"A letting go fest! Truly liberating."
Denise
22-29 July 2026
RED NOSE & STRAW HAT
clown Summer camp
SOLD
OUT
Summer time!
Red nose and straw hat season.
Time to pack your bathing suit and suncream - we like to keep our noses red only and try to avoid going full beam -
Time to splish splash in the pool
with other silly fools,
time to tumble and play in stunning nature,
to harvest seeds of ideas that we will make sure to nurture.
Yes, finally time to recharge, explore and play,
and take your inner child on a well-deserved holiday!
All included
Early bird
till 10 April
Supporter: £670.
Normal: £610
Concessions: £540
"An incredible time. Only one wish: To come back!"
Anja (trained with Nose to Nose)
What is it? 7 days in beautiful Dordogne-France to explore the various layers of the clown: The deeper message within the comedy, the poetic world & the unconventional language of the clown. If you wish, there will also be clown nose making workshops' opportunity in the evening to make your own nose out of leather.
We will also organise two local visits - the Region is famous for its numerous castles along the Dordogne river.
"So much playfulness, but also depth, warmth and trust. Absolutely loved it. Ready to go again!"
Isabelle (theatre maker working with people with different abilities)
Who is it for? This clown retreat is for people interested in clowning, physical theatre and visual poetry - for their own artistic journey or as an extra tool to bring back to their community -
The space will be held by Sophie Besse - Founder of PSYCHEdelight Theatre Company (scroll down for more info).
"A magical playground for your inner child."
Patrick (Actor, theatre director)
Day 1: Clown retreat opening party
A welcome a party after a pick up at Bergerac airport or train station late afternoon. See prices & conditions below for details.
Day 2-3: Going on a clown hunt. Every clown is different. They feed on our personality and passions and hide in the cracks of our life journeys. We often find them in unconventional places like inside a trumpet, bathing down the river, or even in a trash bin. Yes clowns, love playing with broken bits and love creating fun and beauty with our mess.
Something they can't resist? playing! So this will be long outdoor days exploring our secret games to find your clown.
Day 4 : The poetic Language
Emotions are often far too big to fit into words no matter how hard you squeeze and you push... So clowns developed another language full of poetry, imagery and metaphors. Some of them still love words of course but they'd rather play with them that's all. With their very unique language, clowns take us into a world where they can be heart-wrenching, endearing and hilarious at the same time. So on day 4 we'll go to their language school and will explore your seeds of ideas through clown language . (More about our poetic approach here.)
Day 5-6 : Finding the colours of YOUR clown.
Building on the small seeds discovered in the previous days, during these two days we will focus on letting your clown grow. We will work on his world, message, costume and unique language. And of course we will make sur we have his nose ready!
Day 7 : Time to dress up & invite friends over!
Last evening is party time with guests from the village. It's not a show, not even a sharing, more of a dinner invitation in the universe we explored. And of course, for our clowns it's finally the time to get messy-creative, dress up and powder their noses! We will explore diverse costumes playing around with objects, clothes, recycling bins and Nature's gifts. The last touch will be the make-up of course, a sacred clown ritual involving a magic mirror to reach inside us and spot the shadows and colours of our clowns.
Day 8 : Goodbye day trip
How and where would your clown like to say goodbye? It is an important moment and we will make sure we find the most beautiful, inspiring and of course tragic spot for it!
"The most brilliant time! Thank you for the poetic play, wisdom and silliness."
Emma (Clown performer)
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YOUR STAY
You will be staying in an old mill from the 14th century and its wooden chalets surrounded by a little river and a bamboo forest.
We have 2 individual rooms (supporter price check below) and 4 twin rooms.
We are located 35 minutes away from Bergerac airport and 5 min wallk away from Monpazier, a medieval village from the 12th century classified as one of France's most beautiful villages.
You will also find
- A swimming pool
- A sauna
- Monpazier's local market on the Thursday morning.
About The Facilitator
"Beautiful in both its poetic and physical language, Mohand & Peter is a triumph."
There Ought To Be Clowns
More info on Sophie's recent work Here
Sophie Besse is an award winning theatre director and founder of PSYCHEdelight Theatre Company of Sanctuary. Trained in both drama and therapy, she specialises in physical theatre, clowning and participatory theatre.
Her artistic training includes Philippe Gaulier, Jacques Lecoq, John Wright, Lucy Hopkins, Frank Wurzinger, Ben Keaton, Told by an Idiot and LISPA.
A diversity advocate, Sophie is experienced in creating inclusive spaces that bring together people from different cultures, languages and backgrounds. She worked with young offenders and women in prison for seven years and has been creating theatre with refugee communities since 2015. Over the past fifteen years, she has directed large-scale ensemble productions, creating spaces where diverse voices can be heard and celebrated.
Since 2023, Sophie has developed a particular expertise in directing solo clown pieces, supporting artists in transforming lived experience into powerful theatrical works that honour individual stories while revealing the shared human experiences that connect us all.
PRICE & CONDITIONS
7 days (22-29 July)
SUPPORTER - INDIVIDUAL ROOM: £740 You help provide access to our trainings for all & the 2 first people to book this price get an individual room.
NORMAL: £690
CONCESSION: £640
Check our super early bird price!
If you can't afford this clown retreat contact us here As a theatre company of Sanctuary we support participants from refugee background who wish to develop & share their artistic and facilitation skills with their communities.
PRICE
7 days all included
Early bird till
10 April
Supporter: £670.
Normal: £610
Concessions: £540
Conditions
THE PRICE INCLUDES
This clown retreat will include 2 local visit trips, 5 full day workshops + delicious home-made food & accommodation + transport from and to Bergerac airport or station at agreed time (see below).
. To secure your place you need to pay a non refundable £100 deposit.
. The full fee has to be paid by the 20th of June and won't be refundable in case of last minute cancellation.
TRANSPORT TO & FROM VENUE
Wednesday 22 July : Ryanair London-Bergerac: 1.20pm - 4.05pm
Wednesday 29 July : Ryanair Bergerac-London: 4.30pm - 5. 10pm
If you are coming through other routes we can pick you up at Bergerac' s train station at 3.30pm on the 22nd and drop you on the 29th at around 3.30pm.
If interested to come, please get in touch so we can discuss transport options depending on where you are coming from.
For bookings & questions
contact Sophie here (please put "retreat" in the title) or via what's app on +447954153038
Thank you!