The applications for Clown Conservatory’s 5 Week Intensive, Clown: The Physical Comedian, are now online. You’ll find the program and scholarship / financial aid applications, and updated info on all Clown Conservatory’s pages of the Circus Center website. This 5 week workshop in Clown & Physical Comedy features a mixture of training in  Slapstick, Solo & Partner Acrobatics, Improv, Circus Skills and Creating an […]
Read moreDrew the Dramatic Fool, whose projects have embellished this blog more than once, (Here, Here, and Here, at the least) is in NY for a run of shows at the Canal Park Playhouse, a tiny gem of a theatre in Tribeca. The theatre seats 50, and is mostly dedicated to family and vaudeville/variety shows. Drew is presenting his fabulous one […]
Read moreRobin Lane & Do Jump! Extremely Physical Theatre For over one-third of a century, Founder and Artistic Director Robin Lane has led the Do Jump! “actorbats” in creating a unique blend of theatre, dance, aerial work, acrobatics, dynamic visuals and live music that defies categorization. Celebrating both individual creativity and community spirit, Do Jump! has thrilled audiences throughout North America. […]
Read moreDaniel Stein in “Timepiece” Timepiece On Saturday, July 23rd at 8 PM, Celebration Barn Theater presents Daniel Stein in “Timepiece”. Having toured 30 countries, Timepiece deals with the passage of time in the life of a man, and how conflict and power and subsequently, joy and love emerge from time’s progression. “One of those rare revelatory experiences one waits for […]
Read moreMy pal (the inimitable Trav. S.D) has a NY Fringe show going up, and he needs a clown. If you don’t know Trav, you must be living under a rock, because he is ubiquitous.  He has been staging various events for over 15 years, has written over 100 plays, written a great book about Vaudeville: (No Applause, Just Throw Money, […]
Read moreMy good pal Greg DeSanto (executive director of the International Clown Hall of Fame) is quoted extensively in the April 2011 edition of Car and Driver, talking about the Physics of Clown Cars. They spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out (in mock terms) the maximum amount of clowns that can fit in a car. Here’s a […]
Read moreAt one of my alma maters (The Dell’arte School) , one of the school’s rehearsal mantras when a scene or a play isn’t working right is to rehearse it “Italian style.†By this they mean to perform the scene or the play as loud and as fast as you can, and with as much energy as you can muster.  Pedal […]
Read moreDario Fo is one of the most pre-eminent comic writers and performers of our times. He’s written a number of plays that have been performed throughout the world and seem to have a universal appeal. When he performs in Italy, he performs in soccer stadiums– partially because that’s where enough people can come and see him, and partially because he […]
Read moreEric Davis (he who inhabits the flesh of the Red Bastard during non-business hours) posted some wonderful news on his facebook feed: This is very exciting news. Eric and John are both excellent clowns. The rumor is that this show will be a permanent 10 month a year thing, with time out for the Oscars and various other special events.  […]
Read moreENTER LAUGHING! Baraboo’s International Clown Hall of Fame & Research Center Opens For Funny Business On Friday, May 21, 2010 Baraboo, WI (April 29, 2010) — The world’s foremost organization dedicated to the preservation of the art, craft and history of clowning will open its doors in Baraboo on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 10 am. The International Clown […]
Read moreWORKSHOPCharacter Mask to Clown With Deborah KaufmannInspired by the teachings of Richard Pochinko, Canadian clown master teacher “If we face the six directions of self, we can’t help but laugh at the beauty and ridiculousness of all that we are.” — Richard Pochinko This investigation is an inspiring way for the artist to make direct connection to aspects of his/her true […]
Read moreHeidi Stubblefield, actor/creator, is the creator and director of The Coppelia Project: a clown ballet in three acts, which was a commission by Accessible Arts. It was produced at the Kansas City Fringe Festival and had extended runs at the Off Center Theatre and Lawrence Arts Center. She is a Kansas City, Kansas native. She received undergraduate training in Theatre […]
Read moreCouldn’t happen to a nicer (or more deserving) guy. Greg was one of my instructors at Clown College, and I’ve seen him a few times, including the couple of days that I was researching in Baraboo. He’s a very funny clown, and a historian and collector– with one of the largest collections of clown video in the world (perhaps with […]
Read moreThe Chicagoist, an online news blog, is featuring interviews with clowns all this week, in honor of Halloween. The series, called FACE YOUR FEARS, is intended to get to know people behind the greasepaint. It’s pretty good, as far as it goes, but nearly all of the clowns interviewed are Primarily Birthday Party clowns and not circus clowns. Who knows, […]
Read moreJango Edwards Clown Workshop Nov 9–11 Jef Johnson’s Clown Lab and Nouveau Clown Institute present:Clown: Formulas and TheoryWith Jango Edwards Jango Edwards is one of the founding fathers of the Nouveau Clown Movement. This is a rare opportunity to study with one of the world’s great teachers. Jango was last here in 1982. The work he has done in Europe […]
Read moreThanks to Drew Richardson, Dramatic Fool for pointing this out — a hilarious mini-lecture about how slapstick is no longer funny, and then Mr. D.V.D. proceeds to schlap the shtick all over it. This is an object lesson in how to build a physical routine where the audience know what’s coming, but they can’t help themselves from laughing anyway.
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