
"A letting go fest! Truly liberating."
Denise
13-19 July 2026
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Summer time!
Red noses 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!
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RED NOSE & STRAW HAT
clown Summer camp
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6 days all included
Super Early bird til 20 Dec
Supporter: £590.
Normal: £540
Concessions: £490
"An incredible time. Only one wish: To come back!"​
Anja (trained with Nose to Nose)
What is it? 6 days in beautiful Dordogne-France.
- Five full days of workshops to explore the various layers of the clown: The deeper message within the comedy, the metaphorical world & the unconventional language of the clown.
- Two local visits - the Region is famous for its numerous castles along the Dordogne river.
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"So much playfulness, but also depth, warmth and trust. Absolutely loved it. Ready to go again!"
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Isabelle (theatre maker working with people with different abilities)
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Who is it for? This clown retreat is for people interested in clowning, physical theatre and visual poetry. An opportunity for performers to explore life through a clown lense to add both a satirical & poetic layer to their artistic journey. The space will be held by Sophie Besse - Founder of PSYCHEdelight Theatre Company (scroll down for more info).
"Find your edge and dive! Loved it. Life changing."
​Moss (trained with Extension Rebellion "Rebels Clowns")
Day 1: Clown opening diner party
We will pick you up at the Bergerac airport or train station late afternoon and will welcome you with a clown diner party
Day 2-3: Going on a clown hunt. Clowns don't just turn up like that. These little peeps are very cheeky and love hiding in unconventional places like inside a trumpet, or bathing down the river. Something they can't resist? playing! So this will be long outdoor days exploring our secret games to find our clowns.
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: 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 6: Goodbye day trip
On the last day we will go on an adventure to visit the region together before going to the airport late afternoon.




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.
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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
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More info on Sophie's recent work Here
Sophie Bertrand Besse, founder of PSYCHEdelight Theatre Company of Sanctuary is both trained in drama and therapy and developed an expertise in physical theatre, ensemble work and clowning (Among other trainings: LISPA, Lucy Hopkins, Gaulier, Lecoq, Told by an Idiot, John Wright, Frank Wurzinger, Ben Keaton). Sophie is specialised in participatory theatre and used her therapy background to develop a trauma informed approach in directing and devising. She creates shows with mixed casts involving marginalised communities who wish to raise awareness about their life journeys. Sophie uses theatre as a platform to help people express themselves and be heard. She is a diversity advocate and expert at holding spaces with different cultures, languages and abilities in the room. She worked with young offenders and women in prison for 7 years and is the founder of the weekly Together Workshops, a gathering space for local people and refugee communities in London.
PRICE & CONDITIONS
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6 days (13-19 July)
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SUPPORTER - INDIVIDUAL ROOM: £650 You help provide access to our trainings for all & the 2 first people to book this price get an individual room.
NORMAL: £600
CONCESSION: £550
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
6 days all included
Super Early bird til 20 Dec
Supporter: £560.
Normal: £520
Concessions: £480
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.
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TRANSPORT TO & FROM VENUE
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The Ryanair flights aren't announced yet, but there definitely is an easyjet flight to Bordeaux. If interested to book, please get in touch so we can discuss transport options depending on where you are coming from. We arrange a pick up from Bergerac airport and train station. There isn't any bus or Uber in the region so you have to make sure you arrive at the same time than the others.
Picking up time : Around 6pm in Bergerac on the 13th
Dropping off time: Around 5pm on the 19th.
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For bookings & questions
contact Sophie here (please put "retreat" in the title) or via what's app on +447954153038
Thank you!


