For the past three yearsPlayspace
director Alan Clayhas been teaching a program of
clown masterclasses in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA.
"In the best clown tradition Alan held up a
window-mirror for us to step through and reflect on
the patterns, habits and rituals of our days... It
was funny, moving and excellent theatre." NZ
Herald.
Sydney Clown
Intensive - Playspace
Monday 7th to Friday
11th July, (5
days) 10am to 4pm each day
We tend to think of
clown as the painted faced character which has come down to us from the
circus tradition of the last two hundred years. However clown is
possibly the oldest art form, occurring in every society throughout the
ages, and it is an art form which has been undergoing a renaissance and
a rejuvenation over the past few years.
Modern clown is less
character based and more interactive than traditional clown, it is less
about hiding behind make-up and more about revealing our true selves,
and less about routine based entertainment and more about spontaneous
artistic expression. We need training and tools to facilitate these new
skills in our work, and this workshop aims to give participants a way of
working which supports this process.
Clown is empathic, 'feeling with' the audience, and it is also playful,
open to the impulses in each moment, and this workshop will train and
develop these skills through improvisation exercises. Each day will
start with a yoga warm up and participants will work physically to free
themselves from patterns and to connect with their emotions. Street
theatre has informed and assisted the development of modern clown,
and participants will take simple exercises out into the street
environment to assist in the development of interactive audience skills.
The workshop is aimed at those with a professional interest in clown.
It is suitable both for beginners and for those with experience, and it
functions best with this mix in the class. There will be a minimum of
four and maximum of eight on the workshop.
$400
Price Buster (by May 7), $500 Earlybird (by June 7) $600 Full.
(All fees and deposits are non-refundable)
email:
clown@artmedia.com.au
to hold a place or make enquiries about this workshop.
Summer Clown Retreat
Summer Clown Retreat
2009
- Wanganui, New
Zealand.
Wednesday 14th to Sunday 18th
January 2009 (5 days) 10am to 4pm each day.
Grab your chance to get away from it
all and reconnect with the playful, inquisitive, cheeky, clown
spirit in a beautiful outdoor setting,overlooking the mouth of the
Wanganui river. The fees include six nights accommodation with
kitchen facilities. The Clown Retreat will be held in a secluded
studio within reach of breathtaking west coast beaches, bush walks
and jet boat or canoe expeditions, but still handy to good coffee
and all the facilities.
NZ$500 Price Buster (by August 31st)
NZ$600 Earlybird (by November 15) NZ$700 Full. Including 6 nights
accommodation with kitchen facilities. (All fees and deposits are
non-refundable) email:
clown@artmedia.com.au to hold a
place or make enquiries about this workshop.
"In the
best clown tradition Alan held up a window-mirror for us to step
through and reflect on the patterns, habits and rituals of our
days... It was funny, moving and excellent theatre." NZ Herald.
(We have recently introduced spam blocking technology, so you will receive a verification notice in response to your email, and when you confirm this, your email will be delivered. Sometimes if you are writing for example from a Hotmail address the verification request can end up in your spam folder).
Alan
Clay
The intensives will be led by
Alan
Clay. Alan
has been performing for twenty eight
years and teaching clown for over twenty five
years, including a recent
couple of tours teaching clown
masterclasses in Canada and USA, New Zealand and Australia.
"For me the key to
clown is playfulness. We can all play, although we often loose the
ability as we get older. If we are lucky, we replace it with
exploration, but where play is directed to the joy of the activity
itself, exploration involves mapping out possibilities. As we
advance with our theatre practice, our successful patterns often
trap us into not taking risks and therefore not growing in our work."
"In the best clown tradition
Alan held up a window-mirror for us to step through and reflect on the patterns, habits
and rituals of our days. It was funny, moving and excellent theatre."
NZ Herald
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Last updated
14th April 2008
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