OUR APPROACH
As facilitators, we believe we stay true to the spirit of clowning
when we flow with the creative process of each person, when we nurture
its emotional expression and the emergence of the imagination and
when we facilitate and free actors to find their own clown, unique
and grounded in their relationship to the audience.
It is our belief that by focusing on the individual we are, in
fact, going straight to the heart of clowning which is the search
for authenticity both in the social or personal dimensions of our
lives.
The approach to clowning we have developed over the years has important
echoes both in the fields of personal growth with our Clown Within workshops - and in the fields of social mediation
with our Court Jester Group. In
our workshops we have people from a wide range of professional and
social backgrounds, of all ages, with or without previous experience
of the theatre.
Many continue working with us because they find the freedom and
playfulness of the work becomes vital for them.
What happens in a workshop
We work in a group of no more than 12 people. We start warming up
with games, vocal and physical exercises. We then proceed with improvisations
on a stage (alone or with others). Each improvisation is discussed
to identify and bring out the positive and important aspects of our
clown (and how it lives in us).
This is done with care and respect for each individual
and within a framework of rules that ensures a secure and protective
environment.
The Clown Within
The clown’s nose, the smallest mask in the world, is the mask that
unmasks. Through the clown we can rediscover inner qualities of openness,
spontaneity and play. The clown allows our imagination to soar, whilst
keeping our feet firmly on the ground. Working with warm-ups, games
and on the empty stage, we will find our inner clowns through improvisation,
play and welcoming everything that emerges.
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