For over 30 years, Clown Camp has been an intensive training ground for newcomer clowns and for seasoned clowns to hone their skills. Clown Camp was founded and directed by Dr. Richard Snowberg, a clown for over 35 years and an inductee into the International Clown Hall of Fame. Since 1981, over 6000 people from over 25 different countries have […]
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Rik Gern (aka Bonzo Crunch) is a grassroots entertainer currently based in Austin, Texas. He’s been working as a performer since 1978 in places as varied as Chicago, Texas, California, and Australia. Rik Gern started performing in the mid 1970’s, and then studied at the Dell’arte School of Mime and Comedy in 1982 in Blue Lake California, where he […]
Read morePLEASE NOTE: THIS DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL NOVEMBER 20! It’s not often that clowns get praised for being abstract, but here’s our chance! The Healthcare Clowning International Meeting (HCIM) is holding its 2018 meeting from April 4-6, 2018 in Vienna Austria. The topic of the meeting is “The Art of Clowning- Connecting Culture, Health, and Science.” CALL […]
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Book Kennison is a pretty phenomenal juggler who has been working on and off with Chicago’s Midnight Circus since he was 14 years old. Here’s a video of his act on the Midnight Circus from a couple of years ago. And here’s a home video of Book and a friend of his playing some incredible volleys of chair badminton while […]
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Steve Kaplan ‘s book The Hidden Tools of Comedy is a great book for people who are constructing comic scripts. While the book focuses intensively on movies and television, the advice given here is equally applicable to work in the theatre, or even in novels. Fair warning: There are no magic bullets here. Kaplan is not a believer in comic […]
Read moreA version of this review of the Semi Circus show Murmurations originally appeared on the blog http://www.dadapalooza.com Semi Circus  Murmurations I recently saw a new Chicago circus perform their first show. Semi Circus started in 2016 as a circus collective.  They use circus skills, physical theater, improv and other skills to create plays.  Murmurations is their first show. The show […]
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I received a book a couple of weeks ago (Slapstick Divas: The Women of Silent Comedy) by film historian and film series curator Steve Massa that has made for fascinating reading and introduced me to the stories of dozens of very funny comediennes. When we think of silent film comedy today, a great deal of attention gets paid to the […]
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I have been fascinated by American/Australian clown and performer Ira Seidenstein‘s Four Articulations Method for some time. While I haven’t had any direct interaction with the method, it seems to be a creative method using tools and exercises to become more physically articulate with your body, and thus allow yourself to use your full capabilities to express yourself. Michelle Cajolet-Couture, […]
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I got a link to a video today, and after watching it, I felt a little sad/verklempt about Ringling going away. Â (If you don’t know the word verklempt, you should definitely look it up. Â Yiddish words have a way with getting to the heart of emotions. The video is a sad, maudlin, and touching pictorial tribute/video of Ringling clowns. It’s […]
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THE SECRET LIFE OF CLOWNS Former Cirque du Soleil clown (and Clown Conservatory director) Jeff Raz has written a great new book The Secret Life of Clowns that marries two jobs that he put his heart and soul into. For a brief time, Raz was doing both of these demanding jobs at the same time, and now, about 10 years […]
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My friend Trav SD, who writes the wonderful blog Travalanche, recently published the speech he gave at the Coney Island Congress of Curious Peoples. Â He was the keynote speaker, The topic is When Did the Circus Become Un-American. (or more accurately, when did the American Circus Become Un-American) Dick Zigun (founder of Coney Island Circus Sideshow) had suggested the topic […]
Read moreMontreal circus company Cavalia has a new show that opened recently in Chicago (playing through April 23, 2017 at Soldier Field). The show is called Odysseo and bills itself as “The Best Show Ever.” That’s a lot to live up to.  It’s a beautiful, sumptuous show that has amazingly talented acrobats, equestrians, and some of the most talented and trained horses […]
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Roxana Küwen is a circus artist and juggler.  Born in 1989 in Northern Germany, she graduated in 2013 from Fontys Academy for Circus and Performance Art in Tilburg, Netherlands. She completed internships at the circus schools ESAC Brussels, Die Etage Berlin and Le Lido Toulouse. In her second study year she specialized in static trapeze and foot juggling. Roxana’s foot juggling […]
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There’s going to be a clown event  called Laughs for the Left Behind – A Tribute to Patrick Cashin. next Saturday April 8 at 7 pm at the Seashore Day Camp and School 404 Broadway Long Branch, NJ 07740 As you might know, Pat Cashin was a well-loved and respected circus clown and performer who unexpectedly died last year– you […]
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On the website Complex, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus ‘s favorite clown Kinko opines about the new movie IT remake In case you weren’t aware, a huge portion of Coulrophobia (fear of clowns) can be traced to this one movie (and the original Stephen King book). Once the remake is released, I’m guessing even more! Here’s the trailer of the new […]
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While I know I’ve discussed the work of Jeff and Julie Jenkins (and their Chicago-based circus The Midnight Circus) I found a recent page on their website that details something I haven’t talked too much about. For as long as I’ve seen the Midnight Circus, I think they’ve always had a dog in the act. Â It’s been their family dog, […]
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