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 the students coming out of the 2012 Clown Summer School
prove that it gives participants a way of
working which supports this process.
'Modern
Clown' Summer School 2013,
MondayJanuary 28th to FridayFebruary
15th (15 work
days)
10am - 4pm each day
Reconnect
with the playful, inquisitive, cheeky, clown spirit in a centrally
heated studio space with adjoining dormitory accommodation,
overlooking the mouth of the
Wanganui river.This is a
new course led by Alan Clay at his retreat centre in New
Zealand.
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 exercises from
the studio and work at street-cafe's to develop
interactive audience skills. It's easy and fun.
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.
Video will be used as a feedback tool and by the end of the third
week students will develop shows and performance material suitable
for both indoor and street environments.
The summer
school 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.
The
residential nature of the summer school provides a relaxed
atmosphere and secluded environment which means that students get
more out of the contact hours and can also process and discuss the
work outside of the class.
Note:
There will
be no traditional clown skills taught in this workshop, no character
technique, no balloon modeling, no circus skills and no makeup
technique. Juggling and other circus skills are encouraged as a
warm-up and out-of-class activity.
Dates
The
summer school runs 10am - 4pm Monday to Friday
from January 28th -
February 15th 2013. Participants will have the weekends free
and the studio will be available for individual work.The studio is within reach
of breathtaking west coast beaches, bush walks and jet boat or canoe
expeditions, but still handy to good coffee and all facilities.
Fees
NZ$1300 Price Buster (by
July 1st) NZ$1500 Earlybird (by August 31st) and NZ$1800 Full.
A NZ$300 deposit will hold a
place. (All fees and deposits are non-refundable).
Fees include 20 nights
accommodation (from January 27th - February 15th inclusive) with
kitchen facilities.
Enrolment
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.
Alan
Clay
The
'modern clown' summer school is led by
Alan
Clay. Alan has been performing for
thirty seven years and teaching clown
for over thirty
four
years.He is the author ofAngels Can Fly, a Modern Clown
User Guide, which is now a required text in clown
courses at US and UK universities and is in use in the drama
departments of over 200 high schools in New Zealand, Australia
and the US.
"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."
"When I
developed my five day workshops,
my aim
was to provide students with a series of tools, which they could use
in performance situations, thereby empowering them to explore the
art form through working in front of an audience. In
my new 3-week summer school
Iwill give
students more opportunity
to practice those skills, so they become more second nature."
"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
17 February 2012
This site published
by Artmedia PublishingThe content of this
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without the prior permission in writing from the publishers.
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.
moment, and this workshop will train and
develop these skills through improvisation exercises. 
