PRESS RELEASE: Aga Boom in Toronto Dec 30-January 3

Show One presents

AGA-BOOM

An Explosion Of Surreal Silliness!

Bluma Appel Theatre, December 2008

"Aga-Boom, one of the most creative shows to heat Vegas in a while, is perfect for the entire clan."
Las Vegas Sun

Get ready for a big BOOM in fun! Show One is proud to announce that the critically acclaimed clown show AGA-BOOM will make its Canadian premiere in Ontario this holiday season. Created by veterans of Cirque du Soleil and rooted in the European style of clowning, AGA-BOOM is a riotous mix of bold physical comedy, sophisticated stunts and delicious disarray.

"Masterly clowning." New York Times

Clever, messy and outrageously fun, AGA-BOOM cuts through the barriers of language and culture to dazzle audiences of all ages.

Taking its name from a play on boomaga (the Russian word for paper), AGA-BOOM begins and ends with scenes about paper, starting with a small piece stuck to someone's hand and escalating into a huge paper fight. In between is joyful chaos that features inflated garbage bags, juggling suitcases, enormous rubber balloons and lots of audience participation.

"The kids in the audience were on cloud nine, but hardly more so than the adults." Los Angeles Times

AGA-BOOM combines physical comedy, mime, poetry, circus arts and experimental theatre to create a kooky, kinetic entertainment experience. AGA-BOOM is the brainchild of creator/director DIMITRI BOGATIREV who, together, with wife and co-star IRYNA IVANYTSKA, and cast mates PHILIP BRIGGS, ELENA NEKRASSOVA and ANTON BOGATIREV, are true masters of mayhem!

Show One presents

AGA-BOOM

Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - Saturday, January 3, 2009

Show Times: 1pm & 7pm (December 31 @ 1pm only, dark January 1)

Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts

27 Front Street East, Toronto, ON

Tickets: $39/$49/$65 o Family Four Pack: $189 (plus applicable service charges)

Box Office: 416.366.7723/1.800.708.6754 or online at www.Ticketmaster.ca/showone

Thanks to Alex Shnaider's generous contribution,

a portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Hospital for Sick Children

AGA-BOOM will also play in Hamilton at Hamilton Place, December 26 & 27, 2008

For more info visit www.showoneproductions.ca or www.agaboom.com

ClownAlley.net just gets better and better.

If you haven't visited clownalley.net lately, you really should. Better yet, get the RSS feed.

The last few days have been particularly good-- almost 28 posts featuring videos, photos, congratulations, and even a harrowing tale of a ladder gone amok.

Pat Cashin, the boss of clownalley.net is putting a lot of work in to make these resources available.

Thank you Pat!

On Point Radio Interview with Paul Binder

Unless you live under a media rock, you probably know that Paul Binder, co-founder and ringmaster of the Big Apple Circus, is stepping down this year.

He recorded a great interview on public radio about it, and about his 31 years in the circus, that included some surprises (at least for me) that he worked with Julia Child and Merv Griffin before creating the circus.

The interview also features (among others) a surprise guest call in from Steve Smith, former Ringling Clown College Dean and director of the current show.

If you'd like to listen to the show, you can!

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2008/11/big-apple-circus/

There's also a video news interview on ABC TV where Paul was named Person of the Week
here.

And the ubuquitous NY Times Article is here.

January Workshops with Francine Cote (Toronto)

CLOWN 1: RESEARCH OF CHARACTER

with Francine Côté

January 22, 23, 24 & 26, 27 2009
4 :30 to 9:30 pm - total of 25 hrs
Price - $500.00 (includes tax)

where :
Queen St East Presbyterian Church, 947 Queen St E.
(at Carlaw)
registration information:
Class limited to 12 students with performance background - artistic resume required.
Deposit of $125.00 required after acceptance
Please email info@helendonnelly.com
or call 416-536-4323 to register

You don't create your clown; you simply let it out to live in front of others. This is a workshop for artists who wish to discover and/or develop their clown character by working on: simplicity, sincerity, lightness and vulnerability of play. Using Francine's unique method, the work proposes a series of exercises that develops openness, pleasure, creativity, rhythm, physical precision and being able to listen to your own emotions and impulses.

Ideal for the clown artist with Pochinko-influenced training who wishes to explore a complementary approach to clown as well as artists new to clown who wish to discover their unique clown persona.

Francine Côté is a clown/teacher/director from Montréal who has more than 30 years experience in the creation of comic, physical and clown characters. She has played on the International scene (Circus, Cabaret, Variety's, Festivals), taught in a diverse range of schools (National Theatre School of Canada, Ecole National de Cirque, Ecole de l'Humour (Just for Laughs) and the University of Montreal), and has worked as a stage trainer for different companies (Cirque Éloize, L'Aubergine, En Piste...etc). While touring with Le Cirque du Soleil in London and Paris in 1990 Francine met her partner in clown and life, James Keylon, and this was the beginning of a long-term international career as the duo, "Alfredo et Adrénaline". Pushing in the direction of the modern clown, but inspired by the traditional, these two lovable characters in the throes of their own "Battle of the Sexes" have touched thousands of spectators around the world.

Francine has developed a method of clown training for the professional milieu based on her years of experience as a performer and her early training in Paris with Phillippe Gaulier and Monica Pagneux. Since 2002, she has taught more than 15 workshops a year and continues to train clowns at theatre schools, abroad, and through special coaching.

Francine is also the primary clown trainer for Dr. Clown, a company that brings professional therapeutic clowns into hospitals and long-term care facilities in Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto.

For more information about the workshop, visit http://helendonnelly.com/workshops.html

For more information about Francine's work, visit http://www.formationclown.com/

Save 20% on Cirque Mechanics at the New Victory (NY)

This offer came my way, and I thought I'd share it!

Enjoy!

Join us as Cirque Mechanics transforms The New Victory into a glorious Birdhouse Factory, complete with uniformed unicyclists and acrobatic assembly lines. It's industrial-strength circus fun for the whole family! Performance Schedule: Added performances: Fri 7pm, Sat 2pm & 7pm*, Sun 12pm & 5pm Tue 11/25 at 7pm, Wed 11/26 at 2pm, Fri 11/28 at 2pm, Thu 12/4 & 12/11 at 7pm *No performances on Saturday, 12/6 (New Victory Theater Family Benefit event) Here's How To Save 20% Phone: In person: Call 646-223-3010 and mention the code NYCM856. Visit the The New Victory Theater box office at 209 W. 42nd St., between 7th and 8th Avenues and mention the code NYCM856. Box office hours: Sunday and Monday, 11am - 5pm, Tuesday - Saturday, 12pm - 7pm. Conditions: Offer cannot be combined with any other discount. Offer subject to availability. Discount valid for up to 6 tickets per show. Phone and internet orders subject to standard service fees. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. All sales are final - no refunds or exchanges. Schedule is subject to change. Regular ticket price: $50, $30, $15. Discount ticket price: $40, $24, $12.

Circus Finelli (SF) Nov 7-16

San Francisco, Ca. - Circus Finelli returns to Stage Werx after a sold out run last May. They present a Slavic slapstick cabaret with daring comedy and dangerous cutlery.
A one hour show of Circus Comedy fraught with mishap, sparkles, and sound effects. Come for sights to entice and delight: juggling, cows, contortion, dance and disaster.

Circus Finelli is interactive, bright fun. The “Slapstick Slavic Cabaret” is adult humor with kid sound effects. The show is infused with live music and sounds of the Circus: accordion and ukulele, trombone, crash cymbals and slide whistles. Come early for face-painting and games.

Your host at a Circus Finelli show is man-hungry ringmistress MadameVinaigrette (Verka Zaskodna). She is the Czech juggling bombshell with dangerous plans. She can joke with the audience in seven different languages. Her musical assistant and assailant is accordionista Luz (Luz Gaxiola). Carmelita (Molly Shannon) is the samba diva of a million costumes. And last is Pepito, exploding from all corners. "The Great Alecko; Strongest Man on Earth", will be appearing in the United States exclusively with Circus Finelli. known in Greece as “a demi-god”, Alecko will amaze audiences with
his impossible feats of strength.

Circus Finelli runs two weekends, Nov. 7, 8,9, and 14, 15,16. All shows start at 8pm, doors at 7:30. Stage Werx is located 533 Sutter Street between Powell and Mason. The theatre is close to the Powell Bart station, and is wheelchair accessible.


WHEN: November 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th, 16th 2008
Friday, Saturday and Sunday @ 8pm

WHERE: Stage Werx
533 Sutter Street, SF between Powell and Mason
Handicap accessible

TICKETS: $15 at the door or $15 at brownpapertickets.com/event/42383
$12 Students and Seniors

INFO: mail@circusfinelli.com

WEBSITE: http://www.circusfinelli.com
http://www.stagewerx.org

NY Circus Season In Full Swing

Once again, there's a bevy of NY Circus & Clown Entertainment right now, if you want to go.
(Courtesy of the NY Times)

• THE BIG APPLE CIRCUS is celebrating its 31st season of family entertainment with "Play On!," through Jan. 18 in Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park; bigapplecircus.org.
  (there's also a great review in the NY Times of the show here)
  
  
• SPIEGELWORLD ends its run this weekend in the Spiegeltent at the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan, with performances of "Absinthe," "Désir" and "Gazillionaire's Late Nite Lounge," burlesque-style shows geared for adults; spiegelworld.com.
  
  
• 'WINTUK,' Cirque du Soleil's family show about a boy's search for snow, will run through Jan. 4 in the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden; cirquedusoleil.com.
  
  
• 'BIRDHOUSE FACTORY,' a Chaplinesque piece for all ages by Cirque Mechanics in which factory workers turn into circus performers, will begin a monthlong run on Nov. 14 at the New Victory Theater in Times Square; newvictory.org.
  
  
• THE BINDLESTIFF FAMILY CIRKUS'S CAVALCADE OF YOUTH, all under the age of 21, will juggle, clown and twirl on Nov. 16 at the Zipper Factory Theater on West 37th Street, Manhattan; bindlestiff.org or thezipperfactory.com. ANNE MANCUSO
  

Fwd: See HUNCHBACK by Red Moon at The New Victory for only $10! (NY)

I'm currently in Chicago, but Redmoon (who is from Chicago) is currently in NY  Red Moon is a fabulous Chicago company that uses puppetry, clowning, and circus skills to create amazing performances.

Here's the skinny:

Click Here and enter code TMH808 Call 646-223-3010 and mention code TMH808 Bring a printout of this offer to: The New Victory Theater 209 West 42nd Street Sun & Mon: 11am-5pm, Tue-Sat: Noon-7pm   The New Victory Theater presents Redmoon Theater's HUNCHBACK A spectacular Halloween treat from visionary American puppet masters Magic unfolds in the award-winning Redmoon Theater's visually stunning Hunchback - a gripping stage adaptation of the classic Victor Hugo novel. With Hugo himself as your guide, wander through the crooked cobblestone streets of medieval Paris and follow the story of a beautiful Gypsy dancer, a grand cathedral and a courageous heart. With striking puppetry, exquisite masks, dramatic music and fearless physicality, Redmoon's intricate production spins Quasimodo, La Esmeralda and Claude Frollo off the page and into thrilling, three-dimensional life. Best for ages 8 to adult $10 - $28 Tickets! (Reg. $12.50 - $35) October 24 - November 9 Schedule: Fri 7pm*, Sat 2pm & 7pm, Sun 12pm & 5pm* Added performance: Thu, Oct 30 at 7pm
*Conditions: Offer cannot be combined with any other discount. Offer subject to availability. Discount valid on 6 tickets per show. Phone and internet orders subject to standard service fees. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. All sales are final - no refunds or exchanges. Schedule is subject to change. Regular ticket price: $35, $25, $12.50. Discount ticket price: $28, $20, $10. *No performance Friday, Oct 31. No 5pm performance Sunday, Nov 9. Offer Expires 11/07/2008.

Midnight Circus Halloween Spooktacular (Chicago) October 17-31

Halloween 2008!

 

The Eco-Friendly, Acro-Centric, High-Flying, Grid-Defying, Green Halloween Spectacular!


The Midnight Circus has created an exciting, accessible, highly skilled, funny to the bone, ensemble oriented, multi-cultural circus that travels by bicycle. ENTIRELY BY BICYCLE. Everything one needs to throw a ghostly celebration worthy of Chicagoween will makes its way to Daley Plaza aboard the Halloween Haulers powered by acrobats from around the globe.

Unicycles, Tandem Bikes, Penny Farthings, if it has wheels and can be human powered it will be part of this traveling bicycle Circus Halloween Spectacle.

The show will include an array of circus acts including; Acrobatic Juggling, Free Standing Ladder, Acrobatic Bicycle, German Wheel, Hula-Hoops, Aerial Rope, Aerial Silk, Aerial Straps, Lola Circus Dog, and more.

The show will also feature Grammy Nominated Musical Maestro Mars Williams and his sidekick DJ Boy Elroy on the Mystical Music Maker Cart each and every show!

Show Times & Dates
 

Daley Plaza
50 W Washington

Chicago IL

 

October 17-31

Opening Night  Friday October 17, 2008  5:30pm and 7:00pm

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 11:30am and 12:30pm

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 11:30am, 12:30pm, and 2:00pm

 

FREE!!!!
 

CRUEL & UNUSUAL COMEDY: Slapstick films at MOMA (NY) 11/5-12/10

This looks to be a great class, and a wonderful opportunity to see some rare and exciting early clown and comedy films.  Ben Model is a fount of information, and a great silent film accompanist as well.  If you've got the time and the dough, you'll be in for a real treat.


"Cruel and Unusual Comedy: Social Commentary in the American Slapstick Film"
Five Wednesdays, 6:30–8:30 p.m., 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3,12/10, (no class 11/26)
Instructors: Ron Magliozzi, Steve Massa, Ben Model and Special Guests. Musical accompaniment for silent films by Ben Model

This course considers how silent era slapstick comedy treats social, cultural, and political subjects that have continued to be central concerns in America to this day. Industrialization, race, ethnicity, gender, public order, violence, and substance abuse have traditionally been among the most vital sources for the "rude" forms of comedy that have entertained mass audiences. Drawing on a body of work that is a particular strength of the Museum's film collection, classes consist of screenings, with historical lectures and classroom discussion.

Five-part courses are $260; $220 for members. Sign up for Museum membership starting at $75 and receive free admission to the Museum for a year and the discounted course prices. For more information on MoMA Courses, e-mail courses@moma.org or call (212) 408-8441.

Class One: November 5
Drag Shows: Cross-Dressing the Sexes
Guest speaker: John Epperson (a/k/a "Lypsinka")
 
GETTING RID OF TROUBLE (1912) Biograph. Dir: Del Henderson. Cast: Charles Murray, Eddie Dillon, Kathleen Butler. 1 reel. A tough Irish cook takes care of mashers.
 
GOOD NIGHT NURSE (1917) Comique. Dir: Roscoe Arbuckle. Cast: Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Al St John, Alice Lake. 2 reels. Fatty's wife checks him into a sanitarium in order to cure his carousing.
 
SWEEDIE LEARNS TO SWIM (1914) Essanay. Dir: Wallace Beery (?). Cast: Wallace Beery, Betty Brown, Ben Turpin, Leo White. 1 reel. Wallace Beery starred in this series as a big lummox Swedish girl, and in this entry Sweedie wants to be a beach bunny.
 
CHASING THE CHASER (1925) Hal Roach. Dir: Stan Laurel. Cast: James Finlayson, Lyle Tayo, Fred Kovert. 1 reel. A suspicious wife hires a detective to trap her philandering husband, who poses as a woman to do it.
 
GET 'EM YOUNG (1926) Hal Roach. Dir: Fred Guiol. Cast: Harry Myers, Stan Laurel, Max Davidson. 2 reels. Dissolute playboy Harry has to marry to get an inheritance, so he makes his valet dress as his bride.
 
 
Class Two: November 12
The Machine Age: Mack Sennett and Henry Ford
Guest speaker: Eileen Bowser, Curator Emerita, The Museum of Modern Art
 
HIS BREAD AND BUTTER (1916) Keystone/Triangle. Dir: Edward Cline & Hank Mann. Cast: Hank Mann, Peggy Pearce, Slim Summerville, Bobby Dunn. 2 reels. Hank gets more than he bargained for when he puts his wife to work.
 
GET OUT AND GET UNDER (1920) Hal Roach. Dir: Hal Roach. Cast: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison. 2 reels. Harold has many trials and tribulations getting to his sweetheart's performance.
 
LIZZIES OF THE FIELDS (1924) Sennett. Dir: Del Lord. Cast: Billy Bevan, Sid Smith, Barbara Pierce, Jack Richardson. 2 reels. All bets are off in a Mack Sennett auto race.
 
ALL WET (1924) Hal Roach. Dir: Leo McCarey. Cast: Charley Chase, William Gillespie, Martin "Tonnage" Wolfkeil. 1 reel. Charley has a good deal of trouble with his new automated status symbol.
 
SUPER-HOOPER-DYNE LIZZIES (1925) Sennett. Dir: Del Lord. Cast: Billy Bevan, Lillian Knight, Andy Clyde, Jack Richardson, Irving Bacon, Leo Sulky, James Donnelly. 2 reels. A scientist has a patent for remote controlled cars.
 
 
Class Three: November 19
Race Riots
Guest speaker: TBA
 
BLACK AND WHITE (1913) Biograph. Dir: Del Henderson. Cast: Dave Morris, Clarence Barr, Sylvia Ashton. 1 reel. Two hoboes, one white the other black, look around for handouts. The white hobo treats his servant terribly until the tables are turned.
 
A CHANGE OF COMPLEXION (1914) Crystal. Dir: Phillips Smalley. Cast: Henry Bergman, Vivian Prescott, Caroline Rankin. ? reel.  A disgruntled cook blacks up her employers for revenge.
 
COME SEBEN, LEBEN (1913) Biograph. Dir: Del Henderson. Cast: Gus Pixley, Dave Morris, S ylvia Ashton, Clarence Barr. 1 reel. Denziens of the black community all try their luck in the local crap game.
 
A NATURAL BORN GAMBLER (1916) Biograph. Dir: ? Cast: Bert Williams. 2 reels. The great stage comic Bert Williams stars in this comedy about a black gambling club, which captures on film his famous pantomimed poker game routine.
 
HAUNTED SPOOKS (1920) Hal Roach. Dir: Hal Roach & Alf Goulding. Cast: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, Edgar Blue, Wallace Howe, William Gillespie. 2 reels. Harold sabotages a plot to swindle a young heiress with the help of the black servants.
 
 
 
Class Four: December 3
No Harm Done: Children & Animals
Guest speaker: Sandra DeFeo, The Humane Society of New York
 
AN ELEPHANT ON THEIR HANDS (1912) Vitagraph. Dir: Frederick Thomson. Cast: George Ober, Kate Price, Flora Finch, Lillian Walker, Robert Gaillard, Charles Eldridge, Hughie Mack. 1 reel. A surprise inheritance from a rich uncle eats peanuts and weighs 11,000 pounds.
 
THE KNOCKOUT (1923) Hal Roach. Dir & Photo: Len Powers. Cast: The Dippy-Doo-Dads. 1 reel. Intelligent monkeys, dogs and ducks enact a spoof of boxing dramas.
 
MIND THE BABY (1924) Century Comedy. Dir: Al Herman. Cast: Pal, Lillian Biron, Fred Spencer. 2 reels. Pal the dog saves a kidnapped baby from raging waterfalls and hungry alligators.
 
WHEN SUMMER COMES (1922) Mack Sennett. Dir: Roy Del Ruth. Cast: Billy Bevan, Mildred June, Kewpie Morgan, Billy Armstrong, Jack Cooper, Tiny Ward, Hughie Mack, Edgar Blue, John Rand, Cubby. 2 reels.  Rampaging lions on the loose in a hunting lodge.
 
CAT, DOG AND CO. (1929) Hal Roach. Dir: Anthony Mack. Cast: Our Gang (Joe Cobb, Wheezer, Farina, Mary Ann Jackson, Jean Darling, Harry Spear, Pete the pup), Hedda Hopper, Dorothy Vernon, Syd Saylor, Silas Wilcox, Robert McGowan. 2 reels. Wheezer enjoys mistreating animals, until they take their revenge.
 
Class Five: December 10
Gratuitous Violence: No Turn Unstoned
Guest speaker: Trav S.D., author No Applause- Just Throw Money
 
THEIR FIRST EXCECUTION (1913) Keystone. Dir: Mack Sennett. Cast: Sennett, Ford Sterling, Edgar Kennedy, Charles Avery, Raymond Hatton, Nick Cogley, Joseph Swickard, Glen Cavender, Rube Miller, Bill Hauber, Dave Anderson. 1 reel. When a convict escapes before his high publicized execution, Ford Sterling is picked to fill the empty electric chair.
 
THE PHONEY CANNIBAL (1915) Kalem. Dir: Chance E. Ward. Cast: Lloyd Hamilton, Bud Duncan, Charles Insley, Martin Kinney. 1 reel. Ham & Bud battle each other, and anyone else who comes onscreen, while exhibiting Bud as a phoney "wild man."
 
COLD HEARTS AND HOT FLAMES (1916) L-Ko. Dir: John G. Blystone. Cast: Billie Ritchie, Monty Banks, Robert McKenzie, Bert Roach, Joe Murphy, James T. Kelly, Charles Lakin, Eva McKenzie. 2 reels. Using dynamite to exact his revenge, Billie Ritchie causes mayhem which results in fire, blasting fire hoses, mud, and bodies careening on piano wires.
 
THE ROUGH HOUSE (1917) Comique. Dir: Roscoe Arbuckle. Cast: Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Al St John, Alice Lake, Agnes Neilson. 2 reels. Director Arbuckle choreographs roughhouse on such a grand scale that it becomes slapstick ballet, with a lot of help from Al and Buster.
 
SWEET PAPA (1924) Fox. Dir: Henry Lehrman. Cast: James Parrott, Mildred June, Kalla Pasha, Bobby Burns, Hilliard Karr, Jerry Mandy, Cameo. 2 reels.  A shanghaied sailor runs afoul of a tyrannical sea captain and his crew.

Fwd: See TARTUFFE in Boston Oct. 25

"Staged by Perrone as a cornucopia of physical gags and played to hilarious perfection" - Rob Hurwitt, San Francisco Chronicle SATURDAY, OCT. 25 Cutler Majestic Theatre, Emerson College, Boston 8pm, Tickets $45 Boisterous characters, lavish comedy and the trademark physicality of the Dell'Arte ensemble combine with the finely crafted satire of Moliere for an evening of masks, music and laughter. In Tartuffe, a religious charlatan takes over a family's life until the tables are turned by virtue of his own excesses. One of Moliere's most acclaimed plays, this work has a clear contemporary resonance for our times in a visually spectacular production the whole family will enjoy. Visit the Cutler Majestic Theatre website for more information and to buy tickets. You can also call 1-800-233-3123 for tickets. The Culter Majestic Theatre is located at Emerson College in the Heart of Boston's Historic Theatre District, 219 Tremont Street. ** STAY AROUND FOR A POST-PERFORMANCE TALKBACK CAST & CREW Michael Fields  | Tartuffe Deborah Taylor Barrera  | Elmire Adrian Mejia | Orgon, Flipotte Andrew Phoenix  | Cleante Barbara Geary | Pernelle, Carina David Ferney | Valere Jackie Dandeneau | Mariane Keight Gleason | Dorine Giulio Cesare Perrone | Director  Kristen Schumaker  | Stage Manager Bruce Marrs | Mask Designer Tim Gray | Sound Designer ABOUT DELL'ARTE: Dell'Arte International is the North American center for theatre training, research, and performance of the actor-creator. We are a committed community of artists who model and share in a sustained ensemble artistic practice. International in scope, grounded in the natural living world, inspired by our non-urban setting, Dell'Arte International explores theatre making, theatre practice and theatre training for ourselves, the world and the future. For more information, visit www.dellarte.com

Support Hospital Clowns in Haifa!

A friend of mine who is a rabbi is doing a bike tour in Israel with his congregants next week, raising money for a cause.

This year the cause is hospital clowns of Haifa!

Read his letter, and if you are so inclined, support his efforts.

You can find out more about the program "Dream Doctors" at

http://www.le-haim.org.il/site/index.asp

You have to wait for the flash, and then click on the English logo.

Pick a hospital, and you can find out more about the program, and the clowns who work it too.


----
Dear Friends,

A dream is about to become reality for myself and a number of my congregants who will begin a ten day, 350 mile biking adventure on October 19th, 2008 in Israel.

In the spirit of fixing that which is broken in the world, we have selected The Children's Hospital Medical Clowns Project of Rambam Medical Center in Haifa to be the recipient of our fund raising efforts. This initiative brings clowns to the oncology ward, using their skills to entertain the children, providing them a much needed respite for them and their families through laughter, compassion and joy.

I am looking for your help and support in making this dream a reality through your generosity. Please help us put a smile on a child's face by making a donation of sponsorship. Donations can be made easily and quickly online by clicking on the following link:

http://www.shaaraytefila.org/we_care/tzedakah.php

Many thanks in advance for your support and much love,

Jason

The Amazing Ted Show at Ars Nova (NY 10/7)

I saw a presentation of this show at the Clown Festival last year-- it was very good, and this is a re-presentation. It's probably gotten even better. It's produced by Glass Contraption.

Go check it out if you have a chance.

See Ted juggle fifty-six chainsaws, set himself on fire, hold his breath for twenty minutes and then turn himself inside out. Featuring renowned entertainers from The Glass Contraption, THE AMAZING TED SHOW! is full of singing, dancing, ukulele, loud noises, attempted feats of acrobatics, falling in love and falling down. Audiences of all ages will love clowning around inside the beautifully stupid and wildly funny world of Ted! Directed by Virginia Scott.

To find out more, visit http://arsnovanyc.com/ or
buy tickets online at smarttix.com

A Play about Clowns

The NY Times had a recent review about a play that features clowns. It's not a clown show-- it's not a clown show, it's a play, that is about a clown.

Sounds really interesting.

Wide-Eyed New Arrivals Falling in Love With the City


By ANITA GATES
Published: October 3, 2008

From Clownlink

If you are a true New Yorker (something that can be measured by purity of passion as much as by length of residence), a play that begins with balloon animals talking to each other in squeaky voices may not sound like your style. That just shows how much you (and I) know.

Saviana Stanescu’s “Aliens With Extraordinary Skills” is an enchanting piece of theater, a paean to New York that just happens to include balloon animals. It’s a simple two-boys-meet-two-girls story about a pretty clown from Moldova (between Romania and Ukraine), her wild-and-crazy-guy clowning partner, an aspiring Dominican actress and an all-American musician trying to find himself. As well as two immigration agents who, suspecting a green-card-motivated marriage, ask the bride questions like “What’s his mother’s bra size?”

Natalia Payne is adorable as Nadia the clown. Her supporting cast (Seth Fisher, Jessica Pimentel, Kevin Isola, Shrine Babb and Gian Murray Gianino), directed with great zeal by Tea Alagic, couldn’t be sharper, and Ms. Stanescu’s dialogue is flawlessly observant.

Nadia and Mr. Fisher’s Borat (yes, like the Sacha Baron Cohen character) want to perfect their English. She tries to remember the word for “when you are like really energetic and full of life.” Borat suggests “outrageous.” No, Nadia says, she thinks the word is “outgoing.” Borat says, no, “That’s when you go out a lot.”

“Aliens” shows us the world of Albanian taxi drivers, the Hot Pink Pussycat club and Craigslist. But it’s Nadia’s love affair with New York that fuels the action. She wants to go to the restaurants she saw on “Sex and the City.” She plans new birthday party tricks because “the kids are smart there.”

Borat’s take on New Yorkers is different. “They work like 14, 16 hours a day,” he says. “They are a bit like zombies, you know.” But Nadia is a true believer. She loves the city even when it turns out that sometimes cool guys at parties in SoHo can treat the hired help like prostitutes.

I’ve always believed that the special energy people talk about as New York’s essence comes from all those newcomers’ hopes and dreams in the air. “Aliens” pays tribute to that energy and at the same time radiates tons of its own.

“Aliens With Extraordinary Skills” continues through Oct. 26 at Julia Miles Theater, 424 West 55th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, womensproject.org.

SHOW: Providence, RI: Credo Theatre Oct 4.

Part of the Firstworks festival, two Bulgarian clowns use puppetry and magic to create a fantastic show.

It's supposed to be great (although I haven't seen it) 

It's in Providence, RI on Saturday, October 4, 8pm
RISD Auditorium

Credo Theatre,
Daddy's Always Right

BULGARIA - U.S. PREMIERE TOUR

Consummate theatrical clowns transform a bare stage into a winter fairyland complete with drifts of dazzling snow in a moving story for adults which remind us of the true value of simple things. With stunning puppet techniques and a little bit of magic, Nina Dimitrova and Vassil Vassilev-Zuek created this performance for the worldwide celebration of the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Anderson's birth. Credo performances have toured the globe, including the London stage of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Appropriate for adults and families – ages 10 and up. Waterfire traffic and parking advisory for Saturday, Oct. 4: Please allow extra time.

Evening JumpStart pre-show performance, 7:15pm

tickets
$18

   "One of the best art events of the festival"
Edinburgh Festival

News: Clowns Face Ban on Playing Trumpets

In England, Clowns have been silenced by a council which has banned them from playing
their trumpets at Zippo's Circus.
The circus said it was told by council officials that the show could not go
on unless the clowns dropped the musical part of their act.

The circus, which is currently performing in Birmingham, fell foul of the
Licensing Act 2003 which forbids the playing of live music without a licence.
A spokesman for the circus said that Birmingham City Council officials
warned the show was breaking the law and would be shut down unless it complied.

But proprietor Martin Burton said that applying for a licence was time
consuming and expensive, and called for circuses to be exempt.
Mr Burton said: "I'm a big fan of silent comedy but this is nonsense.
"Live music is an essential part of traditional clowning, and for us to be
told that they can't play instruments, even in the three minutes of the show
which features trumpets, is laughable."
Peter Luff, Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire, said: "When the law
silences the clowns, one wonders who the clowns really are.
"It would be very funny if it wasn't so serious for circuses.
"For a long time now, the Government has admitted the legislation is having
a disproportionate effect on circuses. It's time for them to act and sort out
this mess."

FW: Call for Mourners: Brick Clown Funeral

CLOWN FUNERAL PROCESSION & CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

Call for mourners!!  Please meet us Sunday at 6:15 at  Bedford Ave. and North 7th Street (Bedford stop of the L Train).  We will moan, sob, wail and keen our way to The Brick.  Where there will be a short viewing before the funeral service from Dzieci.  If you would like to make a brief statement about the soon to be deceseased please come prepared.


Where: Procession begins at Bedford Ave. and North 7th Street (Bedford stop of the L Train)Theatre Group Dzieci leads the funeral rite following, clown widows and widowers will remember with great passion the achievements of the festival in its 4 short weeks of life. Be sure to stay after the funeral rite for the traditional Closing Night Party.

He would have wanted it so
.
www.dziecitheatre.org

www.bricktheater.com/clown/

Naked Clown Calendar 2009

Seeking to raise money to cure Multiple Sclerosis, 16 graduates from the Clown Conservatory of 2008 have unveiled the 2009 naked clown calendar, which features them posing in nothing but their makeup and their birthday suits.

The proceeds from the calendar benefit the Judy Finelli Fund, which supports research and advocacy for cures and treatment of MS. Judy Finelli was one of the finest female jugglers ever. Throughout her career in the 1960s-80s, she made appearances at Carnegie Hall, on Sesame Street, on the Mike Douglas Show, with the Pickle Family Circus. She was also the first and only female president of the International Jugglers' Association. She was also a co-founder of the San Francisco School for Circus Arts (now the Circus Center, where the Clown Conservatory is located)

In 1989, Judy was diagnosed with MS. The illness progressed quickly, removing her ability to perform and disabling her to the point of quadriplegia by 2004. In spite of the effects of this devastating disease, Judy has remained an inspiration to the students of the Circus Center.

The Judy Finelli Fund, created in honor of Judy's life of performing and teaching, supports research and advocacy for cures and treatment of MS. It promotes artistic expression through circus arts training and enables those affected by MS to pursue their passions.

100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this calendar go to the Judy Finelli Fund so that others throughout the world may aspire toward their dreams regardless of their limitations.


To purchase a calendar or to find out more, visit their website listed below:

http://www.nakedclowncalendar.com/

Photos from the Clown Reunion

Article about Clown College Reunion in Baraboo

World's top clowns gather in Baraboo for show tonight

By Brian D. Bridgeford / News Republic

Many of the world's best clowns will be in Baraboo this weekend as they hold a 40-year reunion of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College graduates at the Circus World Museum.

Tonight at 7 p.m., the clowns will perform a show called "40 Years of Laughter" in the museum's Hippodrome as a benefit for Circus World Museum.

On Tuesday afternoon, Baraboo professional clown Greg DeSanto and CWM volunteer Jeff Tobin were moving giant clown props around the museum's Elephant House as they set up exhibits on the history of the college and those who trained there. At least 165 clowns from the United States, Germany and Mexico are expected to attend the event, DeSanto said.

The Clown College was founded in Venice, Fla., in 1968, shortly after entertainment promoter Irvin Feld bought "The Greatest Show on Earth" from the descendants of Baraboo's five Ringing brothers, he said.

"When he looked at the show, there were 14 clowns working. They were great clowns, but the youngest clown was in his 50s, the oldest clown was in his 80s," DeSanto said. "(Feld) saw that the art form was dying."

Feld set up the College of Clowns, later changed to the Clown College, so new performers could learn the arts of clowning from the old masters, he said. The college received 2,000 applications each year, but only 50 performers were selected to participate.

The 10-week program ran six days a week. People learned about every aspect of being a clown — make-up, acrobatics and slapstick gags, even throwing pies, DeSanto said. A 23-year veteran performer, DeSanto said he attended Clown College in 1985 and also taught at the program.

The Clown College ran for 30 years, mostly in Florida, but also ran for three years in the early 1990s at Circus World Museum.

"It was the salvation of American-style circus clowning in America," DeSanto said. "I believe there were about 1,272 graduates from the college."

Even after the Clown College ended, various kinds of clown training programs continue around the United States, such as a clowning camp held periodically at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, DeSanto said.

Among the circus clown memorabilia that is part of CWM's legacy of the Clown College is a prop pizza oven painted with the words "DeSanto's Pizza." DeSanto said he first used it in 1985 to create a routine in Clown College that the managers of the Ringing Bros. Circus liked so much they had him perform it for two years on the road.

"At the end, I put my head in it and it explodes," he said. "A lot of kids remember it because there's a big explosion.

"A lot of drama and a lot of flying powder and pizza dough," DeSanto said.

New Jersey clown Pat Cashin said he graduated during the Clown College's final year in 1997. He was in town to help set up the reunion, but usually works with the Kelly-Miller Circus. It is owned by John Ringling-North II, a descendant of Baraboo's Ringling brothers.

Cashin said he loved the circus as a child, but it was at age 29 that he won admission to Clown College and started a whole new life performing. It is hard work setting up his show and the gags, but he enjoys it.

"It was the chance to start a whole new career," he said. "Once you get out in front of an audience, it's all worth it."

Greg DeSanto's wife, Baraboo professional clown Karen DeSanto, said she was a California resident who already had her own clowning business with several employees when she auditioned to come to chilly Wisconsin for the 1993 session of Clown College. The program began each year after CWM's performance season closed at the end of summer, and she remembers celebrating Halloween in Baraboo.

Clowns have to learn many of the circus skills to perform their gags, she said, but for her the toughest thing was learning acrobatics.

"I could never do a cartwheel as a kid," Karen said. "When they told me I had to fly on a trapeze, and I had to swing in a thing called a Russian swing and I had to do triple stand, stand on somebody's shoulders and somebody stand on my shoulders, I said 'you got to be kidding me.'"

Despite, not being "built for it," Karen said she learned those skills.

Clown College provided the foundation of her future life, DeSanto said. She and Greg lived for a time in New York City and have traveled around the world for clowning performances.

"It broadened my horizons. I've traveled the world doing this," she said. "The circus opened up a whole world of experiences and friendships."

Greg was an instructor at Clown College, and after the course both of them were selected to travel with the Ringling Brothers "Greatest Show on Earth." While working together, romance blossomed and they were eventually married.

"We both thought each other was funny, and you know what happens then," Karen said.

Cashin said people coming to "40 Years of Laughter" will be seeing some of the most talented, experienced clowns in the profession.

"There will be a greater collection of circus clowns here than anywhere in the world," he said.

Karen DeSanto agreed some of the best clowns in the world are in Baraboo this weekend.

"Clowns from all the years of Clown College who have worked in the business all these years will bring their talents to Baraboo to perform," she said. "It's going to be an outstandingly funny, great show."

If you go

* What: "40 Years of Laughter" clown show

* When: 7 p.m. today

* Where: Circus World Museum Hippodrome

* Admission: $7

Article in the NY Time about Clown Festival Classes

At Clown Class, Reaching Deep Into the Psyche for Something Silly

Tina Fineberg for The New York Times

Rima Miller, left, and Lynn Berg in a physical-comedy workshop at the New York Clown Theater Festival.

By APRIL DEMBOSKY

Published: September 11, 2008

In the face of uncertainty, some people go to church. Others dive onto their analyst's couch. The next time life gets confusing, how about a clown workshop?

Tina Fineberg for The New York Times

Bob Berky, with beard, leads Hilary Chaplain, far left, David Gochfeld, Audrey Crabtree and Jeff Seal in an exercise.

We're not talking oversize shoes and rainbow wigs. There's no water-squirting flower, no animal-shaped balloons. Bozo is no idol here; think Puck, Charlie Chaplin, Lucille Ball. This is clown theater. It's a sophisticated approach to reflecting reality through comedy, workshop leaders say, cutting through the politics and politesse of life to reach the simple truths of our existence. And when the clown pulls the curtain back on all the layers of civilization, we can't help laughing, not only at the clown before us but also at ourselves.

Clowning is having a serious resurgence in America. Performance teachers, theories and lessons from Europe and South America have been invading since the 1980s. Now clowning is taught, sometimes as a mandatory requirement, at the Yale School of Drama, New York University, the Juilliard School and other esteemed institutions.

"Working on clown is in vogue right now with performing artists of all different walks," said Dody DiSanto, director of the Center for Movement Theater in Washington. "It's a vehicle to freedom, it's a way to soften and to find truth."

How do you teach someone to be funny? How do you get people to laugh at themselves so that others will also laugh at them? Forget comedy class; this is more like philosophy, religion, psychoanalysis. Through Sept. 28 five professional clowns are teaching workshops at the third annual New York Clown Theater Festival, at the Brick Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Workshops, which vary from one to three days, cost $200. The instructors' approach is an unexpected lesson in soul searching and self-discovery, geared to advanced clowns, performers of all types and members of the public looking to spike their creative life.

In its essence, clowning is psychoanalysis. So the first step in clown training, much as in military training, is desocialization.

"You have to relearn to be deeply inappropriate," said Christopher Bayes, head of physical acting at the Yale School of Drama, who is teaching introductory clowning at the festival. "The body isn't built to sit and be quiet. It's built to run and play and make a mess."

That play is the root of clowning, he said, which gets lost the more we are taught to mind our manners. So aspiring clowns need to delve back into childhood. They need to relearn how to be loud, rude and emotionally raw. How to cry, ask vulgar questions and throw tantrums.

"You have to strip away lots of clever ideas and socializing impulses to get at something much more simple, much more naïve," Mr. Bayes said. "If we can find a way to shed some of that polite behavior, a different kind of sparkle starts to show up in the eye of the actor."

When that polite veneer cracks, what remains is a vulnerable human being. But instead of being exposed in the privacy of a therapist's office or a confessional, the clown is in front of an audience, inviting strangers to relate to the vulnerability.

People won't laugh at a disingenuous, dishonest clown, workshop leaders explained, so more formal actors tend to have trouble playing their actual selves.

"Instead of playing a character, you're shining the light on your own humanity," Ms. DiSanto said. "It's terrifying to expose yourself, but that's what gets a laugh."

Also, clowning is religion.

Bob Berky is a Buddhist clown. He shrugs at the label, and at most others, because, as he often says, "these are just words." But at his workshop last weekend, the first of the festival, the lessons of physical comedy came in philosophical statements about nonattachment, stillness and staying in the present.

"The essence of clowning is seeing what is," he said. "In a lot of Eastern religious literature, even early Western religious literature, you find the 'holy fool,' the idiot who is more conscious of what's going on than anyone else."

On Saturday Mr. Berky guided his students through an exercise involving two socks: one unfolded on the floor, the other scrunched into a ball eight feet away. Participants were asked to stand by the unfolded sock, quietly visualize the path to the scrunched one, then close their eyes, walk the distance between the socks and place a hand on the balled-up one. Two out of nine students did it. The others veered off course, reaching for a sock that was actually a few feet in front of them, several inches to the left or right between their legs. Afterward, Mr. Berky addressed the class.

"How many of you really wanted to touch the sock?" he asked.

Several hands went up in the air.

"Now, isn't that pathetic?" Mr. Berky said.

The students had been too goal-oriented, focused on succeeding, preoccupied with being perfect.

"A lot of comedy is based on the relationship between perfect and imperfect," he said, explaining that walking past the sock or standing on top of it was funnier than touching it. "Performance, more than anything, is watching for accidents."

Lynn Berg, a workshop participant, is an actor from Bushwick, Brooklyn, who has been drawn to clowning classes lately.

"It's a more open approach to performance," he said, because clowning is about "celebrating mistakes." He added, "When you're playing Shakespeare there's an expectation of perfection, which is the opposite of what we're doing here."

Clowning, he said, is about connecting directly with the audience over the joy of being human, shared experience and the recognition that "we are the same."

"It feels spiritual," he said, "in a laughing way."

A version of this article appeared in print on September 12, 2008, on page E5 of the New York edition.

FW: NYC Area Clown Insider Info

SHOW DISCOUNTS

Baby Wants Candy was founded in Chicago in 1997, and has performed
over 2000 completely improvised musicals to sold-out crowds and rave
reviews from Singapore to Edinburgh. The Scotsman says "They are an
entertainment phenomenon and I am in awe of their talent". TimeOut New
York awarded BWC "Best Visiting Comedy Ensemble of the Year". Chicago
Sun Times calls Baby Wants Candy "Critic's Choice".

2 PERFORMANCES ONLY!

SEPTEMBER 12th & 13th

AT THE BARROW STREET THEATRE

Click here to purchase discount tickets!

http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=BAB7

Enter the code: CANDY

----

Ugo's Last Dance is a beautiful musical, based on a canto of Dante's
Inferno, and is the story of three clowns who, under the leadership of
a religious despot, are imprisoned for sedition. It is a play about
survival, about trying to find humanity in the face of oppression, and
the blossoming of love in even the most dire of circumstances. The
production is an extravaganza of music, clowning, foley, fights,
dances, and live musical accompaniment by Moore & Sons, a folk rock
band from Brooklyn. Think vaudeville meets trunk show meets German
Expressionism! Inspiration has come in parts from Commedia styles,
works like La Strada, and Charlie Chaplin.

UGO'S LAST DANCE

September 10 - October 4, 2008

549 W. 52nd Street, 3rd floor (bet. 10th and 11th)

www.ugoslastdance.com

$13 tickets for the following performances: Wed. September 10 at 8pm,
Thurs. September 11 at 7pm, and Fri. September 12 at 8pm.

BUY TICKETS at https://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=UGO

The discount code is UGOLD

CLASSES

The New York Television Festival (www.nytvf.com) is offering Comedy Classes check 'em out.

Writing Sketch Comedy with P.I.T on Sunday at 2:45 http://www.nytvf.com/tixSYS/2008/progguide/schedule/list/2008-09-14/

AND, there is also going to be a late night comedy writer panel that
has yet to be officially announced but it will include the head
writers of Conan, Colbert, Daily Show, Letterman and possibly SNL. It
will likely be at 5 or 5:30 on Sunday.

AUDITION

HIRING THEATRICAL CHARACTERS TO PROMOTOE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S WINTUK

Theatre MAMA seeks PERFORMERS OF VARIOUS DISCIPLINES: PHYSICAL ACTORS,
CLOWNS, ACROBATS, GYMNASTS, ANIMATORS, JUGGLERS, STILT WALKERS, etc.
for an 8-week Mobile Marketing Tour to visit surrounding towns in the
Tri-State area for 8 weeks to promote a Cirque du Soleil's WINTUK
coming into Manhattan this fall for 3 months. For Mobile Marketing
Tour, we will leave from NY City every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
morning, to then return at the end of each day.

Imagine a pair of stilt-walking minstrels around a city's Downtown
area at 5pm to wave goodnight to all of the commuters and leave them
with a flier announcing the arrival of WINTUK by Cirque du Soleil.
Imagine a delicate mime character sitting in a grassy park with 30
children around...all wearing clown noses AND smiles. Imagine a
tumbler wowing crowds on a busy day in the park!

For the Promotional Characters, we seek performers who see this as an
opportunity to perfect their craft. Candidates must have a love for
"causing a scene" and have a talent for balancing the art of
performing and handing out fliers to the public. Finally, the ideal
candidate must be comfortable promoting outside on our world's largest
stage, and must be excited about WINTUK!

The performers hired must be available for the entire run of the tour.
We will be casting this week (week of September 8). For all
interested applicants, please first submit your interest in our
casting network at

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?NewYorkDowntownClown/df825b0f6b/TEST/b4706521a0
[http://cts.vresp.com/c/?NewYorkDowntownClown/df825b0f6b/TEST/99e6241756]


and once in the system, please apply for the specific job Mobile
Marketing Tour and a Theatre MAMA representative will be in touch with
you.

This is a paid gig which requires the utmost professionalism. Please
include a current resume to your application and have a wonderful
day!...

NY Clown Festival Workshop with Bob Berky-- Special Discount!

Architectures of Physical Comedy
With Bob Berkey
Saturday September 6th, 10-3
Sunday September 7th, 10-3
$200 Special Discount $150 ($50 off)
15 Students Max
Break for lunch
at The Battle Ranch Annex
405 Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11206
(2.5 blocks from Morgon stop off the L train)
http://www.vampirecowboys.com/battleranch.htm



This course will explore structural and rhythmic elements of physical comedy, and techniques for opening possibilities of
exploration and writing in the world of the theatrical clown. Participants should come with at least a five minute piece to be "played" with. We will look at their current content and structure of the piece and search for ways of expanding the material in a way that supports and deepens the ideas that the artist intends. Who is the performer and what are they saying?

Bob Berky has performed as a solo artist throughout the world. In New York, he has appeared at the Dance Theatre Workshop, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and as a featured artist at The Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival in "The Alchemedians" and "The Power Project". "The Alchemedians", with Mr. Berky and Michael Moschen, was produced off-Broadway and toured worldwide. He has also performed at the Kennedy Center and Arena Stage in Washington and the National Theatre in London, England.

Bob Berky directed movement and clowning for producer Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival's production of "Twelfth Night" at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. He was movement choreographer for the Longw harf Theatre's production of "A Flea In Her Ear", directed by John Tillinger. He has also worked as movement coach for such performers as Donal Donaldson, Gregory Hines, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Mr. Berky has taught at many universities and theaters as a guest artist and Master Teacher including The Juilliard School, Brandeis University, University of Texas at Austin, the North Carolina School for the Arts, UCSB, Smith College and the Dell Arte School of California. He has worked extensively as a teaching and performing artist with the Lincoln Center Institute.

Current projects include a two man version of Richard 3 with Eric Bass and directing "El Magnifico" currently playing in the NY Clown Theatre Festival.

Dell'arte Goes to Bali 2009 Feb 9-March 12, 2009

FEBRUARY 9 - MARCH 12, 2009
Check out the Bali Blog 2007
by School Director Joan Schirle

Since 1996, Dell'Arte International has invited students, teachers, designers, directors, and artists to immerse themselves in the traditional arts of Bali and encounter the profound spirit of the Balinese people. In this unique and wonderfully successful program participants study traditional Balinese performing arts and crafts with village masters, as well as Dell'Arte mask and movement techniques led by Dell'Arte's Founding Artistic Director Joan Schirle and Dell'Arte faculty.

Bali is an extraordinary island where creativity is ordinary. In Bali, art serves the community, the religious practices, the economy and everyday living. This trip introduces students to Balinese performing arts in a way that allows them to experience how the Balinese live and create, and how family life and religious customs are woven into the creation of art. Unlike programs designed for art tourism, this program is designed for those who want to participate in the family life of outstanding Balinese master teachers as they teach.

Due to the sacred nature of most Balinese arts and the complete intertwining of daily life with ritual, this trip can be an opportunity to deepen our internal connection to our own artistic practice, as well as to take inspiration for creative projects.

THE PROGRAM
The program begins with a relaxing traditional Balinese buffet dinner, followed by three days of orientation to the language, customs, and ceremonies of Bali, as well as informal meetings with Balinese teachers to observe their work. Orientation will include a symposium on masks with famous carver I. B. Anom, visits to the studios of several mask carvers and puppet makers, and attendance at the famous kecak, or monkey-chant dance by firelight.
During the three and a half weeks of formal study, classes meet five days a week. Sometimes our study will take place in a classroom setting, sometimes outdoors, and most often in its traditional setting at village and temple ceremonies.

In addition to their core area of study, all students will study kecak, the rhythmic vocal chant, as well as participate in alternating yoga/Alexander Technique, ensemble voice/chant sessions, plus symposiums on the links between Balinese and western mask performance traditions.

All along there will be time for recreation such as mountain hiking, beaches, scuba, nightlife and shopping, including guidance on how to buy Balinese crafts. Massage and revitalizing body treatments are available at extremely low cost.

CORE AREAS OF STUDY

The core of the program is designed so that each student spends a large percentage of their class time on an area of interest most important to them, and we offer the following options:

• Mask Carving
• Mask Carving/ Balinese Dance (topeng)
• Shadow puppetry (wayang kulit) / Balinese dance

MASK CARVING
Learn from a Balinese master carver how to work with the wood, the traditional tools (axe, chisels, knives), and the paints to create traditional and contemporary masks. You may order and bring home their own complete set of tools for under $40. Students will spend 4 – 6 hours daily in the home of their teacher.
For a lively account of one man's encounter with mask carving, visit this link for interview with design Professor Ron Naverson (S. Illinois U, Carbondale), who was on our '03 trip.

MASK CARVING/BALINESE DANCE
Your morning will include one hour of Balinese dance. Topeng is the name of the masked dance form performed at most Balinese ceremonies. You will work in the studio of a Balinese master teacher, learning the basic walks, postures, arm and head movements in the mask. Topeng is based on stock characters like the king, minister, clown, and you will have the opportunity to see it performed at village ceremonies during your studies. Your carving program is the same as that described above, except that you will have a break after dance, and be carving in the afternoon, spending up to four hours daily with your teacher.

SHADOW PUPPETRY(wayang kulit) & BALINESE DANCE

Wayang kulit is the traditional art of storytelling through shadow puppets, performed by firelight. The puppet master is a combination of priest, storyteller, therapist, actor, and improviser, who manipulates and voices dozens of puppets in one play.
Your morning will include one hour of Balinese dance (see above). Your afternoon will be spent at the home of a shadow puppet master, or dalang, who will instruct you in the art of leather puppet making: design, using the metal punches, painting and rigging techniques. You will observe how the traditional shadow screen is used and develop a short shadow play. Those who are interested in learning Balinese music may elect to spend some time learning the gamelan instrument, the gender, which accompanies shadow plays.

For students who wish to study more dance, we will arrange for other teachers depending on your interest, at a small additional cost.

ACCOMODATIONS

Cost is based on double occupancy in fan-cooled rooms with two beds, private bath, and breakfast included. (Single rooms available for supplemental cost). There is a swimming pool, beautiful gardens, and a covered, open-air studio where some of our classes will be held. Other meals are available in nearby restaurants at very reasonable costs. Vegetarian food is easily available.

You may apply for a shortened version of the program, but must be able to begin the course on the start date. Address inquiries to the Bali program director.

All interested participants will receive detailed advance information on what to bring, how to prepare, and much more.

FOR MORE INFO: EMAIL OR CALL info@dellarte.com 707.668.5663
or visit http://www.dellarte.com

Happy Birthday Clown Alley's Pat Cashin!

Pat Cashin is 29 (again) today.


If you want, you can attend his birthday party drunk, have your makeup sloppily made-up, root through his garbage, smoke cigars throughout his house, curse a lot, and offer to date his wife.

I think he'd like that.

On the other hand, you could just go visit his website and wish him a happy birthday in the comments!

http://www.clownalley.net

Olympic Comedy--Paul Hunt & his Comedy Gymnastics Routines

Just happened across some amazing gymnastic comedy by Paul Hunt. He was a coach and gymnast in the 1980's and does some amazing comedy gymnastic routines in drag. In a tutu, Paul manages to perfectly parody a number of female gymnastic stunts, while at the same time doing a lot of amazing gymnastics and acrobatics himself.

I haven't been able to find out what happened to him (the videos are all from the 1980's) If somebody out there knows, please comment listed below.

There is a Hunt's Gymnastics Academy in Utah, but the webpage is currently defunct.

Enjoy these incredible videos (most of which seem to be shot at Gymnastic competitions, and at least a few of these are commented on by professional sports commentators.) It's very interesting to see the floor routine shot side by side, one in French, and one in English, and how the commentators comment on them.


COMEDY FLOOR ROUTINE IN ENGLISH


COMEDY FLOOR ROUTINE IN FRENCH


COMEDY PARALLEL BAR ROUTINE


COMEDY BALANCE BEAM ROUTINE

Bindlestiff Cavalcade of Youth seeks performers

Got this in from Viveca Gardner, of Playful Productions, and the Youth Director of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. They are looking for Youth under age 21 to perform in the Cavalcade of Youth-- see below for more information. If you'd like to perform, email or call Viveca pronto. They've got spots available, and are always looking for the next generation of fantastic new performers. ======= Hello! It's that time again--we're looking for jugglers, clowns, magicians, musicians, dancers, acrobats, and other variety performers under age 21! We want to put you in the spotlight! The next Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Cavalcade of Youth performances will be September 26 and November 16 (both Sunday afternoons) at the beautiful Zipper Factory Theater in Midtown Manhattan. If you would like to participate, please reply soon! Also, please help spread the word about these great shows--both to potential audience members and to potential performers. All the information is below. Thanks and best wishes to all. I look forward to hearing from you! Viveca Gardiner Director of Youth Programs, Bindlestiff Family Cirkus President, Playful Productions 212-989-4718 EMAIL: Viveca@playfulproductions.com

*****

The Zipper Factory Theater presents
a Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc. and Playful Productions production

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus's
CAVALCADE OF YOUTH
The Performers of Tomorrow Steal the Stage Today!
_______________________________

What: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus's Cavalcade of Youth
When: Sunday, September 28, 2008 Showtime: 2 pm
Where: Zipper Factory Theater
336 West 37th Street, New York City
Admission: Advance Purchase: $7 youth / $12 adults
At the Door: $10 youth / $15 adults
Info/reservations: 212-352-3101 http://www.thezipperfactory.com
_______________________________

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus presents a special showcase for young variety performers, ranging from amateurs to world-class professionals. Juvenile jugglers, diminutive dancers, adolescent acrobats and a host of other moppets and mummers present a full show of vernal vaudeville. Acts range from debuting amateurs to world-class champion performers—all under the age of 21.

Now in its fifth year, Bindlestiff's Cavalcade continues to feature an amazing array of young talent. These are the future stars of Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and television. Where else can you see juvenile unicyclists, tap dancers, magicians, clowns, and contortionists sharing the stage with Broadway-bound singers and classically trained musicians?

Since its inception in January 2004, Bindlestiff's Cavalcade of Youth (COY) program has grown markedly. In September 2006, a few of the COY participants were featured performers in the Speigeltent at the South Street Seaport. In the past year COY has had programs at Abrons Arts Center, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, and COY instructors are offering circus skills in after school programs throughout the city. This past summer, COY participated in the American Circus Youth Festival in Illinois. The 2008 Cavalcade of Youth performance season is hosted by the Zipper Factory.

* * * * * * *

http://www.bindlestiff.org * http://www.thezipperfactory.com * http://www.playfulproductions.com

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