Brighton Clown School offers physical comedy and theatre training classes for beginners and professionals.
Inspired by the practices of Philippe Gaulier and Jacques Lecoq, its practitioners are experienced teachers and performers who will help you to learn more about physical theatre and the art form known as ‘clowning’.
Listen to our interview with BBC Radio Sussex below:
who we are
Ben Grafton, founder & artistic director
Ben is a multi-disciplinary creative with a passion for inspiring the next generation of performers. He has been acting since a young age, is an award-nominated director in fringe theatre, and currently teaches acting in drama schools and universities. He has an MA in Actor Training and Coaching from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Mim King, associate artist
Mim is an artist, choreographer, dancer, live artist, performer, movement director born in London, living in Brighton, working internationally. She leads classes in physical theatre and Butoh.
Rob McCloskey, associate artist
Rob is an actor and the award-winning artistic director of Split Hairs theatre company. He leads classes in devising and Neutral Mask and has co-organized some of our most popular workshops.
Sara Sedberg, associate artist
Sara Sedberg is a self-described ‘academic idiot’ with a passion for blending clowning and education. Currently, Sedberg is a university lecturer of Applied Theatre and Drama Pedagogy at the University of Stavanger in Norway, where she incorporates the use of clowning as pedagogy into her curriculum.
Visiting artists
We are privileged to be able to regularly host the industry’s leading physical comedy and physical theatre artists, working in the UK and internationally:
teacher at ecole Philippe Gaulier
movement & fight director
director & theatre maker
mime & clown
clown
puppeteer & actor
Clown
clown & ventriloquist
director & Author
Why call it Clown School?
Modern theatrical clowning comes from a desire to return performance to play, authenticity, and the expressive body, an impulse linked to French director Jacques Copeau (1879-1949).
Copeau emphasised physical training, improvisation, mask work and creative failure. This approach later influenced Lecoq and Gaulier, who reframed clowning not as a fixed character rooted in circus tradition, but as a state of play, presence and exposure in front of an audience.
In this sense, Brighton Clown School reclaims the word “clown” to describe actor training that is physical, playful, and rigorous, where comedy and theatre grow from presence, responsiveness, failure and embodied physicality.
Our classes give priority to physical practice and the development of skills, but are geared towards inclusiveness and affordability. We study clown; mask; puppetry; play; physical theatre and more. We give space to examine performance from an academic perspective by hosting online events, and we contribute to the Brighton theatre, cabaret and comedy community.
Do you teach clowning for business?
Yes. We recognise the usefulness of clown skills in public speaking, employee wellness, and team building.
Physical comedy skills can turn even the dullest pitch into something engaging and productive in the professional world.
Likewise, play – the kind you enjoyed as a child – can open up the mind to radical new thinking and creativity that might otherwise never be unlocked.
Clowning has long been a foundational tool in public performance, developing presence, responsiveness, physical skill, and a connection with live audiences.
Alongside clowning, recent classes we’ve led that are ideal for team-building include Commedia Dell’Arte and Puppetry, with additional specialist workshops available on request.
Our highly skilled teachers can visit your organization, or we can host private sessions at our base at the Hanover Community Centre in Brighton.
