An intensive 2-week course in Devised Theatre and Creative Practice

Created and led by David Glass

Developed and run by Korina Kokkali and Simon Gleave

David Glass Ensemble Learning and JEUDi present Alchemy of the Extraordinary, a 2-week intensive training in Creative Practice and Devised Theatre. 

You can also apply only for the first week. 

APPLY HERE FOR A PLACE IN THE COURSE 

[DEADLINE - SATURDAY MAY 31st, 2025]

“David Glass’s Creative Practice is a unique and courageous exploration of the archetypal experience of being human.”

Peter Brook, International Theatre Director

Designed by modern master David Glass and developed and co-delivered with Korina Kokkali and Simon Gleave, Alchemy of the Extraordinary is an intensive training course in creative practice and devised theatre making. This series of workshops will comprise the five-stage creative practice alongside experiential research into the The Child, The Adolescent, the Elder, as well as exploration of physical work and storytelling.

David Glass’s work has influenced and been employed by theatre companies and educational, social development and corporate organisations around the world (UN, Save the Children, Gecko, 111 Program and many more).

Alchemy course is noted for its rigour, playfulness and impact. Over a 2-week period, 6 days per week and 8 hours per day, David, Simon and Korina will lead participants through a transformative skill-based experience of the Alchemy creative framework. David will be mentoring each artist through pre meetings online and in person during the course. Simon and Korina, close collaborators of David and teachers of his methodology will be co-teaching with him these 2 weeks.

Participants will come away with the tools to integrate and strengthen what they already do in their own practice, broadening and deepening their ability to devise theatre and develop creative projects from an authentic and provocative place be it in the arts, education, social development or corporate environments. 

Alchemy of the Extraordinary is an international project that has run for 4 consecutive years with over 40 participants from more than 15 countries including Europe, US, Canada and Australia. Our aim is to create a network of creatives and a community that continues to grow and inform further than the course itself. 

Participants have said of the course:

Sarah Hyojin Kim (Theatre Director Student_Alchemy participant 2024): With the tools that I learned, I feel like I'm not putting it upon what I was already doing, but it changed the whole drone that I'm at and it will definitely bring my future career or life to a deeper level. 

Cleo Quesne (Actor-Theatre Maker_Alchemy participant 2023): It was very interesting to focus on the specifics, take time to slow down, look at life and de-touch ourselves from our art. This workshop is not about learning skills but interrogating the skills you may already have. As a young person I would recommend it as it is different from school, you are not getting marked and it’s more about opening yourself, which happened to me. 

Marco Aurelio Di Giorgio (Theatre Practitioner & Researcher_Alchemy participant 2022):As a creative practitioner, I realised I haven't encountered a structured creative practice before....

Amy Hailwood (Theatre Director & Maker_Alchemy participant 2022):What stands out for me is partly the length of time that allows the group dynamic to form and [...] that we have gone to some really deep places in ourselves and that allowed us to do really interesting creative work together.

Lidjia Burcak (Writer - Filmmaker- Alchemy participant 2021): I completely lost the sense of time somehow, it was quite exhausting to do the workshop in the sense that I was diving really deep into emotions, experiences, everything that makes me, my history, my stories.

Fees and Accommodation

The fee for the 2-week course is EUR 700, with a concession price of EUR 550 for students. We will request a deposit of EUR 100 to secure your place, which is non-refundable except in extreme circumstances.

If you apply only for the 1st week the fees are EUR 375 full price or EUR 295 for students

You may also already be thinking about the logistics of taking part in the course. We can connect participants to Airbnb and guest-room options whereby they can rent a single room or shared accommodation well located for the workshop. Participants are welcome to find their own accommodation while in Athens!

“David Glass Ensemble is a creative powerhouse with innovation at its heart. David’s thinking has been woven through the UK’s Art in Business movement, inspiring my work with organisations around the world, and that of countless others.” 

David Pearl, Founder Pearl Group

Places for the intensive course will be limited to 15 students. Please submit your application to take part in this form by MAY 31ST  2025.

For more information, contact us with any questions at info@jeu-di.com

Life is at its heart creative and the narratives and emotions that surround us are the stuff that build our practice. The course will be primarily experiential, exploring the creative reservoirs of the Child, Adolescent and Elder that is present in our lives before supplying the Creative Practice framework to shape these experiences.

The Creative Practice constitutes Five Stages, all of which must occur to create rich, authentic and original work: Preparation, Origination, Organisation, Realisation and Reflection. We will explore each of these stages through games, exercises and forum work. 

David will also apply his Modes of Creativity, found in nature and revealed in each participant: Adaptors, Translators, Replicators, Integrators, Transformers. We will work individually with each participant, strengthening their capacities to lead, collaborate on and realise projects, growing from their distinctive qualities, attitudes and behaviour. 

“I am inspired by [David Glass’]  thinking and experience and community in the theatre… his objective is vital and true.” Mark Rylance, Actor 

About David Glass

A small number of individuals and companies have led the post-war age of performance and digital arts. As one of those, David Glass is among this group. He has delivered his clear learning framework for Creative Practice in 87 countries. This included work with the Ministry of Education China, The UN, Save The Children and numerous theatre companies around the world. David’s work bridges his teachers: Lecoq, Grotowski, Boal, Alfreds and Aley. David now wishes to consolidate his legacy by bringing his progressive and creative approaches to a new generation of mavericks and creative change makers. The David Glass Ensemble develops long term sustainable work through original work, adaptations and ongoing socially relevant projects (such as The Lost Child Project, AB Project and This Changes Everything – concerning itself with Climate Change, Capitalism and Ecocide).

About David Glass Ensemble

http://davidglassensemble.co.uk

David Glass Ensemble is an artist led international theatre company creating vibrant, relevant and powerful theatre. Since 1979 David Glass has been performing and creating across the world, then in 1990 he established the David Glass Ensemble as a pioneering physical, devised and applied theatre company. Creative learning and engagement with artists and audiences around the world is central to the company's ethos, while vivid, celebratory storytelling sits at the heart of the company's values and process. In 2025 alongside David Pearl, they have introduced Galapagos, a new pioneering project championing the vital role for arts in the planetary emergency, powered by a distinguished team of creatives who are concerned by what they see and want to share what they know.

“David is one of the great teachers and artists of our time who has never been afraid to examine truth in all its manifestations; both beautiful and ugly, and has touched thousands of souls in a lifelong quest to connect and build meaningful relationships. He has the rare gift of marrying the deep intellect and knowledge of a scholar with the playful inquisitiveness of a child.”

Amit Lahav, Artistic Director - Gecko

About JEUDi

https://www.jeu-di.com

JEUDi is an arts organisation led by Korina Kokkali and Simon Gleave that combines a performance company with a school for dance, performance and creativity. JEUDi aims to become a platform for discovery in new social and artistic pathways, for individual and collective interrogation into the permanences of creativity and connectivity. Their latest work ROBA explores the play of relationships and rhythms developed through a creative process that seeks to transpose the mental and physical disintegration of the conditions of Parkinson’s and Dementia into movements, songs and spaces. It is also part of a research project exploring the role of creativity in care, predominantly through the lens of play called Playing Care. Simon and Korina have worked with David Glass the last 6 years, taught and mentored by him. Their aim is to continue his work and spread the word of his method.

“David Glass remains one of the pioneers and key figures of British and International Theatre.” 

John McGrath, Artistic Director of Manchester International Festival

23rd June - 5th July 2025

Athens, Greece 

APPLY HERE FOR A PLACE IN THE COURSE 

[DEADLINE - SATURDAY MAY 31st, 2025]

You can also apply only for the first week.