm, and collective games

• Building satire through improvisation

Writing with Bouffons

• Using topical research to fuel improvisation and creation

• Developing material from themes, obsessions, and current events

• 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

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

Before embarking on what has become more than 25 years of performing, directing, and teaching physical theatre, Peter Sweet graduated with highest honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a degree in sociology. Theatre and sociology both study the rules and rituals that shape human behavior, but from very different perspectives. When Peter encountered Bouffon at the Helikos School in Florence in 2012, he experienced those two worlds colliding. In Bouffon he discovered a vital and dangerous form of theatre that allowed his fascination with human behavior, social systems, and collective absurdity to become the fuel for his artistic work.

Peter Sweet’s embodied approach to Bouffon, theatre, and clown 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 grotesque comedy, clown, physical theatre, and circus. His pedagogy is grounded in his long practice of the Alexander Technique, Wutao 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). His understanding of Bouffon and satire has been further developed through the creation of his current touring theatre production with Leonie Baker, Foolish Doom, which uses fantasy and object puppetry to explore and satirize the human response to the climate crisis.

His original theatre productions have toured internationally in more than 20 countries. He has taught and directed internationally at institutions including Arthaus Berlin, Die Etage, Stockholm University of the Arts, ZHdK Zurich, and 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 he dives into.

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


Once 15 students are confirmed, the workshop is full. Additional applicants will be placed on a waiting list.

Attendance: Full-time attendance is required every day.


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.

Workshop Schedule

Dates: 19 – 31 October, 2026


Time: 10:00 – 18:00 daily

Rest Days: Saturday – Sunday, 24 – 25 October


Location: Berlin (venue TBA)

Sliding Scale Tuition

We want this workshop to be accessible to people with a range of economic means, so we offer a sliding scale.

Choose your fee between €675 – €1,275.

Apply Here: https://forms.gle/r7E2aKQf6STaqrZy6

Once your application has been reviewed by Peter, he will contact you to confirm if there is an open spot.

Payment

Once you are accepted into the workshop, a €275 deposit is due within 5 days to confirm your participation and reserve your spot. Please note that this deposit is non-refundable (except in the case of workshop cancellation due to force majeure).

If it would be helpful for you to pay in installments, feel free to get in touch to arrange a payment plan.

The remainder of your tuition is due by 7 September.

Please note, tuition does not include food or lodging. Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel and accommodations in Berlin.

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

To find out more about Peter Sweet’s work as a teacher, director, and performer, explore his website: https://www.petersweet.com/


See you in Berlin!