PUPPETRY AND CLOWNING – NEW COURSE – HILLSDALE, NY, USA
Thursday September 18, 2025 - Sunday September 21, 2025
with Vivian Gladwell and Laura Geilen
September 18 to 21, 2025
This new 4-day in-person course brings together our four years of working online with puppetry and clowning.
What can puppets teach us about reclaiming our human connection to each other and to our world?
For beginners as well as confirmed clowns or puppeteers this course is about finding freedom and discovering the many internal dialogues that we carry within us. We will explore the basics of clowning and comedy through improvisations with puppets. We will also look at making our own puppets out of simple everyday objects.
As puppeteer and clown we meet multiple identities and relationships – the puppet, the clown, the role that the clown plays (or is it the puppeteer?), the audience, another puppet, another clown, another puppeteer, etc. Who are we in all these identities? The learning centers on shape-shifting, emotion, confusion, and juggling with these multiple roles and stories.
Puppetry is about making the world around us come alive and giving a voice to our innermost thoughts. See links about puppetry below.
The group is limited to 12 participants.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
Anyone with an interest in discovering clowning and/or puppetry and how the two can enhance one another. Beginners and professionals alike are welcome.
PREREQUISITES:
No prerequisites
COURSE DATES
18-21 September 2025
TIMES:
Day 1, 2, 3 – 9:30am – 5:30pm
Day 4 – last day – 9:30am – 3:00pm
VENUE: Metabee Farm and Arts, 551 Harlemville Rd, Hillsdale, NY 12529
ACCOMMODATION:
We can provide you with a list of possible accommodation options and prices in proximity to the venue.
MEALS:
Bring your own – Communal lunches.
For enquiries please email Laura at laura@nosetonose.info
Some links about uses of puppets:
Fred Rogers and Daniel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWlYiOtP5mI
Umbilical Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzXhgszDPcQ
Ricky and Doris
https://www.youtu be.com/watch?v=38CPg9OS510
Stems
https://vimeo.com/264137664?ref=em-share
FACILITATORS:
Laura Geilen
Laura lives in Hillsdale, New York, and works with her special friends in Camphill Village Copake. She is a member of Nose To Nose of North America under the guidance of Vivian Gladwell, founder of Nose To Nose of the UK. She collaborates with the acclaimed Walking the Dog Theater (www.wtdtheater.org), with Kevin and Erin Maile O’Keefe of CircusYoga (www.circusyoga.com), and with Berkcirque (www.berkcirque.com). She teaches movement and circus arts, Spacial Dynamics® and clowning to adults, kids and special needs populations throughout the Berkshire-Taconic region. She enjoys bringing people a renewed experience of their creativity, authenticity and aliveness through the transformative power of play.
To read her article on clowning and special needs click here: http://naclownworkshops.blogspot.com/2012/02/clowning-special-needs-and-clowning-as.html
Vivian Gladwell
Vivian is the founder and director of Nose to Nose and has given hundreds of workshops around the world. He lives both in the UK and France where he started clowning in 1978. He speaks French and English fluently.
Vivian began teaching in 1988 as part of the Lifeways Festival at Emerson College – UK. He trained as a facilitator with the Bataclown in 1990 and joined their team in 1991 also working as a modern day Court Jester (Clownanalyst).
He created Nose to Nose UK in 1990, Nose to Nose of North America in 2006 and Fool View, the Social Clowning group and has trained facilitators in the UK, the USA, Germany and Italy – view history.
He continues his role as ambassador for the work by researching the applications of clowning in the context of teacher training, medicine, conflict management, ecology and intercultural work in many countries (South Africa, USA, Senegal, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Italy, Germany, Norway…)
He holds clowning as a social playground for exploring our humanity.
COURSE FEE:
Early bird – $520 (if paid in full before July 12th – midnight, 2025)
Price – $620 (after July 12th, 2025)
Deposit – $200 (a deposit will guarantee your place at $520 if you pay the remaining $320 before July 12th.)
After July 12th your place will be at $620.
PLEASE NOTE: Deposits cannot be reimbursed after July 12th. You get a full refund of the course in the event of Nose to Nose cancelling. Before July 12th cancellations will be charged at $40.
After July 12th the course will be $620.
Click here to book this course or enquire
Note: On some IPADS or IPHONES you may need to “long press” the link above and open new tab.
To book a course follow the link Click here to book… above. You will see on the form whether there are available places. Submit the form with your details and we will let you know how to proceed with payment. Your fee is REFUNDABLE MORE than 2 months before the start of the course. There is a $40 admin fee for refunds. If the course is cancelled your fee will be refunded in full.
Fees are paid online.
We welcome those with previous experience of either storytelling or clowning.
For more information about our way of teaching clowning and our style of work you can read the website articles.
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