Examining Clown

A Collaborative Exploration of Inclusivity and Power in Clowning

 

We love Clown.

We believe in the power of laughter, tears, and everything in between. The Clown journey is about accepting the self and the other. We believe in metamorphosis and growth through art and the exploration of humor. We believe clown training and work is a powerful tool for artists to question authority, and play with entrenched power dynamics.

But the Clown world is also a predominately White, cisgender one, and Clown training and performance is entrenched in privilege. How do we change this? How do we make space for every voice to be heard and spotlighted? How do we support Clowns in using this art form to highlight structural inequities, as activism?

 

We are a group of Clowns.

We are convening a group of Clown professionals (12 total including the four organizers) — educators and performers. This cohort will take part in a multi-week workshop to explore how we can Clown more inclusively and more critically.

This workshop will start in September, with two full day seminars and six weekly sessions, and will conclude with an open panel discussion or artistic experience.

Through this series of collaborative, non-hierarchical workshops, we will explore these central questions:

What is critical Clowning?

How do we productively acknowledge the power dynamics present in the room?

What is a teacher and how do we remove hierarchy from teaching?

Is art always activism? When is it not? How do we galvanize artists to use their art to solve the social problems that they see?

What happens in a co-intentional space?

How do we ask better questions?

How do we make the best art?

How can Clowning save the world?

 

Why do we need funding?

Inquiry is labor, and we believe in fair compensation for labor — particularly for minority artists. The organizers have been collaboratively formalizing this multi-week workshop series since January 2021, and we further believe it of the utmost importance to compensate our workshop collaborators for their meaningful engagement with this important topic.

We have been able to secure money for insurance. However, we require additional funds to support this work:

Stipend to each artist participating to the workshop, Lunch for Weekend, Administration, Research and Rent space.

We suggest a $20 donation, the price of a Clown Gym class or four coffees in NY.

BUT no donation is too small. Any gift is appreciated and provides encouragement to help us plan and grow this project.

 

 

Onward and Upward!

Our long-term goal is to take what we learn from this initial workshop series into our own classrooms, use this information to better mentor and support underrepresented clown teachers and performers, and develop and offer "Trickster Trainings" to bring more clowns to social justice activism and more social justice activists to Clown. All funding received over our initial workshop needs will be used in support of these longer-term goals.

 

Thank you for your support and confidence in our work!

Ania, Emma, Julia, Omari, Sophie

 

About the Organizers

Ania Upstill (they/them) is a theatre maker, teaching artist and clown. They have worked with Clowns Without Borders and performed clown and drag internationally. They are a white, queer, non-binary person from a middle class background. More: www.aniaupstill.com

Emma Kaywin (they/them) is a consent and trauma educator, activist, and writer. They develop trauma-informed behavioral policies and procedures for diverse spaces across nightlife and education. They are a white, Jewish, queer, nonbinary freak from a middle class hippy household. More: www.emmakaywin.com

Julia Proctor (she/her) is the founder and director of Clown Gym, a professor of acting and clown, a performer, and a mom. She is a white, heterosexual woman from a rural working class background. More: clowngym.com and juliaproctor.com

Omari Soulfinger (he/they) is the director of creative advocacy with Theatre of the Oppressed NYC. He is a physical comedian and facilitator of restorative justice. He is Black, Questioning, from a working poor background. More: www.omarisoulfinger.com

Sophie Amieva (she/her) is a French/Spanish theater maker and producer. She is a bouffon and clown teacher and has been an adjunct professor at NYU for the last 15 years. She is a white cis woman from a working class background. More: www.notamusetheater.com