Workshop descriptions:
1. CLOWNING 101 (a two-weekend, 20-hour workshop)
2. CLOWNING 102 (a weekend workshop for the experienced and developing performer)
3. PERFORMANCE 101: Basic Elements to Consider When Developing a Routine
Welcome to "Performance Boot Camp," an active workshop that will introduce you to the essential elements of a good performance. We'll look at the basic structure of a routine (beginning/middle/end) and what it takes to introduce and develop the story, establish your character, involve your audience, and make it interesting and funny. Show up and be ready to play!
4. PERFORMANCE 102: Beyond the Basics
This workshop expands on Performance 101, going beyond the basics to explore focus, conflict, comic twists, performance ideas, and creating your own "bit." Bring your own ideas and be ready to think and act like a clown!
5. STAGE PRESENCE
"All the world's a stage . . . " Whether it’s a living room, a park, a hospital room, or a theater, your stage is anywhere you perform. This hands-on workshop focuses on the art of ‘being present,’ including performance self-confidence, energy levels, and ways to engage (and hold) your audience.
6. SILENT COMEDY
Explore how to “do things funny” using your face, body, movements, mannerisms, and clown mind -- without saying a word! Clips from classic silent comedians will help illustrate several comedy techniques, and exercises will give you a chance to try them out on your own character. Bring a mirror and your best simple-minded, childlike innocence.
7. PHYSICAL COMEDY WITHOUT THE PAIN
How can you be physically expressive and comical with your clown body without the ‘morning after’ aches and pains? Here are a few techniques to use physical comedy in your performances and appearances without hurting yourself (or your audience)!
8. CLOWN CHARACTER: The Heart of the Art
Your clown character is the heart and soul of your actions, appearance, and skills. This active workshop will examine the characteristics of several master clowns and fools. We will explore, discover, focus, and build your character through movement, gesture, improvisation, reaction, voice, and physical expression exercises.
Logistics: Need large, open, preferably carpeted room. Large open space needed for movement exercises (or arrange chairs around the outside of the room leaving center open for movement).
AV Needs: VCR/monitor, white board with pens and eraser (or chartpak with pens and tape or pushpins for posting sheets on walls), CD boom box, 1‑page handout.
9. 21 DAYS TO BETTER CLOWNING: A Self‑Study Apprenticeship to Improve Your Clown
Here's a 3‑week self‑study program designed to make you a funnier, better clown and/or performer. Even if you're busy with a full‑time job and family, you'll find this apprenticeship to be achievable, fun, and best of all, ideally suited to your interests and needs. Build a new skill, gain new (usable) knowledge, develop new habits, and "think" like a clown ‑ this session will show you how!
Logistics: Classroom style room (preferably in semi‑circle or chevron, so participants can interact).
AV Needs: VCR/monitor, white board with pens and eraser (or chartpak with pens and tape or pushpins for posting sheets on walls), CD boom box, set of 25 daily newspapers (same day), multi‑page handout.
10. RED NOSE WHAT?
Or, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Red Nose Festival Competition (But Didn't Know Who or What to Ask! or But Have Only 1 Hour to Find Out!)
This workshop will give an overview on Red Nose, including its goals, format and logistics for competition events, and the Red Nose rating system and awards. You’ll find out what to expect, how to prepare for it, and what you’ll get out of it. Red Nose was first conceived as an alternative competition philosophy by organizers of the 1997 NW Festival of Clowns. Red Nose rates individual merit, recognizes and rewards excellence, and supports the learning process, helping participants become better, more complete clowns and become aware of their strengths and areas needing attention. Red Nose competitions rate how "good" a clown is by examining the complete clown: how the clown looks, how the clown acts, and what the clown does.
11. RED NOSE COACH TRAINING
Coaches are an important part of the Red Nose competition philosophy. Good coaches must: 1) be accomplished and respected clowns in their own right, 2) be clown educators who understand and can support the learning process, and 3) believe in and "walk the talk" on this new philosophy that encourages the development of "complete" clowns. This workshop is a coaches' training session on the Red Nose philosophy, goals, format, rating system, and awards. Invitation only.
Logistics: Classroom style (preferably in a semi‑circle or chevron, so participants can interact).
AV Needs: VCR/monitor, chartpak with pens and tape or pushpins for posting sheets on walls, multi‑page handout (masters to follow in the mail).
12. WALKABOUT PHYSICAL COMEDY: Using the Gifts of the Moment
Physical comedy comes from the humorous things we do with our bodies and with physical objects, capturing moments of play with our audience. This workshop will explore the opportunities for humor and comedy during walkabouts, when we’re moving from place to place amidst ever-changing human and physical environments and conditions. Come prepared to move and play!
13. Simplicity, Stupidity, and Truth – Back to the Basics
It’s been said that to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary may speak. In this session, we’ll look at ways to cut through the clutter in our clowning, create inspired stupidity, and find laughter from our honesty and truth.
2. CLOWNING 102 (a weekend workshop for the experienced and developing performer)
3. PERFORMANCE 101: Basic Elements to Consider When Developing a Routine
Welcome to "Performance Boot Camp," an active workshop that will introduce you to the essential elements of a good performance. We'll look at the basic structure of a routine (beginning/middle/end) and what it takes to introduce and develop the story, establish your character, involve your audience, and make it interesting and funny. Show up and be ready to play!
4. PERFORMANCE 102: Beyond the Basics
This workshop expands on Performance 101, going beyond the basics to explore focus, conflict, comic twists, performance ideas, and creating your own "bit." Bring your own ideas and be ready to think and act like a clown!
5. STAGE PRESENCE
"All the world's a stage . . . " Whether it’s a living room, a park, a hospital room, or a theater, your stage is anywhere you perform. This hands-on workshop focuses on the art of ‘being present,’ including performance self-confidence, energy levels, and ways to engage (and hold) your audience.
6. SILENT COMEDY
Explore how to “do things funny” using your face, body, movements, mannerisms, and clown mind -- without saying a word! Clips from classic silent comedians will help illustrate several comedy techniques, and exercises will give you a chance to try them out on your own character. Bring a mirror and your best simple-minded, childlike innocence.
7. PHYSICAL COMEDY WITHOUT THE PAIN
How can you be physically expressive and comical with your clown body without the ‘morning after’ aches and pains? Here are a few techniques to use physical comedy in your performances and appearances without hurting yourself (or your audience)!
8. CLOWN CHARACTER: The Heart of the Art
Your clown character is the heart and soul of your actions, appearance, and skills. This active workshop will examine the characteristics of several master clowns and fools. We will explore, discover, focus, and build your character through movement, gesture, improvisation, reaction, voice, and physical expression exercises.
Logistics: Need large, open, preferably carpeted room. Large open space needed for movement exercises (or arrange chairs around the outside of the room leaving center open for movement).
AV Needs: VCR/monitor, white board with pens and eraser (or chartpak with pens and tape or pushpins for posting sheets on walls), CD boom box, 1‑page handout.
9. 21 DAYS TO BETTER CLOWNING: A Self‑Study Apprenticeship to Improve Your Clown
Here's a 3‑week self‑study program designed to make you a funnier, better clown and/or performer. Even if you're busy with a full‑time job and family, you'll find this apprenticeship to be achievable, fun, and best of all, ideally suited to your interests and needs. Build a new skill, gain new (usable) knowledge, develop new habits, and "think" like a clown ‑ this session will show you how!
Logistics: Classroom style room (preferably in semi‑circle or chevron, so participants can interact).
AV Needs: VCR/monitor, white board with pens and eraser (or chartpak with pens and tape or pushpins for posting sheets on walls), CD boom box, set of 25 daily newspapers (same day), multi‑page handout.
10. RED NOSE WHAT?
Or, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Red Nose Festival Competition (But Didn't Know Who or What to Ask! or But Have Only 1 Hour to Find Out!)
This workshop will give an overview on Red Nose, including its goals, format and logistics for competition events, and the Red Nose rating system and awards. You’ll find out what to expect, how to prepare for it, and what you’ll get out of it. Red Nose was first conceived as an alternative competition philosophy by organizers of the 1997 NW Festival of Clowns. Red Nose rates individual merit, recognizes and rewards excellence, and supports the learning process, helping participants become better, more complete clowns and become aware of their strengths and areas needing attention. Red Nose competitions rate how "good" a clown is by examining the complete clown: how the clown looks, how the clown acts, and what the clown does.
11. RED NOSE COACH TRAINING
Coaches are an important part of the Red Nose competition philosophy. Good coaches must: 1) be accomplished and respected clowns in their own right, 2) be clown educators who understand and can support the learning process, and 3) believe in and "walk the talk" on this new philosophy that encourages the development of "complete" clowns. This workshop is a coaches' training session on the Red Nose philosophy, goals, format, rating system, and awards. Invitation only.
Logistics: Classroom style (preferably in a semi‑circle or chevron, so participants can interact).
AV Needs: VCR/monitor, chartpak with pens and tape or pushpins for posting sheets on walls, multi‑page handout (masters to follow in the mail).
12. WALKABOUT PHYSICAL COMEDY: Using the Gifts of the Moment
Physical comedy comes from the humorous things we do with our bodies and with physical objects, capturing moments of play with our audience. This workshop will explore the opportunities for humor and comedy during walkabouts, when we’re moving from place to place amidst ever-changing human and physical environments and conditions. Come prepared to move and play!
13. Simplicity, Stupidity, and Truth – Back to the Basics
It’s been said that to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary may speak. In this session, we’ll look at ways to cut through the clutter in our clowning, create inspired stupidity, and find laughter from our honesty and truth.
Workshop photos by Bonnie-Jean Brown