EVENT THEATRE TRAINING
BIRMINGHAM
The Blocks.
Four sessions.
One developing story.
Step inside the story.
A Block is a four-session Event Theatre training experience built around one specially written story.
You'll be given a character, relationships, objectives and information. As the story develops, you'll learn to respond, improvise and make choices without losing sight of the world you're creating together.
Four sessions build towards one Long Form experience.
NEW BLOCK COMING SOON
Some acting experience required. Event Theatre experience optional.
HOW THE BLOCKS WORK
One story.
Four sessions.
Each session takes you further into the same story.
You don't start with everything you need to know. Characters develop, relationships shift and new information changes what you understand about the world.
01.
ENTER THE WORLD
Meet your character. Explore relationships, status and the fictional world. Start playing before you know exactly where the story will go.
02.
PROTECT THE STORY
Work with objectives and information. Improvise freely without inventing your way out of the story.
03.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Questions. Interruptions. Misunderstandings. Plans that don't work. Listen, adapt and keep playing.
04.
THE LONG FORM
Put everything together in one sustained Event Theatre experience. No fixed dialogue. No stopping. The Guest is part of the story.
KNOW THE STORY. KNOW YOUR CHARACTER. THEN LET GO.
YOUR CHARACTER
You don't know everything.
Neither does your character.
At the beginning of a Block, you'll be given a character and enough information to start playing.
You'll know things about their relationships, their history and what they want.
But you won't know everything.
Other performers may have different information, different perspectives and very different ideas about the relationships you share.
You discover those things by playing - listening, questioning, reacting and making choices as your character.
The aim isn't to learn a character sheet.
It's to know your character well enough that you don't need one.
Don't wait for the next line. Know who would say it.
A DEVELOPING STORY
New information changes everything.
A Block doesn't give you the whole story on day one.
Across the sessions, new information appears. Relationships become clearer. Things you believed about another character may turn out to be wrong.
And sometimes somebody else knows something you don't.
Listen.
Respond.
Adapt.
The challenge isn't to predict where the story is going.
It's to respond truthfully to what happens while protecting the story you're all creating together.
You might need to reveal something. Withhold something. Change your approach to another character. Or deal with information you weren't expecting at all.
You aren't trying to control the story.
You're learning how to play inside it.
The story changes.
Your character responds.
THE LONG FORM
Then we take away the safety net.
One story. One sustained experience. No stopping.
In the final session, everything comes together.
You know your character. You understand their relationships. You know enough of the story to play - but not everything that's going to happen.
Then the Long Form begins.
There is no fixed dialogue to fall back on. The Guest is part of the world. Other characters make their own choices. New information can change what happens next.
You listen. You respond. You keep the story alive.
This isn't about getting everything right.
It's about trusting the work you've done and staying in the moment when the story becomes unpredictable.
Know the story.
Know your character.
Then let go.
THIS ISN'T A REHEARSAL PROCESS
This isn't a play you're learing.
You're not spending four weeks rehearsing scenes towards a finished performance.
There is no complete script to memorise. No predetermined version of every conversation. No director telling you exactly what should happen next.
Instead, each session gives you more of the world.
More about your character.
More about their relationships.
More information.
More complications.
You're not rehearsing what will happen.
You're developing the skills to respond when it does.
THE STORY PROVIDES THE STRUCTURE.
YOU PROVIDE THE PERFORMANCE.
THE NEXT STORY IS COMING
Ready to step inside?
The next Insolent Retinue Block is currently being developed.
Four sessions. One new story. A new set of characters, relationships and complications - and four weeks to discover what happens when you stop waiting for the next line.
Birmingham City Centre · 18+ · Some acting experience required
Be the first to hear when the next Block is announced.
No commitment. We'll let you know when dates and booking are released.
Want to train sooner?
You don't need to wait for the next block.