Street Theatre

Drawing on over two decades of street theatre experience, Holly offers an exploratory performance lab, helping performers to find out how to: 

• Gather, keep and enthral an audience on the street
• Stay connected with your audience, cultivating the confidence to invite audiences into your world
• Turn up your natural charisma, building a theatrical character that will allow you to work to your strengths, allowing you maximum flexibility in performance
• Build the courage to stay open to each opportunity that performing on the street offers and discover solid improvisation structures that will help you thrive off uncertainty and change.
• Discover how to adapt your material to each location through developing site-specific theatre techniques.
• Take care of audience volunteers to give them a good time and get the best possible crowd reaction for your interaction
• Develop expertees in rhythm and surprise, the mainstays of engaging public performance.
• Explore the balance between structure and improvisation in both static and walkabout shows, find out what suits you best

Holly has taught various versions of this workshop for students from Winchester Uni (for Winchester Hat Fair), emerging street artists at Bath Fringe Festival (through the New Work Works scheme) and professional theatre makers, The Fabularium (as R&D for the Town Band of Breman)

What the people say:

“Holly Stoppit is the best director I have ever worked with she is incredible, such a gentle experience. She really helped me to find the fun in the piece and how to create a safe place for the audience to play in. She has such an incredible knowledge of the street and of people and shows , such an asset to the festival!”

Darryl, participant of Bath Fringe New Work Works artist development scheme.

“Thank you for the opportunity to be involved, we really enjoyed the workshop and performance. Thank you for co-ordinationg such a wonderful experience for me and my choir, they really had a great time and we learnt so much! Many thanks.”

Rachael , Original Spinners, participants of Bath Fringe New Work Works artist development scheme.

“It was a real honour to be part of the New Work Works Scheme, thank you for inviting us to be part of it. It’s very rare to be offered such meaningful support and it challenged us in all the right ways. I look forward to sharing our improved work with you in the future.”

Imogen, Les Velobici, participants of Bath Fringe New Work Works artist development scheme.