Directed by Claire Heggen
// November 9–13, 2026 – 30 hours
This workshop provides a creative examination of the relationship among masks, puppets, and the moving body. Its interdisciplinary approach welcomes professionals from various fields, including theatre, dance, mime, puppetry, storytelling, art therapy, and education.
When discussing the comparable functions of the actor’s face mask and the puppet’s face, we frequently neglect to consider what brings both to life: a body.
A body can be unwieldy, particularly when it is visible.
How can we overlook it, or help others to overlook it, when it is the motivating factor behind everything?
From the actor’s face to their hand, the mask serves as the exact interface between the masked figure of corporeal mime and the puppet. There exists a “common ground” among these three art forms.
In this intermediary space, situated between subject and object, we will engage in blurring the arbitrarily defined boundaries between these arts. In his encounter with the otherness of objects, the actor will generate the gap that fosters the emergence of a strangeness that is beneficial for him.
What insights can we gain from this object? What does it reveal about our own nature?
What does he compel us to do? What do we compel him to do?
To tackle this, the workshop will include physical activities, role-playing, specific techniques, improvisations, and brief individual or group compositions.
It will provide a range of explorations, including:
Creating the puppet will instruct us in a method of engaging (not anecdotal) with segmental isolation, incorporating various levels of simultaneous tonicity throughout the body. By utilizing gravity and weight, we will explore qualities of inertia and movement to establish states of body and presence.
Manipulating or animating the other, whether it be flesh, paper, or wood, will challenge us with the concept of otherness and instruct us to discern, amidst abandonment and resistance, the imagination that arises from it.
Drawing inspiration from the “virtues” of puppetry will lead us to a nuanced understanding of relationships: Articulating, Segmenting, Decomposing/Recomposing, and Respecting geometric accuracy, among others. Additionally, it will impart lessons in silence: Listening and patience, the necessity of discipline, and the notion of a figure, etc.
Placing oneself in the service of the object (puppet or otherwise) encourages the actor to either diminish their own presence or to engage physically with it beyond their typical bodily functions. Paradoxically, the greater their commitment to serving the object, the more they will fade from the audience’s perception. They will then have the option to appear and/or disappear, exploring different qualities of stage presence.
– “Contemplating” one’s body with masks, positioned in various areas of the body, and bringing them to life, enabling the performer to master representations of the monstrous.
Between being animated and being animated, the actor will simultaneously utilize his entire body or specific parts of the body that have taken on the role of actors.
– Etc.
Opening Hours:
Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Location:
Studio de l’Embrasure, 35 Avenue Faidherbe, Chaligny,
93100 – Montreuil.
Metro: Mairie de Montreuil (Line 9)
Individual cost: €560
Price covered: €780
Deposit: €130
Contact:
from Afdas and the professionalization fund,
from Audiens if you are a worker in the performing arts (intermittent or not)
from your local Pôle Emploi office, if you are seeking employment (Pôle Emploi offices can provide support to ease the re-employment process for job seekers: Personalized Action Plan)
To apply, kindly submit a photograph, CV, and cover letter to info@claireheggen-tdm.com.
Registration Information:
The payment of the deposit serves as confirmation of your registration; it will not be processed until the workshop begins. Registrations can be submitted via mail or email, accompanied by the registration form, a CV with a photo, and a cover letter. Payments can also be made by check payable to Théâtre du Mouvement – Claire Heggen or through bank transfer. Any cancellations should be communicated as soon as possible and must be confirmed in writing. Cancellations made less than 15 days prior to the workshop will result in the loss of the deposit. Théâtre du Mouvement – Claire Heggen reserves the right to cancel or postpone the workshop 6 days before its commencement if there are not enough participants for the effective conduct of the training. In such cases, registered participants may opt to keep their registration, transfer it to a different session, or request a full refund.
Practical information and registration:
06 20 80 05 04 – info@claireheggen-tdm.com
Image from rehearsals for Claire Heggen’s 2025 production, Ma P’tite Dame – Copyright: Renaud Morin