training – a field of crowns

Spring Clown Training x Red Nose Remedy

The bunnies are hopping, the redwing blackbirds are claiming local trees and starting to get really annoyed at any human presence, and it’s that wonderful time of year before the lake flies emerge and fill the skies – and my beard and hair – with their delicate little bodies.

SO I’ve taken the opportunity to lead a duo of clown training workshops at Sweet Action Theatre in Toronto. How is all that related? I don’t really know stop questioning me.

First off, on April 27th from 6-9pm, we have EMOTIONAL HYGIENE for the clown.

In this workshop we will focus on physicalizing our emotions while playing with levels of intensity. 3 hours, open to all.

No, this isn’t therapy. One of the clown’s main tools is their elastic control over emotion and ability to share it with others. In this workshop we will focus on physicalizing our emotions, finding our emotional shapes, i.e. the gestures of our emotions, while playing with levels of intensity. Let’s ring out the damp towel of our emotions together. Through gameplay. Again, not therapy. Also not “method” so please don’t traumatize yourself here. We’ll work from an outside-in approach.

This 3-hour workshop is open to all. A basis of clown is helpful but not necessary. This work will be firmly rooted in the world of theatrical red nose clown but has wide ranging application.

$35+HST | REGISTER HERE

And then again on May 18th, from 6-9pm, we have SOFT SKILLS for the Clown

In this workshop we will train the physical technique of the clown. 3 hours, open to all.

In this workshop we will train the technique of the clown. Clown technique often seems invisible, or hidden, but there are very specific storytelling and physical skills the clown employs, gently and naturally. This workshop will focus on drilling these skills, giving each participant ample time observing and being observed.

This 3-hour workshop is open to all. It will be firmly rooted in the world of theatrical red-nose clown.

$35+HST | REGISTER HERE

I really had a blast running these workshops last summer and I hope they attract new students and returning performers who are interested in unleashing their inner fool. The techniques in these workshops are widely applicable to other performance styles and even to public speaking and presentation, or to those with a relational practice.

Hopefully I’ll see you there!

Weekend Clown Intensive – Feb 7-9, 2025!

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.

Start the new year by finding your clown

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)

Registration Form:

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thursday morning viewpoints

This year I’ve been fortunate to delve back into the Viewpoints system of movement with two separate post-secondary groups. Building from the ground up: I relish pairing down movement to its basics and building it up again with specific focus, concern and intention. Tasks and movement. Listening to and trusting your impulses. Relationships onstage between performers and space, between action and time, between audience and performer. I love investigating the different aspects individually, interrogating them, exhausting them only to then add another on top. This deconstruction to layering is complex and insatiable. Leading this work, I am pleased to realise how deeply ingrained it is in my own practice: oftentimes focusing on one of the nine viewpoints over others to help craft a character, or, unconsciously playing and adjusting the dials to explore a whole vocabulary.

Which is why I’d like to open up a community jam on Thursday mornings. I want this training to keep going. I know there are many actors, dancers and other performers who have crossed paths with Viewpoints throughout their training. I know there are others who have never experienced it before but have heard its name.

If you fall into any of these categories, I invite you to join me at hub14‘s new Artscape studio @ 910 Queen Street West on certain Thursday mornings, from 9 – 10am, to come jam and explore this movement for yourself. Space will be available from 8:45am for personal warm-ups.

In an effort to make cross-disciplinary training more commonplace and low-risk, all of these drop-in sessions will be offered at no cost. All you have to do is send a message to afieldofcrowns(at)gmail(dot)com (there’s a form here) so I can come and get you.

*note: unfortunately, hub14 is not an accessible venue, as it is located in a basement without access to a public elevator.*

Upcoming sessions will be:

March 7th, 21st & 28th, April 4th, 18th & 25th