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."

Goofs & Bongar at the Flea August 7-9

Michael Bongar, former Ringling clown, graduate of clown college and now one of the most well-versed and influential of the variety bookers in the NY Area, is coming out of retirement for one set of shows as part of a NY Goofs reunion night at the Flea Theatre. Billed as his "Farewell Tour", I'm sure there will be lots of ribbing, poking fun, and that old-fashioned stuff... Oh yeah, comedy. Other Goofs will also be performing, including Dick Monday, Tiffany Riley, Hilary Chaplain, Mark Gindeck, Watson Kawecki, Joel Jeske, Evelyn Tuths, Michael Preston, Larry Pisoni, Mike Smith, Jay Stewart, Therese Schorn, Kim Winslow AUGUST 7, 8 & 9 7 PM $20 Tickets - 212-352-3101 The Flea Theatre 41 White St New York, NY 10013 (212) 226-0051 or visit www.theflea.org

Bindlestiffs Reality Show on the web

Add another show to your summer web watching schedule. The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has a new reality show that is being broadcast on the web. Each week will feature a mini-sode that is a different aspect of working with the Bindlestiffs-- booking, rehearsing, performing, touring. The trailers look like they are taken from all over the last 10 years or so (or at least incorporate footage from that time period.) The whole thing is supposed to start on 8/1/08, but there's some pretty good footage/trailers up on the site now. Here are some screengrabs from the trailers. For more information or to watch the show, visit the websites listed below: WEBISODES: http://www.thebindlestiffs.com WEBSITE/INFO: http://www.bindlestiff.org

Authentic Dynamics Workshop: Momentum & Change (NY)

Authentic Dynamics: momentum and change for actors and clowns Join Under the Table's Matt Chapman on Saturday, July 5 in Brooklyn for a unique physical investigation of the dynamics of the performer This world works on certain undeniable dynamics. To perform with authenticity, the actor must have the ability to identify and navigate them. In this workshop, a few fundamentals of the stage will be explored, including johakyu ( beginning/middle/end, or how things grow, break, and resolve), minimum-to-maximum, evolution, and the rhythms of comedy. W This workshop is appropriate for actors, clowns, and directors of all levels. Learn to see human action and comedy onstage more clearly. Dress to move and bring water. When: Saturday, July 5, 2008. 1-6:30 pm Where: Triskelion Arts: 118 N. 11th St, 3rd Floor. (L to Bedford, Williamsburg, Brooklyn) Cost: $75 (Limited scholarships are available) To register, reply by email. Payment holds your slot. us@underthetabletheatre.org Note: Class size is limited. If it gets filled up, they'll add a repeat section on Sunday the 6th, so if you're interested in that, let Matt know quickly. __________________________________________________________ Matt Chapman is a performer, director, and teacher of physical theatre and clown. He is Artistic Director of Brooklyn's Under the Table, a physical theatre ensemble. He also tours as an actor with Dell'Arte International (California). In the US, Matt has taught Clown and Improvisation as adjunct faculty at Marymount Manhattan College and Manhattanville College in New York, and has taught workshops at New York University, Vassar College, Sarah Lawrence College, Towson University, Luther College, the University of Iowa, the University of North Dakota, the New York Fringe Festival, and the Carolinian Shakespeare Festival, as well as working in public schools and with the mentally ill in New York care facilities. He has served as an assistant to Ronlin Foreman, Clown master and Director of Pedagogy at Dell'Arte International. Matt teaches abroad as well; his workshops in the last year have included South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, and England. This past winter and spring, Matt directed "Circus Life," a contemporary circus work about HIV/AIDS in Durban, South Africa, toured the US teaching workshops for Dell'Arte International through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and taught Clown workshops in Denmark with the other members of Under the Table while on tour there. He attended the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas. To find out more about Matt's work, please visit the websites listed below: http://www.underthetabletheatre.org http://www.clownnosefactory.com

Kirk Marsh

Kirk Marsh is a clown and entertainer that has been described as an amalgamation of Charlie Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, and Dick Van Dyke rolled into one. His shows feature magic, juggling, eccentric dance,and oddball audience participation routines. His performances portray a man at odds with his life and his props. Kirk is a graduate of Ringling Brothers Clown College. Part klutz, part consummate entertainer, Kirk's shows and acts have delighted and amazed audiences around the world, from Las Vegas casinos to the world's largest cruise ships. Some of his employers have included Disney, Ringling, 3M, IBM, The RIO casino in Las Vegas, and Caribbean Cruise lines. He recently had a very successful performance at the International Circus Festival of Albacete, Spain. To find out more about Kirk, visit his website listed below: http://www.kirkmarsh.com

BAMBOUK show in NY starting April 16

Bambouk brings their Vaudeville-inspired silent comedy to NY for a limited run from April 16-27. Bambouk is the creation of two American theatre clowns, Matthew Duncan and Brian Foley. Matthew and Brian juggle plates, flip hats, ride a sixfoot unicycle, play the accordion, ukulele and musical saw, even make an audience member float in mid-air! They wear no makeup, just red noses and tuxedos. BAMBOUK has opened for the Drifters, the Platters and Charo, and shared the stage with award-winning circus artists from the Moscow Circus, Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe, Big Apple Circus and Cirque du Soleil. Together and individually they have been the featured physical comedians in stage productions, ice shows, cruise ships and theme parks since 1990. BAMBOUK has been seen multiple times in China, Japan, Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and throughout the contintental U.S. BAMBOUK Bald Comedy. In Tails. WHEN: Opens April 16 - April 27, 2008 WHERE: American Theatre of Actors located at 314 West 54th Street, 2nd Floor SCHEDULE: Tuesday-Friday at 8pm; Saturday 2pm and 8pm; Sunday 2pm and 7pm PRICE: Tickets are $30 for Adults, $20 for Children aged 8 to 13 OTHER NOTES: Not suitable for children under 8. Recommended for Adults. Call SmartTix at 212-868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com Running time is 1 hour, 45 minutes with one intermission More information: http://www.bambouk.com/

Clowns Talk about Clowning- YouTube Videos

Jim Moore, the variety arts photographer who has probably photographed more clowns than anybody in the history of photography, has been doing something new-- he's been videotaping clowns. If you check out his YouTube videos (URL below), he's putting up interviews with performers as they talk about their work, how they create their work, and even why they create their work. Jim's got tons of archival stuff, so who knows what else he's got in his archives. Recently he posted an interview with Keith Nelson of the Bindlestiff's, and he's also got David Engel and Hilary Chaplain talking about creating a new act for David's character El Magnifico. HILARY CHAPLAIN & DAVID ENGEL VIDEO I suggest subscribing to his YouTube feed on the page, or checking in there pretty often to see what rare and interesting material he surfaces. He'll also be interviewing somebody from the NY Downtown Clown Revue every month, where he remains the official staff photographer) (And speaking of subscribing, thanks to the ever more efficient Pat Cashin of Clownalley.net for the link to Keith's interview. I knew Jim was putting these videos together, but didn't think to mention them until I saw Pat's post. He beats me to the punch a lot in posting stuff.) If you are not RSS'ing Clownalley.net, you should be! Jim's Youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=jm5star&p=r Pat Cashin's Clown Alley: www.clownalley.net

Safety Last, with Ben Model Riverdale, NY 1/26

Safety Last with Ben Model Yes, it's Harold Lloyd in his iconic climb up the side of the 12-story Bolton Building, accompanied live by Ben Model, a silent film historian and accompanist for the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1997 he founded "The Silent Clowns Film Series" with film historian Bruce Lawton. Ben composes all his own scores, and performs in a style that is both evocative of the silent era and also aware of a contemporary (and younger) audience's awareness of music and film scoring. Ben composes and improvises all his own scores, and performs in a style that is both evocative of the silent era and also aware of a contemporary (and younger) audience's awareness of music and film scoring. After each movie - come upstairs to our candle-lit cafe and enjoy complementary coffee, wine, and sweets before you go home for the evening. Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 8:00 PM Neuwirth Theatre 5625 Arlington Avenue Bronx, NY 10471 Map & Directions TICKETS ARE $12 and available online: http://www.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=121438

Jim Moore Photo Exhibition of the Twin Towers Tightrope Walk

In 1974, mime and photographer Jim Moore became the right-hand-man for aerialist Philippe Petit during the secret preparations and daring guerilla tightrope walk between the two World Trade Center Towers. Thirty three years later, Jim is presenting his photographs of the event in oversized 50" x 35" Iris prints, including shots titled On the edge of the abyss, A Helicopter's View, 110 floors, and more. The shots reveal the inner workings of the audacious preparations, including climbing and rigging of the World Trade Towers, all done in complete secrecy. The exhibit will run October 16- November 4 at the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, 315 Columbia St, Red Hook, Brooklyn. An opening reception is planned for Wednesday October 17 from 6-9 pm. There is no word yet if there will be a commemorative tightrope walk at the reception. For more information about the tightrope walk, visit the wikipedia article on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit

The Midnight Circus

The Midnight Circus started as a collaboration between circus clown Jeffrey Jenkins and actress Julie Greenberg. They combined their talents to create a 5 minute eccentric acrobatic act to be featured with Vermont's Circus Smirkus. While on tour with the show, they apprenticed themselves to two former stars of The Moscow Circus. In between shows and practice, they would all sit over a cup of tea (or a more than occasional vodka!) and share aspirations and ideas for the future of performance. It was in that backlot that the seeds were planted for The Midnight Circus. In 1997, having returned to Chicago, they created a show called The Midnight Circus: When Circus and Theatre Collide, which was what happened when a Shakespearean troupe and a Circus troupe end up sharing the same performance stage, and what happens when they mix. That show got great reviews and ending up running in various incarnations for the next year. Later that show was licensed by the Big Apple Circus, which took it on tour to large theatres across the United States. Since that time Jeff and Julie have served as artistic directors for Circus Smirkus, have created many other shows in the Chicago area, including a tented show called The Big Bang and Other Amazing Adventures! which played in a tent on Chicago's Museum campus for three months, and an annual Haunted Hijinx show in Daley Plaza, which combines the theme of haunted house and circus arts. They also work with many of the other Chicago Theatres, performing and directing. In addition to this work they tour the cruise ship circuit, create shows for corporations, and have collaborated on another front: they have a child together. The Midnight Circus also has had at one time or another training opportunities and performance opportunities for most of Chicago's clowns at one time or another. Next up for the Midnight Circus is a weekend of performances in Chicago's Welles' Park Four shows Sept 29-30. Shows are at 3:30 and 6:30 pm. Tickets are $10 each (children under 2 are free) To find out more about the Midnight Circus, please visit their website listed below: http://www.midnightcircus.net

Au Revoir, M. Marceau

Marcel Marceau died yesterday, and the world is a sadder place for it. The only real response to Marceau dying can be this " ! " He was a true master of his work, and he popularized (and romanticized) the work of mime to an unbelievable degree. there's no question that nearly every clown or mime performing in the world owes something to Marceau. And every mime-bashing joke also owes Marceau too. He didn't invent mime (he was a student of Etienne Decroux, widely considered to be the father of modern mime), but he turned it into something that has become part of our national zeitgeist. Everybody has a feeling about mimes (usually bad ones who were imitating the Master) I saw Marceau perform three times, and saw him teach once (he gave a demonstration at a master class that I was in.) Popped in unexpectedly. He demonstrated the Ages of Man (an exercise in which you start as a baby and transform into an old man slowly going through life) He was a fantastic performer and a generous teacher, and someone who did what he loved to do his entire life. I saw him last in the late 1990's, and he performed his computer dating bit, and while the material itself was dated, he was fantastic in it. He had real heart and soul, and the world is poorer (and strangely louder) because of him. BBC OBITUARY: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7009040.stm REUTERS OBIT: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-arts-marceau.html MARCEAU INTERVIEW (CSM): http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0923/p25s01-almp.html INFO ABOUT MARCEAU'S SCHOOL: http://www.mime.info/EIMP_help.html

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

Since 1995 the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has traveled the world, bringing its unique hybrid of vaudeville, circus, burlesque, and sideshow to theaters, clubs, colleges, and festivals. The company has produced innumerable cabaret shows, custom performances for special audiences, all-ages and family productions, and sophisticated adult shows. Over the last five years the company has begun developing more theatrical productions, including 2001's Buckaroo Bindlestiff's Wild West Gender Bender Jamboree, 2003's High Heels & Red Noses, and 2005's From the Gutter to the Glitter: A Night Out with the Bindlestiffs. In 2004 Bindlestiff instituted its annual children's performance program, the Cavalcade of Youth, in which young performers and technical staff (ages 8-20) have the opportunity to hone their skills with variety arts professionals. The Bindlestiff Family co-founders are Stephanie Monseu and Keith Nelson, who over the last decade have hosted a variety of outrageous talent under the Bindlestiff banner. Individually both Keith and Stephanie provide a vast array of talents, from public relations to booking to performing. Their personal dedication to the variety arts, circus, vaudeville, sideshow, and burlesque has made the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus famous both among audiences and within the variety performance community. From 2002 to 2004 the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus operated the "last vaudeville house in Times Square." In conjunction with chashama, Bindlestiff opened Bindlestiff's Palace of Variety and the Free Museum of Times Square. The Palace presented up to five performances a day, presenting continuous vaudeville shows on 42nd Street and hosting nearly thirty other productions. [NOTE: During this time, I performed with the Bindlestiff's performing my flea circus on weekends, and working as the Outside Talker during night shows] The size of the Cirkus can range from two to sixteen performers, depending on the show. Over 200 performers from a multitude of disciplines have entertained Bindlestiff audiences across the country and around the world. Bindlestiff has brought its grand spectacle to hundreds of thousands from a live stage, and over a million through television. Dedicated fans come back again and again expecting the very best and most original acts working today. In 2006 the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and Magic Hat Summer Variety Show made its debut tour. Co-sponsored by Magic Hat Brewing Company, this production sought to bring circus to festivals and music stages up and down the East Coast. For the next two weeks, the Bindlestiffs will finish their 2007 Magic Hat Tour. The show currently features some of the Bindlestiff's best and brightest, including juggler and clown Adam Kuchler, funambulist Ariele Ebacher, cowboy extraordinaire A.J. Silver, organist Frederik Iversen, and of course Philomena Bindlestiff and Mr. Pennygaff (the founders of the show) To find out more about the Bindlestiffs, visit their website listed below, or call their Hotline. WEBSITE: http://www.bindlestiff.org HOTLINE: 1-877-BINDLES TOUR SCHEDULE: September 5 Tink's 519 Linden St Scranton, PA 18503 (570) 346-8465 http://www.clubtinks.com/index.php Showtime 9 September 6 The Chameleon 223 N. Water St. Lancaster, PA 17603 http://www.chameleonclub.net/ HOTLINE: 717.393.7133 Showtime: 9 Friday Sept 7th Zipper Factory 336 W. 37th Street NYC 10018 212-563-0480 http://www.thezipperfactory.com showtime 9pm September 8 - 9 Boston Tattoo Convention Boston Center for The Arts 539 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02116 http://www.bcaonline.org Doors at noon Saturday & Sunday Shows throughout the day September 10 The Lucky Dog Music Hall 89 Green St Worcester, MA 01604 508-363-1888 Start Time: 8:00 PM Sept 12 The Red Square 388 Broadway Albany, NY 12210 (518) 465-0444 www.redsquarealbany.com show 9pm September 13 Hops in the Square 100 East Genesee St Downtown Syracuse event begins at 5pm show 6pm-7pm September 14 The Rex Theater 1602 East Carson St Pittsburgh, PA venue phone 412-381-6811 http://www.elkoconcerts.com/rextheater.htm Show 8pm September 15 World Cafe Live 3025 Walnut Street Philadelphia PA http://www.worldcafelive.com/ tix and info 215 222-1400 Show 8:00 pm

Jennifer Miller & Circus Amok

Circus Amok is a New York City based circus-theater company whose mission is to provide free public art addressing contemporary issues of social justice to the people of New York City. The group has been together since 1989 bringing its funny, queer, caustic and sexy, political one-ring spectacles to diverse neighborhoods from East New York to the East Village. The company is comprised of seven ring-performers, a 7 member live band, 3-roustabouts, and a trucker/technician extraordinaire. The performers in the ring are trained in traditional circus skills - tight rope walking, juggling, acrobatics, stilt walking, clowning - as well as experimental dance, theater, and gender-bending performance art and improvisational techniques. Over the years the traditional circus techniques have been combined with dance, lifesize puppetry, music old and new, and dramatic monologues creating new meanings for circus while continuing to entertain the crowds of all ages throughout the city streets, gardens, parks, and playgrounds. The troupe was founded by Jennifer Miller, a real-life bearded woman (although she prefers the sobriquet "woman with a beard") and a superb circus/sideshow artist. Jennifer has received an Obie and Bessie Award for her work. In addition to performing, Jennifer has taught performance and other subjects at several universities, including UCLA, Cal Arts, Scripps College and NYU. Along with a number of other artists, Jennifer and company each year create a new show that talks about one of the tough issues that New Yorkers face. This year, the show is called Bee-dazzled, and while I'm not sure of the content yet, I am pretty positive some mention of the curious lack of bees, and the environmental havoc being caused by industry, will feature heavily into the show. If you'd like more information about the company, please visit their website listed below. Also below is the 2007 schedule for Circus Amok. Please check their website for additional information. http://www.circusamok.org ============= BEE-DAZZLED SCHEDULE ============= *** FREE FREE FREE *** ALL REAL *** ALL ALIVE *** FREE FREE FREE Glamorous, Gritty, Dangerous, Glorious, Acrobatic Entomologists, Querelous Quandaries, Fantastical Fruits, Incredible Insects, Vaulting Villains, Stupendous Sideshow Spectacular. 2007 Tour Schedule: [but be sure to check http://www.circusamok.org for weather updates and late-breaking news!] SAT 9/1 -- RIVERSIDE PARK -- 2PM and 5PM -- Enter at 79th St. and Riverside Drive, NYC SUN 9/2 -- WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK -- 1PM, 3PM and 5PM -- University Ave. and Washington Square North, NYC MON 9/3 -- CONEY ISLAND -- 2PM and 5PM -- West 10th St. and Surf Ave., BROOKLYN THURS 9/6 -- UNION SQUARE PARK -- 12:30PM, 3PM, 5:30PM -- Union Square West and 17th St., NYC FRI 9/7 -- COLUMBUS PARK -- 12:30PM and 5:30PM -- Mulberry St. btwn Worth and Bayard, NYC SAT 9/8 -- ST MARY'S PARK -- 3PM -- St. Ann's Ave. and St. Mary's St., BRONX SUN 9/9 -- PROSPECT PARK -- 1PM, 3PM and 5PM -- behind the Tennis House, enter at 9th St. and Prospect Park West, BROOKLYN FRI 9/14 -- MARCUS GARVEY PARK -- 5:30PM -- Madison Ave and 124th St, NYC SAT 9/15 -- FT GREENE PARK 2PM and 5PM -- Dekalb and Washington Park.,BROOKLYN SUN 9/16 -- TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK -- 1PM, 3PM and 5PM -- 77th St. and Ave. A, NYC Visit http://www.circusamok.org for late-breaking news and weather updates!

I'd like Fries with that... The Clown in Yonkers

This op/ed piece (titled appropriately, the clown in Yonkers) appeared in the Westchester Journal News. I felt like I needed to make some reference to it, as I am the clown in Yonkers! (although this particular editorial features a Red-headed clown who slings hamburgers (and a failed protest at the library) The clown in Yonkers (Original publication: August 25, 2007) It's always amusing when protesters against (pick your cause) are outnumbered by reporters, photographers and, in the case of the anti-McDonald's protest Tuesday in Yonkers, uniformed and plainclothes police. Warning of an attempt to "brainwash" children into becoming lifelong McDonald's customers, the Rev. Scott Pellegrino mounted what turned out to be a one-person protest of an appearance by mascot Ronald McDonald, who read to children and handed out "Happy Meal" coupons to kids who read five books as part of a summer library reading club. The Yonkers resident was easily outnumbered at Grinton I. Will Library by the 60 parents and children on hand to welcome the red-haired clown, whose employer sponsored the reading program. We are thankful there was no violence, as had been feared. Stephen Force, the library's director, requested a police presence and some half-dozen showed. "It was unclear from my communication with (Pellegrino prior to the visit) whether he intended to disrupt the program." Brilliant move. Had the ordained minister failed to comport himself, the kids no doubt would have been on him in a child-sized heartbeat; woe is the protester who stands between a 4-year-old and her "Happy Meal." And what was Pellegrino bringing to the table anyway? Carrots? Peas? Broccoli? Maybe some business about impressionable minds, high-fat diets, the epidemic in childhood obesity? These kids know who salts their french fries and pours their chocolate shakes. READ THE WHOLE EDITORIAL READ THE NEWS ARTICLE

NY Workshop with Mario Gonzalez

Master Commedia Dell'Arte Mask and Clown Teacher, Mario Gonzalez, former principal actor with Le Theatre Du Soleil and Master Mask Teacher at the Conservatoire National Superieur D'Art Dramatique in Paris, will teach two workshops in New York in the beginning of August. The workshops are designed for professional actors and other performers, yet are also appropriate and useful for teachers, directors, therapists, and others who work with the public. The class has three parts: 1) Le Choeur: (chorus) Working with the Neutral Mask. 2) Le Naissance (birth) Creation of characters using masks. 3) Improvisation: texts, songs, props, and interactions with other characters. Two workshop sessions are offered July 30-August 4, 2007 from 2-6 pm August 6-11, 2007 from 6-10 pm at the Access Theatre, 380 Broadway (2 blocks south of Canal St) Cost $450 for each workshop Classes limited to 12 students. Balance due first day of class. REGISTRATION & INFORMATION Contact Ariane Anthony: arianeanthony@yahoo.com (718) 349 - 0008; or visit http://www.maskandclown.com for more information. ABOUT MARIO GONZALEZ Mario Gonzalez, originally from Guatemala, trained in Central America as an actor and moved to France in the late 60s. He spent eight years as a member of Ariane Mnouchkine's Theatre du Soleil, performing acclaimed roles in her productions of LES CLOWNS, LA CUISINE, 1789, and L'AGE D'OR. He also appeared in her films MOLIERE and 1789. With the passion for commedia dell'arte he developed while working with Mnouchkine, he has created his own pedagogy in neutral and commedia mask and clown. He is considered the leading expert in these disciplines in France. Since 1980, Mario Gonzalez has been the Master Mask and Clown teacher at the Conservatoire National Superieur d'Art Dramatique in Paris, France's national theatre school. At the Conservatoire he has trained some of the most important names in French theatre and film. Mario has given workshops at theatre conservatories throughout the world, including Canada, Japan, South Korea, Iran and many countries in Europe, Scandinavia, and Latin America. As a director, he has mounted nearly a hundred productions around the world.

Sue Morrison

Sue Morrison has been teaching, directing and collaborating on Clown and Bouffon across the globe for more than 20 years. Her students are currently featured in Cirque du Soleil, Slava's Snow Show, Blue Man Group, Second City and on other international stages. Sue trained with Second City and Keith Johnstone and performed improvisation throughout Canada and later became a Second City main stage writer/performer. On a 'quest to work from her heart', she met Clown through Mask visionary Richard Pochinko, and after working with him for many years, he asked her to be his apprentice. Today, Morrison's unique and powerful work brings together the diverse elements of Native American and European Clowning, Bouffon, le Jeu, and Improvisation, ultimately creating dynamic performance spectacles. Sue has been Artistic Director of the Theatre Resouce Centre since 1993. She has taught at the Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre, and works regularly with the LUME company of Brazil. During the past 3 years, she has been a presenter at International Theatre Conferences in Brazil and Argentina. The Bravo Arts Channel aired Burnt Tongue, directed and co-written by Morrison and her work has been the focus of several international documentaries. Sue collaborated on Absence of Magic, which was acclaimed by Time Out NY and the Village Voice. Other recent works in NYC include John Brown theatre's, The Bastard American Show, and creator of the popular bouffon, Red Bastard. Sue regularly teaches workshops in Toronto, London, and the US. To find out more about her work, please visit her website listed below: http://canadianclowning.com/

500 Clown

500 Clown is a physical theatre company based in Chicago. They have been creating work together since 2000. Their mission as a company is to create shows that use circus arts, improvisation, and action to create charged environments that allow the performers to take emotional and physical risks, and lets the audience become an active observer. Their signature piece is 500 Clown MacBeth. Since that show, they have gone on to create 500 Clown Frankenstein, 500 Clown Christmas, and the piece that they are currently working on is a 500 Clown version of A Man's A Man, by Bertolt Brecht. Currently, 500 Clown is in residence at the Steppenwolf Theatre where they are performing Macbeth & Frankenstein in repertory through July 29.. They've gotten great reviews, and in December of 2007 will be in New York at PS122. Despite their name, the group consists of the following members: Adrian Danzig Adrian Danzig is a clown and performer who has been in shows at the Goodman, Second City, Berkeley Rep, B.A.M., The Public Theater, and LookingGlass. He has studied with Ctibor Turba, Philippe Gaulier, Ronlin Formena, Dominique Jando, Avner the Eccentric, and David Shiner, to name a few. Adrian works with the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit in Chicago, and teaches physical theater at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Leslie Bauxbaum Danzig Leslie is the director of the 500 Clown shows. She has worked with Redmoon Theatre, Elevator Repair Service, choreographer Molly Shanahan, and at a number of other venues. Leslie studied at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq, and with Philippe Gaulier & Ronlin Foreman. She is currently completing a PhD at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Molly Brennan Molly has worked with a number of groups in the Chicago area, including Barrel of Monkeys, The Chicago Children's Theatre, Second City, and the House Theatre of Chicago, where she is a company member. She won a Joseph Jefferson award for her work in Curse of the Crying Heart. Molly works as a clown and supervisor for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit in Chicago. Paul Kalina Paul has worked at the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, the Court Theatre, and other theatres around Chicago. He co-founded the physical theatre duos Le Pamplemousse, and the Bumblinni Brothers, for which he has toured across Canada and the United States. He also has worked for Big Apple's Clown Care Unit. Paul is a graduate of the Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre and the University of Idaho (MFA) To find out more about 500 Clown, visit their website listed below: http://www.500clown.com UPDATE: Audio podcast interview with Molly and Paul of 500 Clown is available online. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST at http://www.theatreinchicago.com.

Mark Jaster

Mark Jaster is a clown and mime based in the Washington, D.C. area. The Washington Post has called Mark Jaster a "clown extraordinaire and one of the most graceful performers you will ever see on a stage." Mark's skills in mime were developed in training with 20th-century masters Marcel Marceau and his teacher, E. Decroux, along with careful observation of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harpo Marx. Mark served as teaching assistant to Mr. Marceau in a series of seminars in Michigan, and he teaches frequently in Artist residencies, theatres, and dance programs. Mark has three solo performances that he tours: Piccolo's Trunk, A Fool Named 'O', and The Maestro. In all of them, Mark combines live music, unusual instruments, outrageous acrobatics, and hyper-advanced communication skills all together in a performance that erases the bad feelings that most people have when they conjure up the word "Mime." Mark recently created a new show with his wife and partner, Sabrina Mandell, The Seven Ages of Mime, which had a sold-out run at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. Mark is a regular as Herr Drosselmeyer in the Maryland Youth Ballet's Holiday Nutcracker, and has appeared frequently with the Washington Revels and on the stage of the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Mark is a proud member of The Big Apple Circus' Clown Care Program, performing at the Children's National Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University Hospital. To find out more about Mark's work, please visit his website listed below: http://www.markjaster.com

Malcom Garey: The Frog Jumper

I read an article about Malcolm Garey, the Frog Jumper, and thought that I had to make a post about him (being a flea circus guy myself, I feel a strange kin to others who take on the strange and mysterious arts. Malcolm Garey is a 63 year old showman who started his frog-jumping business in 1982. He is based in Florida, and tours primarily to state fairs and festivals across the United States. Garey travels with about two dozen male bullfrogs along with his mascot "Peewee" a five pound bufo marinas toad from Surinam. Each frog has a life expectancy of about 6 years. (in the wild they would last around 2) At each festival, Garey chooses contestants from the crowd, ages 2 to 80 to be frog jockeys. The frog jockey places the frog on the launching pad, and then doesn’t touch him again until the frog has jumped three times. The frog that jumps the farthest wins. Sometimes the frogs need a little (or a lot) of convincing to jump. "We cheat a lot," says Garey. The current world record for frog jumping is 21 feet, 5 and ¾ inches, set in 1986 by “Rosie the Ribbiter,” entered by Lee Guidici of Santa Clara, Calif. Garey doubts that any of his current frogs are capable of jumping that distance. But hey, you never know. Malcolm Garey doesn't seem to have a website. You can read the article I read at the Detroit Free Press. Thanks also to Jackofalldays.com for their article about Garey that filled in some of the holes.

Mad Science®

Mad Science® is the world’s leading science enrichment provider. They deliver entertaining educational hands-on science experiences for children in every North American market and in 19 countries worldwide. Mad Science was founded in 1986 by two brothers from Montreal, Ariel and Ron Shlien. They started at a local YMCA with a 300 dollar laser, and built up a very successful birthday party business in the Montreal area. They soon expanded into educational programs, and even providing edu-tainment for cruise ships. In 1995, the brothers decided to franchise their work and spread it out across the United States. There are now over 90 franchisees of Mad Science shows, and they have created a global brand that includes books and other products. Mad Science has over 6 shows that tour nationally, and dozens of other educational shows that their franchisees can choose to present, including birthday party shows, school assembly shows, and other types of interactive performance and educational experiences. In addition, Mad Science custom designs exhibits for museums, amusement parks, and other educational institutions. Their franchisee model is (to my knowledge) unique in the clown educational market. To find out more about Mad Science, please visit their website listed below: http://www.madscience.com/

Mandy Dalton

Mandy Dalton is an actress and clown based in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She develops comical and whimsical characters for all sorts of special events. Her characters can fit into nearly any theme. She can even design a character especially for your occasion. Her circus skills--juggling, stilt-walking, unicycling, magic--mesmerize audiences. In addition to strolling entertainment, Mandy has 30 and 45 minute presentations available. For family audiences, she presents Mandy the Clown For more sophisticated crowds, She does a standup routine as Madame Olga the psychic. And she has created a number of different characters for corporate events, including a bumbling waitress to sell cleaning supplies, a mermaid to sell hot tubs, and a stilt-walking Statue of Liberty to sell raffle tickets for a trip to New York. Mandy also has a 30 minute educational show titled ‘Kid Fit! with Mandy.’ Her show helps kids 5-12 learn better health habits, like exercising and eating right. To find out more about Mandy's work, please visit her website: http://www.mandydalton.com

Matthew Pauli

Matthew Pauli is a 1991 graduate of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and has been clowning ever since. He appears regularly at corporate events, street festivals, fairs and picnics and in his stage shows. His work as a clown has taken him around the U.S. and as far as Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Since 1999, he has been proud to be part of the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Program, performing at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, MD. In addition to performing as a clown, Mathew is an accomplished puppeteer and actor. He performed with Beale Street Puppets for five years, built a life size rhino for Circus Millenia, and has built severaly Audrey puppets for the musical Little Shop of Horrors. Matthew is currently with the Big Apple Circus, sharing the role of Grandma with her creator and International Clown Hall of Fame inductee Barry Lubin. To find out more about Mathew's work, please visit his website listed below: http://www.matthewpauli.net/

The Maestrosities

The Maestrosities are a clown cover band based in New York. The Maestrosities feature (from left to right) Gina Samardge as Gina on the accordion, Jenny Lee Mitchell as Dierdre on Clarinet and Operatic vocals, David Gochfeld as "The Maestro" on ukelele, vocals, and attitude, Glen Heroy as Glen on vocals and spoons, Andy Sapora as Chauncey on Tuba and Tuba, and Rod Kimball as Rod on trumpet (not pictured). The band grew together as the musical elements of the clown play My Funny Valentine. They added a few performers, replaced some others due to other commitments, and started to rehearse in earnest. In April 2007, they performed at a local festival and have had great success since then. Constantly adding new songs, The Maestrosities are excited to also expand their character and clown work into a full stage play during the coming months. When not touring the world and playing to sold out concerts, The Maestrosities also do birthday parties. If the price is right. To find out more about the Maestrosities, visit their website or myspace page (listed below) http://www.maestrosities.com http://myspace.com/maestrosities

Michael Rosman

Michael Rosman is a comedy juggler and entertainer. He has been performing for over 20 years and is one of the most respected and sought after performers on the east coast. He has performed all over the world, including stints in Japan, Singapore, Atlantic City, Reno and Las Vegas. He has performed on more than 25 different major cruise ships and at over 100 colleges and universities. He has also performed on the David Letterman show, where both Dave and Paul decided that he was "something." Michael is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in finance, and is also a graduate of Ringling Clown College. He is a two-time winner of the prestigious Maryland State Individual Artist Grant Award for excellence in the arts. In addition to his work as a performer, Michael has done a lot of organizational and consulting work. He is one of the organizers for the Harborplace street performances in Baltimore, Maryland. He is also the founder and director of the Laughter Arts Foundation, a non-profit organization that produces the national variety arts professional development conferences MotionFest and MiniFest. To find out more about Michael's work visit his website listed below: http://www.michaelrosman.com/

"Marvelous Marvin" Novogrodski