Workshops
The Mask and Clown Intensive
(aka Clown Through Mask, Baby Clown)
In its essence The Mask and Clown Intensive (a.k.a. Clown Through Mask or Baby Clown) often referred to as a “non-technique technique”, is meant to help free the student from the creative chains of expectations, fear, and resistance through the embracing of and delighting in all that the individual is. The teacher creates a courageous and fun space for the student to explore and expand their creative playground involving aspects of the self through often fantastical characters created from work with 6 masks and 7 colours. Participants will focus on encouraging a sense of pleasure, an awareness of the audience, and an honest physical and emotional response to internal impulses and external events.
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Physicalization and visualization exercises are used to awaken and encourage this sense of pleasure and an awareness of the audience leading to the enhancement of a bidirectional conversation or interaction. Many exercises are done with eyes closed to help develop and expand the student’s experience of perception and focus. Through physical exercises rooted in colour work, the body is approached as a source of creative visualization and physicalization for developing environments (universes), character and story elements through improvisations.
This workshop is an intense blast and furnishes the student with multiple characters and a malleable structure for continued creative exploration with limitless applications. It is not necessary to be a performer to take this course.
This technique is effective for not only the novice but also the seasoned professional for the work is adaptable to any creative endeavour at any level. It can create a whole new approach in the student or through application can deeply serve whatever creative application the participant should desire.
Subsequent workshops include Clown Boot Camp, Writing from the Body, Solo Clown Creation and Performance, The Joey, Auguste, Ringmaster Workshop (working in duos and trios), and The Teacher’s Perspective. Subsequent coaching and directing applications are limitless and defined and determined through consultation with the individual artist.
Clown Workshops – serious work
Boot Camp
6 days (50 hrs. +)
Prerequisite: Mask and Clown Intensive (Baby Clown)
This workshop is the next stage of exploration after Baby Clown.
Using various writing and development techniques and exercises to evoke both left and right brain involvement, the participants explore their own unique approach to the creation of material and performance. The mask and colour work is expanded upon (including the establishment of the gesture work) to deepen the student’s relationship with them as both a source for material and as character for performance.
This workshop is perfect for those coming fresh out of The Mask and Clown Intensive (Baby Clown) or for those who seek to reacquaint themselves with the foundations of this style. The 6 days will begin with an emphasis on exploration and creation but will move towards the development of pieces for performance.
Students should be aware they will be extremely challenged and while it is not necessary to bring a prepared piece they will be welcome to do so.
Clown Farm Boot Camp
Advanced Boot Camp
10 days, (60 hrs.)
Prerequisite: Mask and Clown Intensive (Baby Clown) and Boot Camp 1 (or equivalent).
This workshop will continue with the work begun in Boot Camp with a stronger emphasis on the development and execution of professional work. Each day will consist of a minimum of 3 hours focused on creation, and 3 hours focused on performance. There will be many additional hours for exercises, discussions, and the exploration of themes that arise out of the classes.
Students will be able and encouraged to explore a broader application of the clown work including but not limited to spoken text, song, dance, bouffon, Joey & Auguste and a synthesis of any of the above. If students have any specific desires for this workshop they should feel free to begin a conversation on the subject at any point after application. Students should be aware they will be extremely challenged and are to bring 2 short prepared pieces in addition to other work to be discussed after registration.
Boot Camp – Mansbach Germany
Joey and Auguste
8 days (56 hrs.) Max. 20 students
Prerequisite: Mask and Clown Intensive (Baby Clown) and Boot Camp 1 (or equivalent)
Begin to explore the exquisite dynamics of two and three clown relationships. Also referred to as the manipulator (Joey), the victim (Auguste), and the perfect balance between the two (Ringmaster), this workshop begins with the discovery of each archetype within the individual. Then each student has the opportunity to bring them out to engage with their complementary counterparts in the external world. This workshop is done primarily working in partnership with another performer. It is not necessary to bring a partner and if you do it is still recommended students work with several different students during the workshop.
Writing from the Body
Variable length from 3 hrs to 10 days
Prerequisite: None, however, a further evolved version of this workshop is available to students that have done The Mask and Clown Intensive (Baby Clown)
Students will use various movement and visualizing exercises to create content, character, environments and story lines. This work is intended to generate raw material and ideas. Mask and colour work may be employed as well as right brain (non-linear) writing exercises. Refinement and further development of the content, some of which can happen in versions of this workshop, will depend on the nature of the students’ desired form or genre of expression. This workshop is adaptable to many different student and environment situations. It can be done online, in person, in a studio, in nature, and in rural or urban settings. Often, a variety of settings can be employed in a single workshop.