Clown Workshops

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.

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A contemporary physical approach to the clown art form, exploring playfulness, irreverence, and the freedom of 'not knowing', which has been developed over twenty years by Alan Clay at Playspace Studio.

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.

"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