Portland OR: Intro to Clown Weekend 10/20-10/21

Barnaby King is teaching a workshop weekend in Portland OR.

“INTRO TO CLOWN” Workshops Weekend – Oct 20/21 2-6pm
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center
(5340 N Interstate Ave., Portland OR)
Working with the basic concepts of clown work: connection, engagement, knowing yourself, playing with vulnerability and strength.
Cost: $90

Barnaby’s Clown Training Philosophy

The kind of clowning I teach stands apart from most clown training in that it is inspired the Native American concept of clown as a transformative and divine being, and blends this with a more traditional European (Le Coq) style of clowning. This methodology was developed by Richard Pochinko and Sue Morrison in Toronto and is still taught by Morrison.

For us, the clown is not merely a fool, an idiot, a figure of fun or a joke-teller (though he/she may be any of these things), but rather a channel for the whole gamut of human emotion and experience, but conveyed in a manner of such extremity, directness and self-exposure to the audience that makes him/her distinct from the actor. The reason that the clown persists as such a potent figure in cultures around the world is that he/she has power to do or say anything, however outrageous or embarrassing, truthful or dangerous, but always in the context of powerful emotional connection with the audience. It is this connection, the ultimate humanity and vulnerability of the clown, which allows him/her to transgress all kinds of boundaries and ultimately to remind us of who we are. The world needs more clowns.

These workshops teach clown through connection, through discovering what you want to communicate and how to communicate it. Learning to clown does not take you down any specific path (any fixed idea of what a clown ‘is’) but rather supports you in discovering more about who you are and then learning to connect with vulnerability and strength with your audience. Learning to clown is about testing your own limits and going beyond them. As a clown you are able to take people into your world, transform them, and bring them back with a new awareness.

ABOUT THE TEACHER

“Barnaby encouraged me to be more of who I am. I was truly touched by this experience.” (Student)

“The clown workshop was engaging and fun, but what I appreciated most is that it challenged me, as an actor and a human being, in profound ways. You are a brilliant teacher.” (student)

Barnaby King has studied under master clown teacher Sue Morrison since 2000 and is now a recognized teacher and performer in countries around the world. In 2004 he created a solo clown show, Flawed Genius, which he has subsequently toured internationally with great critical acclaim. He is currently writing a book about clowning with Sue Morrison.

TO RESERVE PLACES CONTACT:
barnabyking@gmail.com
646 673 3014

For more information, visit http://www.flawedgeni.us