There are still spots left for this weekend clown intensive happening in Mississauga. While the cold makes the Art Shelter a little difficult to inhabit for long periods of time, I’ve decided to partner with another local Mississauga location, AN1 Studios, just over on Cawthra road near Dundas. We’ll be warm and have a consistent space that will be all ours for the weekend to discover our foolish selves.
This is a perfect opportunity for performers of all kinds but also for those who find themselves in front of others more often than they would like, or those who are required to be team leaders or those who make interpersonal connections in their day to day. Clown is perfect for those who want to become more present in their daily life and more honest with themselves.
Clown has changed the way I see the world and myself. I’m honoured to lead others through their own journey just as my teacher did before me.
So if you have the time, head over to my CLASSES page for the full details and register for this unique opportunity. I’d love to meet you and see what fool lives inside of you.
All the way back in the fall of 2012, I finally succumbed to the pressure of my friend’s unsolicited encouragement that I should pursue theatrical clown training. It just so happened that her teacher, Helen Donnelly, was offering an affordable entry-level weekly clown one course at a time that I was craving a new approach to performance. I needed to redefine what performance meant to me.
Twelve years later, clown has become my main performance style and part of my day-to-day existence. There’s a certain kind of humanity that comes with clown training. It’s hard not to fall in love with everyone who puts themselves out there with such a level of joy and humility. It’s hard not to feel connected with one another when we play games to the best of our ability, when we revel in the win and equally in the loss. It’s not hard to celebrate those flops when they happen (and oh boy do they happen).
This February I’m planning an intro clown weekend intensive – perfect for those who have a tricky time committing to a weekly class and equally as perfect for those who want a more focused experience. During these 3 days we’ll have plenty of time to explore presence, to play and to find the beginnings of our clowns (or to deepen our understanding of them if you have already met your clown).
The intensive will happen in Mississauga @ AN1 Studios. It is off the beaten path, as it were, so a car is definitely advised if you’re coming from out of town (heck, even if you’re coming from in-town – Mississauga is a beast). I’m happy to help facilitate carpooling for the weekend (via https://caroster.io/ or some other means).
Check below for more information. And if you’re interested in joining, fill out the form at the bottom of the post to secure your spot!
Pre-Registration is required as class spots are limited!
WEEKEND CLOWN INTENSIVE – PRESENCE & PLAY
3 days of presence work and le jeu. Before we put on the clown nose we start with ourselves. Specifically, ourselves in front of others. Together, we’ll uncover and explore the beginnings of your clown persona – and learn what that even means – through witnessing one another and finding those things that naturally make us funny or endearing to an audience. By the end of this intensive, students will walk away with an understanding of the 5 tenets of the clown and the soft skills used in clown performance. You will also have experience taking ‘turns’ on stage.
No experience required! This intensive is good for those new to the practice, those who are currently practicing and also for those who want to jump back into the fundamentals of theatrical red nose clown. Really, it’s good for everyone.
Feb 7th – 9th Friday will be from 6:30 – 9:30pm Sat & Sun will be from 10am – 5pm (with a lunch break @ 1pm – 2pm) 15 hours of clown training in total
$300 registration / $250 early bird (if registered before Jan. 15th) – HST incl.
@ AN1 Studios (2465 Cawthra Rd., Unit 132, Mississauga, ON)
In this 3-hour workshop we will explore movement tools to help you give external and internal shapes to your characters.
Since 2018 the tools I’ve gravitated towards to create characters, or to approach performance in general, have become consistent. I keep revisiting my understanding of certain approaches, trying to form them to my own usage, be that for clown, puppetry or the character-driven dance pieces I often dramaturg for Frog in Hand. I’ve been curious about how these approaches can talk with one another, to build on our own understanding of our bodies and the way we move our instrument through space and time. I have taught some of the elements separately, and as I’ve done so have really noticed how each one complements the others. Which brings us to today, where I’m attempting to bring these elements together into a single workshop. This workshop will be part class, part solo exploration and part workshop with analytical prompts. And if that sounds too thinky, I assure you my approach is one of embodiment so expect to MOVE.
There are many approaches to character and most of them are intellectual and text-based. These approaches are wonderful for understanding your character’s story and empathizing with them, but often they don’t touch on a character’s physicality.
In this workshop we will explore character from the outside in, inspecting the body and defining its architecture while taking time to relax into our choices to allow the actor to live.
Together we will build a physical vocabulary inspired by Laban, Bogart & Landau and a variety of contemporary clown, puppetry and mask teachers.
The majority of this workshop will have you up on your feet, exploring through a series of exercises and prompts. The workshop will begin with a warm-up and will have breaks throughout.
Things to know:
Bring comfortable clothes and layers as the dome is warm on sunny days but cooler when it’s been overcast for longer periods of time.
The Art Shelter is an off-grid dance studio run by solar power. It is not heated nor does it have air conditioning. We have batteries onsite and it is quite comfortable but we are also in the middle of a field so plan accordingly (especially if it rains). We have water and a small kitchenette with some coolers to store foodstuffs and the ability to make coffee/tea and a microwave to reheat food.
For absolute beginners, no previous experience necessary! Join us on a 5-week journey in Frog in Hand’s Art Shelter. Led by Andrew Gaboury.
NEW CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT
Before we put on a nose we start with ourselves. Beginning with presence, we will witness one another, learn and discover what naturally makes us and others funny. Each week will focus on a guiding principle of red nose clown through exercises, games and ‘turns’ on stage, all the while scaffolding in the ‘soft skills’ of the clown. By the end of the course you will find the beginnings of what will eventually become a clown persona.
This course is inspired by theatrical traditions of red nose clown as interpreted through a variety of contemporary artists and teachers through the ages and across continents. It is my attempt at balancing what I’ve found the most useful in my own clown practice in order to share the joy of clown with others.
No clown or performance experience necessary. Clown is one of those wonderfully transferable skills that can be applied to everyday situations, including public speaking, team work, project management and rekindling your own sense of play.
For this class, I thought I’d write a clown-specific bio:
Andrew Gaboury is a performer, writer and educator based in Port Credit, Mississauga. Central to his practice is the desire to bring a sense of wonder and joy to the everyday. He initially found his clown in 2012 when he met Helen Donnelly and took her course, Discover Your Clown. Andrew has since been clowning theatrically for 12 years, performing at the Toronto Festival of Clowns, the Foolish Cabaret, the Red Nose Cabaret, HarbourKIDS Circus, for Common Boots Theatre with Luminato’s presentation of Walk With Amal, internationally at Ei! Marionettas (Portugal), and nationally at World Stage Design in Calgary, the University of Guelph and at various parks and promenades in the GTA. Andrew has been teaching clown since 2019 with the Frog in Hand Summer Company, Clay & Paper Theatre and through various workshops. In 2018 he began his journey into the world of therapeutic clown when his teacher, Helen Donnelly set up a training program with George Brown College. The nexus of clown, joy and wellness in difficult situations has become a place of passion for Andrew, who has travelled to the Netherlands to train with an international panel of artists for the 2022 Healthcare Clowning International Meeting (HCIM). This year, Andrew was part of the planning committee for the 2024 Meeting of the Noses presented by Fondation Dr Clown and the North American Federation of Healthcare Clowning Organizations (NAFHCO). Through the pandemic, Andrew worked with Derek Kwan and MABELLEarts to bring a practice of social therapeutic clowning to their community. Andrew is Acting Executive Director and a therapeutic clown practitioner with Red Nose Remedy – a company founded by award-winning clown Helen Donnelly, as well as one of Kathleen Le Roux’s therapeutic clown partner’s focusing on Long Term Care and rehabilitation hospitals.
a field of crowns 