MetaWORKSHOP:

THE BOUFFON (24h)

3.–6.4.2026

(Enrollments by 19.2.2026 )

KEY WORDS

Bouffon workshop, physical theatre, satire, body masks, topical themes in society

TO WHOM

Professionals, students and advanced amateurs in the wide field of performing arts.

COURSE DESCRIPTION 

In the four-day beginners course, we will learn some essential techniques of physical theater and dive into the comical and grotesque world of bouffons.

Bouffons have their roots in ancient Greek satyr plays and their jesters. More recent connections are with the French tradition of physical theatre; The bouffon term was launched by theater educator Jacques Lecoq (1921-1999) and bouffons developed into one of the cornerstones of Lecoq's pedagogy.

The essence of the genre is mockery. Bouffons look at social issues and make their observations visible in an exaggerated and grotesque way. Bouffons' most important assets are omniscience and playfulness.

Bouffons' mockery never touches directly on individuals or private subjects, but on large collective themes, in which the essence and complexity of society usually crystallizes. Bouffons enjoy topics such as politics, religion, economy, power, money, morality, war, science, sex, race, ecology, family, education, institutions...

Bouffons don't side with anyone (even if we do). Bouffons don't have opinions, but make their exact observations visible without sparing anyone. Bouffons do not invent anything, not the text they use or their imitations, but all the material arises from the existing reality where we live.

Course content:

• Learning physical theater techniques which help to find the exaggerated level of expression characteristic of the genre.
• Building body masks for bouffon characters
• Creating a grotesque essence for the characters, including movement language, voice and mindset.
• Forming bouffon gangs and studying choral movements, rituals, rhythms and treating current themes in small groups

TEACHER

Soile Mäkelä (MA) is a founder member of Teatteri Metamorfoosi and a theater teacher who graduated from University of the Arts Helsinki, Theatre Academy in 2008. She is approaching theater from the physical point of view, highly influenced by the French Lecoq pedagogy. Mäkelä has been teaching physical theater, with different masks, for twenty years.

Soile studied  bouffon style at the beginning of the millennium in Italy as a student of Giovanni Fusetti. After that she continued exploring bouffons with her own theater group in the MetaLAB -movement laboratory. In addition to Teatteri Metamorfoosi, Mäkelä has held bouffon workshops in Canada, Masq' Alors! -mask theater festival and at the The University of the Arts Helsinki | Open University | part of Physical Comedy studies. She has also recently worked as an “outside eye” for the bouffon performance Into the Wild, which was a co-operation of Teatteri Metamorfoosi and Kallo Collective.

LANGUAGE

Finnish, or English if necessary

SCHEDULE

During the Easter holidays 3.–6.4.2026

Fri-Mon at 10-17:00 

(including 1 h lunch break + shorter coffee pause / day)

PARTICIPANTS

Min 8

Max 14

VENUE

Teatteri Metamorfoosi/ Point Fixe

Suvilahdenkatu 10 a 4th floor

00500 Helsinki

Map

REQUESTS

Education coordinator | Teacher

Soile Mäkelä

soile(at)metamorfoosi.com

W e l c o m e !

(Teateri Metamorfoosi reserves all the rights to make changes.)