Play, Presence and Parts

This new weekend workshop is a chance for you to experience Holly’s unique combination of embodied play (clowning, fooling and dancing), vocal exploration (making noises with your mouth), somatic meditation (finding presence through connecting with your body), parts work (getting to know your inner critic, inner child and all your other inner family members) and creative self-reflection (drawing, writing, moving, speaking, listening), to help you unleash a bolder, more sensitive, authentic quality of play and a deeper sense of connection.

Drawing on over four decades of embodied research, IFS-trained dramatherapist, adult play facilitator and professional idiot, Holly Stoppit will be holding a warm and wondrous space to help you explore the following questions:

• What helps and what hinders your relationship with play?

• What helps and what hinders your connection to yourself, other people and the world around you?

• What if you could meet yourself just as you are, welcoming yourself with curiosity and compassion? 

• What would your quality of play and connection look like if you didn’t have to suppress or hide anything?

Holly and many of her previous students have found that inviting the full range of sensations, emotions and thoughts into their play brings a multifaceted vibrancy to their creativity, greater self-knowledge, freer self-expression and deeper connection with themselves and others. Come and find out if this is true for you!

Over the weekend you will be guided through: 

• somatic meditations to ground yourself in the present moment.

• movement explorations to discover fun, pleasurable and non-habitual ways of moving your body.

• vocal release techniques and playful voice explorations to free up your voice to connect with others (you don’t need to be able to sing to do any of these!).

• group games to explore your quality of play and connection.

• curious, compassionate, creative and embodied explorations of your inner world.

• structured reflections to help you mine the wisdom from the experiential exercises to take into your life.

Holly’s work is trauma-informed; everything is optional and adaptable - you are invited to find your own path through the weekend, following your own curiosity and taking care of yourself.

What is not

This is not clowning or fooling training - although a lot of what we do will be useful to performers seeking to bring more authenticity into their play and increased connection with their audiences. 

Who is it for?

This course is open to anyone over the age of 18. It may be of particular interest to artists, creatives, performers, directors, facilitators, teachers, therapists, counsellors, people in the helping professions, or anyone who works with, lives with or interacts with people. It’s for anyone who is drawn to this work! If you’re reading this, it’s for you!

What might it lead to?

You may come out of this weekend with more playfulness, courage, confidence, sensitivity, self-knowledge, freedom, a whole variety of mindful  and playful practices to help you keep increasing your capacity for authentic play and connection and a whole bunch of new friends to play with!

This course is a gateway to all of Holly’s other training. It’s a chance to dip your toe in, to see if you want to go any deeper into her Fooling (solo improvisation) and Creative Facilitation training…

Bristol course details

Dates: 17 + 18 January 2026

Times: 10 - 5.30 both days

Venue: St Werbrughs, Bristol (more details after booking)

Cost: £250 (standard) / £210 (lower wage) / £180 (on benefits / in education)

Group size: This workshop is designed for 12-15 people

Application process: This course is booking on a first come, first served basis. We have an application form to gather a bit of information about you so we can tailor make the course to the participants needs. After receiving your application, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can, via email.

Application form here or below.

About Holly

Holly Stoppit grew up in the circus and spent over two decades performing as a clown / musician. She is now an IFS-trained* Dramatherapist (MA), workshop leader, clinical supervisor, creative consultant and public speaker who has been creating and delivering playful, embodied, creative and reflective workshops for adults since 2007. You can find out more about Holly here.

About Internal Family Systems (IFS)

*IFS = Internal Family Systems, a therapeutic system that helps people meet their internal family of parts - e.g. the inner critic, the inner child, the inner teenager, the inner sloth, the inner dreamer, the inner diva etc… Holly has trained in IFS Levels 1 and 2 (IFIO) and Somatic IFS (step 1). She is currently training in Somatic IFS step 2 with Susan McConnell.

Holly has been integrating IFS into her workshops since she qualified in 2023. She is part of a research group with three other IFS-trained clowns and fools. They have co-created three labs to experiment with smashing together clowning, fooling and IFS! You can read about what happened at the first one here.

As well as running her own courses, Holly has created bespoke workshops in playful, embodied creative approaches for IFS at IFS-UK’s Open Space, Dramatherapy Southwest’s annual conference, The British Association of Dramatherapists’ annual conference, Sheffield NHS Art Therapists, Clown Spirit online and World Childless Week.

Access info 

Holly is a trained and registered dramatherapist (HCPC).

Holly is highly experienced in working with people who are neurodivergent and LGBTQI+, people of all ages and people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. 

Holly delights in holding space for people with mild to moderate mental health issues. However, this course is not appropriate for anyone who is currently experiencing psychosis. 

Holly creates a brave space where you can bring yourself and your needs. There is a space on the application form for you to tell us about the support you might need.

Venue access info

The venue is fully accessible. There is a lift that takes you up a small flight of stairs. Once you’re in, everything is accessible.

The venue has 3 toilets - one is accessible at ground level, with a sink inside the cubicle. 

We have use of a staff room with comfy seats if you need to rest.

Covid Care 

>There are still people who are vulnerable to covid and Holly wants everyone to feel as safe as possible in the space. 

>We can't guarantee a Covid-free environment, but we can do our best to minimise the risks for people with compromised immunity and/or those who are connected with immune-compromised people.

>If you have any covid-like symptoms, please take a lat-flow test and please don't come if you have tested positive. 

>All exercises can work with social distancing, if that is what you need. Please make sure that physical proximity is consensual.

>You are welcome to wear a mask if that makes you feel safer. Holly will not be asking people to wear masks. 

>We will be working with windows open for ventilation, so please bring extra warm layers.

>We will have an open discussion and make a group agreement on the first day to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable enough.

Cancellation Policy

> If you need to cancel your place before the course begins, full refunds can only be given up until one month before the course starts.

> Should you need to cancel your place after this date, 50% of your payment will be retained, unless your place can be suitably filled.

> For drop-outs within one week of the start of the course, your full fee will be retained.

> If Holly needs to cancel this course for any reason, you will be offered alternative dates. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled dates, then we will offer a refund.