WHy Inclusivity-devising-clowning?
OUR APPROACH IS SHAPPED BY OUR VALUES
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• Mixed Casts for Connection and Inclusion
We are a participatory theatre company. Our work is co-created by artists with diverse background - blending formal training and lived experience. We hold spaces creating shared artistic experiences that combat isolation and build lasting social inclusion — on and off stage.
• Devising: A Re-Empowering Process
At the core of our ethos is devised theatre — a collaborative process where the participants shape the work. Our concept: their story, their show.
Every performance is co-created, giving participants the freedom to choose what matters to them and how they want to express it.
• Theatre That Speaks Beyond Words
We use physical theatre, visual poetry, and clowning — theatrical forms that make our work especially accessible to non-native English speakers and communities from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
a participatory theatre company of Sanctuary, we aim to be a place of welcome and provide people who were forced to flee their homes with a platform to express themselves and be heard, as well as an opportunity to change the negative narrative often associated with refugees.
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"The boat journey". - Borderline -
VISUAL POETRY
Expression is one of the most essential human needs, yet it can be one of the hardest to achieve, especially when language barriers or trauma are involved. They can make words really hard to find.
As a theatre company, we have developed a technique called Visual Poetry to help people find their voice and raise awareness about what they have been through. It is an aesthetic approach that can convey the violence of trauma while also celebrating the beauty and talent of the person affected.
This technique, which involves creating visual tableaux, is inspired by a therapeutic practice called Family Constellations, which our Artistic Director, Sophie Besse, discovered during her family therapy training. Our Visual Poetry approach also shares common ground with the Image Theatre of Theatre of the Oppressed, except that at PSYCHEdelight, we push the artistic side further by using lights, symbolic imagery, music, and costumes.
For us, it is essential to transform a traumatic memory into a piece of art, as aesthetic creation generates pride, improves self-esteem, and helps the creator reconnect with themselves, away from the horror of the trauma they have experienced.
The Haunted house in "Welcome To The UK"'s funfair. Debby raising awareness about women trafficking organised by husbands.
Pigs queuing outside the haunted house attraction.
- Welcome To The UK -
Detention centres in the UK -Welcome To The UK -
more visual poetry from our theatre retreats in France
"How does it feel with your best friend?" A game where you are not allowed to talk and can only use the cello to answer.
Work installation as part of our "Too Much" exhibition.
CLOWNING
Clown is Tragedy’s poetic little flatmate, except he won’t generate pity or fear but laughter, endearment, and admiration. Clown can’t resist a ratty shoe or a broken heart: he loves upcycling trauma. He is a proper healer.
Another important factor: clown is very helpful in raising awareness, as he conveys horror through laughter, making it digestible (but not less horrible) for our audiences. This feels essential to us, especially in these post-Covid times when many people struggle with their own mental health and often avoid the news or potentially distressing shows.
Clowning is not only a final product; it is also a process. Laughter and humour flow throughout the co-creation journey, helping to bond a group—even a very diverse one. Playfulness and dark humour are universal and offer great support when working with painful devising material. Laughter can release emotions just as well as tears, and in many stories we have heard, humour was the last rescuer when all that was left was despair.
When it comes to creating a show, clowning, just like Visual Poetry, helps rehumanise people by separating the person from the horror they experienced. Clowns celebrate our humanity, our vulnerability, and our silliness. With clowning, people are no longer just “refugees” but become very funny individuals who had the courage to create a comedy about their tragedy.
We believe this is what art and healing are about: transformation.
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"I had enough sadness. I love making people laugh, it makes me feel better." Enayat. 17y. Afghanistan
The frozen refugee after crossing the channel on a refrigerated lorry. - Borderline -
A "very helpful" Mary Poppins welcomes a refugee at her home after he was made homeless at the end of his 28 days. - Welcome to the UK -
DEVISING
Devising is at the core of our ethos especially when it comes to "refugees". We witnessed so many "story harvesters" in Calais, devising felt like the right approach; it re-empowers people to reclaim their stories, their voices, and their creativity. At PSYCHEdelight, devising means that participants are not just performers but co-creators. We give them the director’s hat, encouraging them to choose the music, lights, and aesthetic details that feel true to them, so their scene or image—whether silent or not—reflects what they want to express in the way they wish to express it. We support them with artistic guidance and creative propositions, but ultimately, it is their world, their story, and their truth on stage. This collaborative process creates space for participants to discover and celebrate their agency, shaping not only the performance but also the way they see themselves within their story.