2 days with Japan's Oshow! International clown and improviser. Explore letting go of fear and becoming free in your performing.

Workshop Overview

Clown, Silence & Emotional Freedom: The Art of Unfiltered Improv Step into a weekend built for spontaneous play, cinematic stillness, and deep emotional freedom.

In this special weekend series with international improviser, clown, and theatre artist Oshow (Tokyo / JPN), you’ll move beyond rigid impro "rules" and discover how to perform with authentic presence, playfulness, and confidence.

Across three distinct half-day sessions, you’ll explore the intersection of clowning and improvisation, master the power of physical action and silence, and learn how to harness your genuine feelings to create effortless, captivating scenes.

🎪 Workshop Breakdown

Session 1 (Sat AM) – Impro Clown: Being Playful & Free

Improvisation is not only about techniques—it is about how you relate to yourself, your scene partner, and your audience. This workshop focuses on the spirit of improvisation rather than its rules.

Many performers try to appear confident, funny, or clever on stage. But the audience doesn't fall in love with perfection—they connect with authenticity. Through clown exercises and improvisation, you'll discover how to embrace mistakes, follow your genuine impulses, and find joy in simply being yourself. By giving your inner child permission to appear on stage, you'll uncover a new sense of freedom, playfulness, and true audience connection.

Focus: Presence, authenticity, embracing vulnerability, and finding laughter through connection.

Appropriate for: Anyone interested (open to all experience levels).

Session 2 (Sat PM) – Kurosawa Impro: The Power of Silence & Action

Inspired by the filmmaking of legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, this workshop explores how stillness and decisive action can transform an improvised scene.

Many improvisers rely too heavily on dialogue—filling scenes with explanations or jokes that stall the story. In this workshop, you'll learn to create compelling scenes through physical action, visual contrast, and meaningful choices. By stepping away from non-stop talking, you'll discover how tension, relationships, and narrative naturally emerge, giving you stronger stage presence and the confidence to let moments breathe.

Focus: Cinematic physical acting, stage presence, visual storytelling, and using silence to build tension.

Appropriate for: Players with prior improv experience (suggested: completed Impro 101 or equivalent).

Session 3 (Sun AM) – Effortless Impro: Use Your Feelings As They Are

When learning improv, rigid ideas like "I must do Yes, And" or "I must always be positive" can get in the way. What started as fun can quickly begin to feel restrictive and exhausting.

In this workshop, you’ll learn to stop overthinking and start using whatever you feel in the moment—even feelings of discomfort, hesitation, or restriction—as raw material to build scenes. Drawing on Gestalt principles and Keith Johnstone’s ethos that "fear blocks storytelling," Oshow guides you to let go of performance anxiety and step into an impro practice that feels light, responsive, and truly effortless.

Focus: Emotional honesty, breaking free from overthinking/rules, and effortless scene work.

Appropriate for: Anyone interested (open to all experience levels).

📅 Schedule

Saturday, Apr 24

10:00–12:30: Session 1 – Impro Clown

12:30–14:00: Extended Lunch Break*

14:00–17:00: Session 2 – Kurosawa Impro (3-Hour Session)

Sunday, Apr 25

10:00–12:30: Session 3 – Effortless Impro

12:30–14:00: Lunch / Wrap-up*

*You can bring your lunch or head out — the Summerhall café & pub are just upstairs!

🧘 How to Show Up

Arrive early: please plan to arrive 10 minutes before class so we can start and end on time.

Dress comfortably: wear movement-friendly clothes that cover you fully (we’ll be moving throughout the space).

Bring water: a reusable water bottle is encouraged — hydration fuels creativity!

🎟️ Prerequisites

Impro Clown & Effortless Impro: Open to all levels, from beginners to seasoned performers.

Kurosawa Impro: We recommend participants have completed at least an introductory improv course (Improv 100 series or equivalent).

Age: 18 and up.

👨‍🎨 About Oshow (he/him)

Oshow is an improviser, clown, and theatre artist based in Tokyo, Japan. His theatrical background spans classical Shakespeare, Broadway musicals, and children’s theatre. In 2010, he discovered improv, founded his own troupe, and began performing and teaching across Japan and internationally.

In 2019, Oshow trained extensively in physical theatre and clowning at the prestigious École Philippe Gaulier in France. In 2023, he joined the Loose Moose Theatre Company in Calgary (founded by Keith Johnstone), performing as a mainstage cast member while training at The Improvisation School under Shawn Kinley.

Oshow’s teaching bridges clown, physical theatre, and Keith Johnstone’s foundational improv ethos. With addi

Description supplied by the event organiser.