Support Hospital Clowns in Haifa!

A friend of mine who is a rabbi is doing a bike tour in Israel with his congregants next week, raising money for a cause. This year the cause is hospital clowns of Haifa! Read his letter, and if you are so inclined, support his efforts. You can find out more about the program "Dream Doctors" at http://www.le-haim.org.il/site/index.asp You have to wait for the flash, and then click on the English logo. Pick a hospital, and you can find out more about the program, and the clowns who work it too. ---- Dear Friends, A dream is about to become reality for myself and a number of my congregants who will begin a ten day, 350 mile biking adventure on October 19th, 2008 in Israel. In the spirit of fixing that which is broken in the world, we have selected The Children's Hospital Medical Clowns Project of Rambam Medical Center in Haifa to be the recipient of our fund raising efforts. This initiative brings clowns to the oncology ward, using their skills to entertain the children, providing them a much needed respite for them and their families through laughter, compassion and joy. I am looking for your help and support in making this dream a reality through your generosity. Please help us put a smile on a child's face by making a donation of sponsorship. Donations can be made easily and quickly online by clicking on the following link: http://www.shaaraytefila.org/we_care/tzedakah.php Many thanks in advance for your support and much love, Jason

The Amazing Ted Show at Ars Nova (NY 10/7)

I saw a presentation of this show at the Clown Festival last year-- it was very good, and this is a re-presentation. It's probably gotten even better. It's produced by Glass Contraption. Go check it out if you have a chance. See Ted juggle fifty-six chainsaws, set himself on fire, hold his breath for twenty minutes and then turn himself inside out. Featuring renowned entertainers from The Glass Contraption, THE AMAZING TED SHOW! is full of singing, dancing, ukulele, loud noises, attempted feats of acrobatics, falling in love and falling down. Audiences of all ages will love clowning around inside the beautifully stupid and wildly funny world of Ted! Directed by Virginia Scott. To find out more, visit http://arsnovanyc.com/ or buy tickets online at smarttix.com

Photos from the Clown Reunion

Festival Preview: Kill Me Loudly: A Clown Noir

Fri 9/19 at 8:30pm Sun 9/21 at 5pm Fri 9/26 at 10:30pm CAUTION. May or may not contain clown nudity. Not for children. Sex! Murder! Clowns?! Ever wanted clowns to admit how miserable, desperate and obsessive they really are? Director Eric Davis (Red Bastard, Cirque du Soleil, Bouffon Glass Menajoree) pushes under the freaky-happy façade of clowns to reveal a cast of cutting-edge comedians ready to whip out their dark sides. In this dream-like murder mystery, a clown trio attempts to stage a film noir. But beware! No one returns unscathed from the depths of depravity! Meet the clowns who get caught up in the corruption, perversion and betrayal of their own twisted tale! Here is a clown show is full of drug-addled bums, brain-battered boxers, high society pedophiles, and of course, the barely-clad-yet-deadly femme fatale. Here is an ever-changing cityscape of lonely office buildings, dead-end alleys, glitzy clubs, and old-timey neighborhoods. Here is a show in black and white, in light and shadows, angles and corners. It's a "Caligari"-esque, expressionistic hallucination of the 40's crime genre that defined an American archetype. Done by clowns. Here is a show in which good-natured comedy-makin' turns into vicious back-stabbing, horrible revelations and plenty of nervous breakdowns. Here is a clown noir. Very good intentions. Very bad clowns. THE PLAYERS. Butt Kapinski, Jeff Seal and Chris "Buttons" Manley have performed around town at theaters like the Kraine, Theatre For The New City, the UCB, the PIT, the Magnet, Galapagos, the Brick, and on the streets of New York. Eric Davis, internationally-renown Red Bastard, has been a clown with Cirque du Soleil, directs Bouffon Glass Menagerie (NYIT award winner: Outstanding Production), teaches clown and bouffon, and is a Co-Director of the Brick Theater Clown Festival. Costume design by Molly Austin, set design by Antonio Zito, lighting design by Brian Aldous, Assistant Directed by Jason Leinwand and Andy Dickerson of Cirque This! Set construction by Chris Roberti. Music by Mitchell Yoshida. To find out more about the show, visit the website: http://www.clowninadirtytown.com/ To find out more about the festival, visit the website: http://www.bricktheater.com/clown/

RIP, Mr. Snot

Joe Kudla, half of the team of Puke and Snot, passed away on Monday. He was 58 years old, and had been performing Ren Faire stages for over 30 years, including letting young upstarts Penn and Teller open for them. Read more below (obit from the Pioneer Press) or visit the Puke and Snot website, listed below for more details. At the website listed below, Joe's partner Mark Sieve shares stories and fan email about Joe. PUKE AND SNOT WEBSITE: http://www.magaga.com Actor Joe Kudla of 'Puke and Snot' team dies at 58 By Dominic P. Papatola dpapatola@pioneerpress.com Article Last Updated: 08/11/2008 06:30:56 PM CDT Minneapolis actor Joe Kudla - half of the "Puke and Snot" comedy team that entertained crowds at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival for more than three decades - died Monday at the age of 58. Kudla died at his home in Northeast Minneapolis, according to his performing partner, Mark Sieve. A cause of death was not immediately available. "I'm wondering if Bud Abbott felt this way when Lou Costello died," said Mark Sieve, who played Puke in the popular comic duo that mixed swordplay and groaner jokes. Sieve said he and Kudla were supposed to go over some new material Monday, but that Kudla wasn't returning phone calls. "I was complaining to my wife about my irresponsible partner not answering his phone," Sieve said, honoring his late partner with a bit of gallows humor. "Turns out he had a good excuse." Kudla was already a fixture on the local performing scene when he and Sieve conjured the idea of a pair of medieval types who would crack wise and cross swords. The first iteration of the duo, dubbed Mouldy and Wart, premiered at the 1973 festival. Puke and Snot appeared the next year. At the height of their fame, the opening act for their routine was a young pair of comic-magicians named Penn and Teller. Kudla and Sieve trained others their shtick, and have been a fixture at Renaissance festivals across the country ever since. In 2007, Kudla took a break from playing Thomas Snot, earning rave reviews in the History Theatre production of "The Baron," a paean to old-school professional wrestling in which he played, among other famous grapplers, Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon. Sieve intends for the show to go on when the Minnesota Renaissance Festival opens later this month. "It would be a great tribute to Joe to keep it going," he said, "but I don't know. I might break down in the middle of the routine."

Besserwisser

What do you get when you take two European Cirque du Soleil performers who decide they want to focus a little bit more on clowning and a little bit less on spectacle? Besserweiser. Which in English translates roughly as "Know-it-all" , features two very skilled performers from Cirque who do just that. In their own words: In our society we are constantly trying to be faster, better, and smarter… only to realize that we are consistently trying to reach unattainable goals. Rather than be content with where we are, we deform ourselves to reach an ideal that we have self created or bought into. This pushes us to the ridiculous, eventually becoming a know-it-all, hence a Besserwisser. Jesko and Guennadi present their comedic duo “Besserwisser”. They offer unique situations with extraordinary objects to reveal the human interaction between he who thinks thar “he knows” and is perfect, and he who tries to aspire toward perfection. Two sides of the same psyche… A besserwisser, Nothing more annoying… The artists Jesko von den Steinen Jesko von den Steinen was a solo clown with Cirque du Soleil’s “Saltimbanco” for 5 years. He is currently also performing with Familie Flöz, a Berlin based, physical theatre company. Jesko works on occasion in Paris, France with Philippe Gaulier, as his teaching assistant. He recently co-wrote co-directed and choreographed a film for Bravo! TV. The film “Corps” uses acrobatics and contemporary dance as its form of narration. It has been selected for various international film festivals. Guennadi Tchijov Guennadi has performed with Cirque du Soleil for 12 for years. Creating the role of “The Dreamer” for Saltimbanco and later working in Mystere. He originates from the Ukraine and is a former student of Valentine Gneuschiev. He subsequently has worked as Character and clown, for example with Rolf Knie’s “SaltoNatale” and has performed in various Varietés such as Roncalli’s WinterGarten. You can find out more about the duo on their website, listed below: http://www.jesko-guennadi.com

Bill Irwin & Co. Get 5 Barrymore Nominations

Bill Irwin's show THE HAPPINESS LECTURE just received 5 Barrymore nominations. The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre are the Greater Philadelphia region's only comprehensive theatre awards program, recognizing artists for excellence and innovation while serving to increase awareness of the richness of the local theatre community. Each year, over 100 productions produced by the region's professional theatres are reviewed by the Barrymore nominating committee. At the annual awards presentation each Fall, the Barrymore Awards are presented to honor excellence in acting, design, choreography, music, education, community service and lifetime achievement. The 5 nominations: Ensemble - Bill Irwin, Aaron Cromie, Jennifer Childs, Ephrat Asherie, Melanie Cotton, Makoto Hirano, Nichole Canuso, Cori Olinghouse and Lee Ann Etzold New Play - Bill Irwin Choreography - Bill Irwin Supporting Actress - Lee Ann Etzold Sound Design - Jorge Cousineau This year the award ceremonies are Monday, October 6, 2008 6:30PM at the Crystal Team Room Wannamaker Building, 9th Floor 100 Penn Square East, Philadelphia Tickets go on sale Thursday, August 7! MORE INFO: http://www.theatrealliance.org/barrymores/

International Clown Week is this week

Somehow it escaped me that this week is International Clown Week. I don't really celebrate it per se. In fact, I mostly shun this kind of stuff. The problem is that the kind of clown stuff that I am interested in (and hopefully, if you are reading this, you are interested in too) is not the cutesy stuff, of which most things like International Clown Week seem to perpetuate. I am interested in the funny, not the cute. See the examples on the left as the emblems of what I think of as cute. And although it's not perfect (I don't love Stupid as a Synonym for clown, although I do love The Stooges as a synonym for clowns) See my take on an emblem above. You can find out more at the celebration at http://nationalclownweek.org/ Apparently, Richard Nixon (Mr. Clown himself) was the guy who signed the proclamation for National Clown Week in 1971. Clown week is promoted primarily by Clowns of America International (COAI) a group that has as its purpose to bring together serious-minded amateurs and professionals. They have a number of "Alleys" around the country (and world, even) and host competitions in paradability, ballooning, facepainting, gags, and other stuff. Most of the performers in the group are amateurs, people who clown as a hobby, and take very seriously the Clown Commandments I love a lot of the ideas behind COIA, and I suppose I follow a lot of the Clown commandments (I don't show up drunk at a gig-- not because it's a commandment by an organization that is invested in keeping up the good name of clowns, but because it's good business sense) but I got into being a clown as a theatre artist, to create shows and plays, and not to join organizations or for my love of the word Clown. And while my goal for clownlink is in some ways exactly the same as the goal behind COIA, I don't think we share the same aesthetic or vision of clowning (although a lot of the elements are the same, I'm sure.) I'm not big on the competitive aspect. But to each his own, and if this will bring more exposure for good clown-work--and good clowns-- who am I to judge? More power to you, COIA! If any of my readers are members of COIA, please comment below. I'd love to find out what you like about COIA, and why you are a member, and what you get out of it. Perhaps I'm missing the boat here.

Nicole Feld in the NYT

Nicole Feld, daughter to Kenneth Feld, and heir apparent as Big Boss of the Ringling shows, has an article in the NY Times today, under the column: THE BOSS. When I was at Clown College, Nicole came to the final graduation-- she was probably around 9 or so, and it was a big deal, because she was grading you along with everybody else, and the word was that if she didn't think you were funny, that was it-- you were out! I didn't get selected to go on the show (which was fine with me-- I didn't actually go there to work for Ringling-- I wanted to learn new theatrical skills-- it was only afterwards that I realized that I really loved being a clown.) It's probably ACTUALLY true now, if Nicole doesn't think you are funny, you are OUT. Anyway, here's the beginning of the article: The Boss The Call of the Circus By NICOLE FELD; as told to AMY ZIPKIN Published: August 3, 2008 MY grandfather Irvin Feld was a promoter. He bought Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1967. My father, Kenneth, joined the company, now Feld Entertainment, in 1970 and is C.E.O. Skip to next paragraph Heinz Kluetmeier NICOLE FELD Executive vice president of Feld Entertainment AGE 30 HOMETOWN Washington, D.C. FAVORITE QUOTATION “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” — Thomas Edison When I was younger, my sisters and I would play with the clowns when school was out for the holiday, and they would have a project for us. We would make clothes for our stuffed animals and petticoats for our dolls. When I was 8 or 9, the clowns made clown costumes, complete with big shoes, for my two younger sisters and me. We wanted to wear them and perform in the show. Our father agreed to let us be in the show when the tour came through the Baltimore-Washington area. He told us that if we wanted to be in the show, we would have to perform on the work schedule of the other performers. Saturdays are always three-show days. The clowns put clown makeup on us, and we were in all three performances. We got paid $3 a show. We were exhausted by the end of the day and fell asleep during the car ride home. Being a clown is a lot harder than it looks. A year or two earlier, in a talent search, my father came across what looked like a one-horned goat. I don’t know where he found it. He created a show called “The Living Unicorn.” The “unicorn” became a torment to me during the entire two-year run of the show. I would come home from school crying, saying: “The kids called me a liar. There is no such thing.” READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

NY Times Article on Kendall Cornell's Clowns Ex Machina

Kendall Cornell & Co scored a NY Times article about their work and upcoming show! THE WHEN, WHERE AND HOW: Thursday, July 31st at 7:30 pm Friday, August 1st at 7:30 pm Saturday, August 2nd at 7:30 pm updated venue! Manhattan Children’s Theatre, 52 White Street (between Broadway and Church) in Tribeca MAP Advance tickets: $15 at theatermania.com or 212-352-3101 (or weird.org) At the door: $18 general admission/$10 students and seniors (cash only) For more info about the festival and tickets: www.weird.org And here's the beginning of the article: Exploring the Bozo Mystique, and Defining Funny on Their Own Feminine Terms Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times Amanda Barron at rehearsal with Clowns Ex Machina. Members said their creativity had been stifled in mixed-gender troupes. By APRIL DEMBOSKY Published: July 29, 2008 Judi Lewis Ockler maneuvered into a black Victorian blouse, plucking the puffed velvet sleeves into place. She rummaged through her gym bag for a long green cloak and a pair of yellow socks with daisies. Then she pulled out a pink polka-dot baggie for the final touch: a red nose. She took her place among five other women gathered in a circle — one dressed in a pink tutu, others in various combinations of red-, black- and gray-striped tights, silver sequins and puffy bloomers — as they stretched and limbered up in a dance studio in Lower Manhattan. “All right, everybody put your noses on,” said the director, Kendall Cornell, clapping her hands. Ms. Cornell founded Clowns Ex Machina in 2005, when it was known as Kendall Cornell’s Soon-to-Be-World-Famous Women’s Clown Troupe. In her own 22-year performance career, Ms. Cornell said, she continued to hit the glass ceiling of clowning: She was always pushed to be the female sidekick, had few female role models and could not find a space to explore her particular brand of humor. “You had to be like a man to do this work, to open the door,” Ms. Cornell said. “I don’t find too many people interested in investigating what women have to offer that is different.” While some clown routines are scripted — wander on stage, slip on banana peel, fall down — most are developed through improvisation. Physical humor, involving one’s own or another’s body parts, is the hallmark of clowning. And that was the main roadblock Ms. Cornell kept facing, in one professional workshop after another. “It becomes sexual for the men,” Ms. Cornell said. “I remember coming to the center of the circle, I started to dance and some guy says, ‘Take it off!’ And I said, ‘How can I work like this?’ ” Ms. Cornell’s work depends on an all-female environment to transform the taboo into the funny, the sexual into the silly. “Oh, for a world where dropping your drawers meant comedy, not promiscuity!” she wrote on her Web site, www.notjustforshockvalue.com. The troupe draws a sophisticated audience, more the theatergoing type than the slapstick Barnum & Bailey fan. “It’s not the ‘be dump bump’ here’s the laugh,” Ms. Cornell said, referring to standard rimshot humor. When people come to the show, “they have to rediscover their relationship to what’s funny.” A lot of rediscovery happens around women’s bodies. The group has developed full vignettes that rely on breasts as punch lines. It turns out, for all the fanfare they get in car ads and movies, that breasts are pretty funny. READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

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

Dell'arte MFA program in SF June 13-15

Although this deals with tragedy, and not circus/clowning per se-- the way that Dell'arte trains and deals with tragedy/melodrama is related enough to clown for me to include it here. If you can see the show, check it out and report back! Between Two Winters Created by the MFA Ensemble of the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre Catherine Tuttle, the accomplished and commanding mayor of Kalispell, MT, and her daughter, Naomi, travel to the deserts of Kuwait to honor a hero who was instrumental in extinguishing fires after the war in the Persian Gulf. During the course of the tribute, Catherine and this man recognize one another and now must reconcile a past they both have spent their lives running from. Between Two Winters is the culminating performance of the second year masters students in their study of the Tragic form. Tragedy is a form that, at its root, pits the rational and ordered world against the world of terror and chaos. It deals with the human drive to step out of the chorus to stand for and proceed into the hero's journey, unwilling to be passive anymore in a world that defies logic and reason. This sets the tragic hero onto an irreversible collision course with the unrelenting forces of fate that result in a crash of cosmic proportions. Fri, Jun. 13 - 8:00P Sat, Jun. 14 - 2:30P Sat, Jun. 14 - 8:00P Sun, June 15 - 2:30P At The Magic Theatre For directions to The Magic Theatre, go to: http://www.magictheatre.org/pages/location.shtml Call 707-668-5663 to inquire about student, educator and group discounts For more information, go to: http://dellarte.com/

Laugh Out Loud Festival (NY)-3 more days

Emerging Artists Theatre and Paul Adams, Artistic Director, has been presenting a festival entitled LAUGH OUT LOUD at the Roy Arias Theatre Center, Off-Off Broadway Theatre (300 West 43rd St, 5th floor, NYC). The festival is curated by EAT member. Jenny Lee Mitchell and co-curated by Honey Goodenough and Carol Lee Sirugo. Performances began Tuesday, May 27, 2008, and run through Sunday, June 1, 2008. Here's what's going on for the next three days. Friday May 30th, 8pm Host: Deenie Nast - Lucky you-Deenie Nast, Oscar Winner, 2 time Tony winner and international performance artist will grace the LaughOutLoud Festival with her presence, performing a song-filled tribute to herself. with: All Kinds of Shifty Villains - directed by Rachel Klein - carnival noir, blending elements of circus with crime fiction Mika - diabolo artist and juggler Carol Lee Sirugo - Gwendolyn Rosa Lee is on a mission: to pay homage to her favorite musical, Gypsy. She wishes she could be Gypsy Rose Lee. She can't. But where talent fails, guts prevail! The Marriage Of Reason - puppetry by Sean Keohane - "The Marriage of Reason": Originally written for children in 1860s Paris, Polichinelle's battle of the sexes with a content bachelorette isn't only Politically Incorrect, it's just wrong! Naughty, bawdy puppets, religious mysticism, and totally unnecessary slapstick violence. Film Noir Clowns - Jeff Seal and Chris Manley . Two clowns attempt to recreate a classic film noir tale on stage. Saturday May 31st, 8pm Host: The Maestrosities - The Coolest Band Ever! Or so they think!!! with: Kendall Cornell as The Torch Singer - The Torch Singer laments love in a comically grand style. Kendall Cornell's Soon-To-Be-World-Famous Women's Clown Troupe kick up their heels with an assortment of comic song and dance numbers." Mika - diabolo artist and juggler Carol Lee Sirugo as Gwendolyn Rosa Lee Rob Lok Sunday June 1st, 5pm Host: Dierdre with: Logic Limited Ltd - clown troupe A Wrinkle in Starch - puppetry by Leslie Strongwater and David Michael Friend Phillip Guerette as Phildo The Clown Emergency Use Only - puppetry by Erica Mclaughlin Four droning strangers are stuck in a subway tunnel when inspiration strikes: they put their personal effects together an a puppet eager to dance emerges to breathe life into an otherwise hapless situation. Miron Gusso - storytelling and clowning LAUGH OUT LOUD plays the following regular schedule through Saturday, June 1, 2008: Tuesday at 7:30 pm Wednesday at 7:30 pm Thursday at 7:30 pm Friday at 8:00 pm Saturday at 8:00 pm Sunday at 5:00 pm Tickets are $10. Advanced tickets are recommended (only 55 tickets available per show). For reservations, please visit www.eatheatre.org, or call 866-811-4111. Tickets may also be purchased in person half-hour prior to the performance at Roy Arias Theatre Center (300 West 43rd St, 5th floor). * Running Time: 60 minutes * All performances include an open Talkback Session with the performer and staff after the show. Emerging Artists Theatre's mission is to provide a dynamic home for emerging writers and artists, providing the unique opportunity for playwrights to collaborate with directors, actors, and designers throughout the development process--from idea through fully realized production. EAT's supportive environment continues to nurture a close-knit group of artists working toward the common goal of creating dynamic theatre, and its commitment to the development of new works is integral to the cultural enrichment of New York City. To find out more about Emerging Artists, please visit their website listed below: http://www.eatheatre.org/

The Sprockets Circus

Great article on NPR's website about the Sprockets, a family circus of three that tours the world in a 1962 Bristol double decker bus with a top speed of 33 miles per hour. The show features Scott Harrison, his wife Issabelle Feraud, and their 11 year old son Theo, who have been touring continuously since 1997. They ship their bus between continents, and have performed in 48 countries, and 6 continents. They are currently in the states, and are starting the process of writing a book about their journey. Their shows are full of magic, juggling, acrobatics, daredevil unicycling and lots of slapstick humor. Scott was a juggling entrepreneur for a while in England, and then became a performer. Find out more about the Sprockets on the websites listed below: SPROCKETS WEBSITE: http://www.thesprockets.com NPR Article/story: Circus Family Is Ready for a Safety Net SPROCKETS FLICKR site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesprockets/

Bouffon Glass Menajoree at Green Room NY Tuesdays at 10:30 pm

I saw this show last night, and I highly recommend it-- there are just 2 performances left. It's pretty damned fantastic. ============================== Did someone leave the blender on, or is that the sound of Tennessee Williams turning over in his grave? Why would anyone do this to an American masterpiece?!? Bouffon Glass Menajoree 2007 NY Innovative Theatre Award winner for Outstanding Production TWO PERFORMANCES LEFT Gentlemen callers beware!  Tennessee Williams' classic tale is ripped wide open as Ten Directions, Paul Lucas Productions, and The Green Room present the revival of Bouffon Glass Menajoree, a twisted and outrageous bouffon parody with a new ending determined by an audience member every night.  Winner of the NY Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production.  "Total Theatrical sacrilege.Delicious!" -NYTheatre.com, "Must See! Hilarious!" -TimeOutNY   "Genius" - CultureBot, "Hilarious Madness" - Show Showdown, "Extremely Funny"   -NY Theatre Wire "Twisted Southern Goth! Absurdity at its best!" KAFI FM, MN Written in collaboration with the cast Lynn Berg (Tony & Tina's Wedding), Audrey Crabtree (ComedyCentral), Aimee Leigh German (Opening Baywatch Butt) and director Eric Davis (Red Bastard, Cirque du Soleil), Bouffon Glass Menajoree is a dark comedic parody of the Tennessee Williams's masterpiece, performed in the style of bouffon.   Employing this time-honored tradition of undermining the establishment through verbal and physical satire, BGM is a satire not only of traditional American theatre, but of American society, the family unit, and the audience  themselves.  The production involves direct interaction with the audience: one lucky member will even play the role of the gentleman caller every night, determining how the show ends. This show is certain to surprise, shock and delight. Performances begin April 29th and run Tuesday nights only through May 27th at 10:30pm downstairs at the newly reopened Green Room at 45 Bleecker, NYC. 2 for 1 SPECIAL DISCOUNT,  In person, use code "BGM241" at 45 Bleecker, Box Office hours Tues. - Sat 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM, Sun. 11:00 AM - 8 PM.   Online, use Code: green241 at http://www.broadwayoffers.com For directions, call 212-260-8250 For more information, visit http://www.bouffonglassmenajoree.com/

Umo Ensemble

Over the past 20 years, the UMO Ensemble has become known as one of the most innovative, compelling and critically acclaimed performance companies based in the Pacific Northwest. The Ensemble has performed in theaters, at festivals and in schools throughout the Northwest, the United States, Canada and Europe. The mission of the UMO Ensemble is to stir the human spirit and incite the imagination by providing awe, challenge and inspiration through original and compelling physical theatre. Based in Vachon Island, in the Seattle Washington area, the ensemble has created over 20 new works since they started collaborating together in 1987.  The company is committed to an Ensemble of performers who create and compose their own production.  The work is rooted in physical theatre, although each ensemble member has their own interests.  For each production, an ensemble member serves as artistic director, holding the larger picture in mind.  Improvisations in movement, character, vocalizing, and writing are the basis for the creation and development of their new works. Since their arrival on Vashon Island in 1989, UMO Ensemble has created over twenty original works for the theatre. The Ensemble's material reflects their diverse range of styles and skills: the copper sculpture "dance animation" of Instinction (1987); the fifteen foot tall puppetry of Who Nose (1990), the mask and Red Nose clown work of Midnight Comix (1990) and Naughty Bits (1991), the lovably irreverent Buffoons of El Dorado (1992) and Insatiable Cabaret (1993); the acrobatic Djool of Caravan of Dreams (1994); the haunting, stripped-down beauty of Digging (1996) and Body Inheritance (1997); the archetypal fables of Expressions of the Spirit (1999); the breathtaking aerial virtuosity of Millennium Circus (1999), the musical and architectural richness of Cities (2001), the poignant and darkly comedic Fatal Peril (2003) and the playful and revealing Rapunzel (2005). The current ensemble has seven members: Esther Edelman, Martha Enson, David Godsey, Elizabeth Klob, Janet McAlpin, Amy Rider & Lyam White.   Each of them has a different background in theatre, dance, and the arts, making their productions rich and varied in technique and style. Umo Ensemble also has an extensive workshop and residency program, and works extensively in the Washington State school system. To find out more about their work and upcoming productions, visit their website listed below: http://www.umo.org

The Combustibles Present Detritus

Celebrate Earth Day with the Combustibles and their new show Detritus. Here's an email I got from them: "Where does our trash go?" Research for DETRITUS began with the question, "where does our trash go?" But as we dug deeper, other questions bubbled to the surface, like "why do we have so much trash?" One thing we have learned is that nothing is simple when it comes to trash. Have a look at the Story of Stuff, a short video by Annie Leonard. It gets at the complexity of the big picture in a clear and fun way. The Story of Stuff Celebrate with us! How? Come see our work-in-progress performance this week then stick around afterwards, share your thoughts, and be a part of a conversation about sustainability. After the show we'll be at a nearby pub: The Parlour at 250 W 86th St. $4 well & drafts with your program Work-In-Progress Performances Artists of Tomorrow Festival Produced by Six Figures Theatre Company Saturday, April 26 @ 2:00 pm Sunday, April 27 @ 6:00 pm West End Theatre 263 W. 86th Street (Btwn Broadway & West End) Tickets: $15 - Buy Tickets Online Here More Info: www.detritustheplay.com Email Us: info@thecombustibles.com Reminder: The Sustainable Circus is coming! May 29th, 7-9:30pm DETRITUS / THE PLAY Conceived & Developed by the ensemble Performers: Lynn Berg, Audrey Crabtree, Jeff Seal, Anne Sorce & Liza Zapol Directed by: Larissa Lury Assistant Director: Jill Beckman Producer: Teresa Ryno Bouffon Consultant: Eric Davis Music: Dave Edson In association with Ten Directions DETRITUS is made possible in part with the public funds from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Nomadic Theatre: Shows & Workshops in Portland, OR

The Nomadic Theatre Co, based in Portland, Oregon, has been creating and performing original physical theatre shows since 2002. To develop a new show, Nomadic performers and directors take ideas which interest and excite them and delve into them in the studio. For example, they created How to Fly by physically exploring numerous aspects and avenues of the topic of flight. The three core company members – Michael O’Neill, Sarah Liane Foster and Heather Pearl – have performed and taught in communities across the United States as well as internationally. They are graduates of the Dell’Arte International School of Blue Lake, CA. Over the next two weeks, they will be performing and teaching in Portland, OR. WORKSHOPS THEATRICAL CLOWN Tuesday April 15th and 22nd, 7-10pm Find what is funny about you - how to create an eccentric, humorous character by using and exaggerating your own attributes. Through individual physical analysis and group improvisational exercises, we will explore the process of finding profound funniness and learn how to create original material through honest, dynamic play. $25 for one class or $45 for both PHYSICAL COMEDY WORKSHOP Saturday, April 19th, 10am-2pm This workshop will focus on character and individual analysis through physicality and movement, with a combination of group exercises and individual exploration. Comedy is many things -- you will find that it is more then just being silly. $75/$50 students All classes will be held at Theatre! Theater! (3430 SE Belmont, Portland). For more information or to register, call 971.219.5781, or visit brownpapertickets.org. And RUNNING INTO WALLS, their new, hilarious clown show is running for 2 more weekends at Theatre! Theater! Fri & Sat @ 8pm, Sat & Sun @ 3pm. Info/tickets at brownpapertickets.com & www.nomadictheatre.org. To find out more about the company, visit their website listed below: http://www.nomadictheatre.org

Rough and Tumble: Theatre That Doesn't Suck

Rough & Tumble is a ten year-old theatre company that has made a name for itself in Boston for its inventive physical comedy and bold theatricality. The company develops original works, produces new plays by Boston playwrights, and stages guerilla theater events around Boston (such as an elaborate chase scene through the Boston Public Library and a playfully bizarre tour along the Freedom Trail). While not quite clowns, they use clowning, circus skills, melodrama, masks, and just about anything else they can get their hands on to make theatre that, in their own words, "doesn't suck." (Yes, that's part of their mission statement/manifesto) They've got a great manifesto up on their website (listed below) Here's part of it: Our stuff looks different, is outside the norm, linear narrative, realistic, method/classical stuff because we are looking for new, more alive ways to engage and exhilarate our audience. If that means setting up a bedroom on the Boston Common: OK. If that means creating a show with no spoken dialogue: right-on. If that means adapting a movie script for the stage: brilliant. We love a creative challenge because it's fun, and it presents opportunities to give our audiences glittering moments of awareness. We experiment with the form for the sake of what we create, not for the sake of experimenting. Our motto is "Theater That Doesn't Suck" because we think most theater does suck. If we could call what we do something other than "plays" and "theater" without confusing people, we'd do it. Most theater is talky, bland, self-important and preaching to the choir. Most theater ignores completely what is unique and exciting about the form. We want to make theater that is more like seeing a great rock concert: dizzying and exhilarating and euphoric and communal and there's a chance you might get laid. And we don't think that's experimental, as much as we think that's what theater should be like, and everyone who isn't trying for that is doing it wrong. Their next show is a mostly true story of famous airship captain Hugo Eckener's effort to fly the Graf Zeppelin around the world in 1929, carrying dozens of journalists, photographers, paying passengers, and the physician to the King of Spain. They are combing through the many histories and newspaper reports that chronicled the event to recreate the atmosphere of media frenzy, populist pride, and futurism that swirled about the voyage. In addition to all of the historical research, they will be making a bunch of stuff up wholecloth. The show will be at the Factory Theater, 791 Tremont Street in Boston from April 11-27. To find out more about Rough and Tumble, visit their website http://www.rough-and-tumble.org

Kendall Cornell & Co-- April 11-13

a semi-sophisticated clown cabaret with Kendall Cornell and her Soon-To-Be-World-Famous Women's Clown Troupe APRIL 11-13th 2008 (three nights only!!!) An old-fashioned music hall is overrun by clowns who, along with their slightly more serious guest artists, present music and song of all genres, madcap dance numbers and devilish surprises. Special guest artists include: The hip songstress Fiona Landers The tap dancing élan of Rod Ferrone The flamenco vocals of Alfonso Cid The rock and roll musings of The Bitter Poet

WHERE: The Club at La MaMa E.T.C. 74 A EAST 4th Street - between 2nd Avenue and The Bowery (F/V to 2nd Avenue, 6 to Astor Place, N/R to 8th St.) MAP WHEN: Friday, April 11th at 10 pm Saturday, April 12th at 10pm Sunday, April 13th at 5:30pm Running Time: Approximately 65 min ~ no intermission TICKETS: $15 (Student and senior tickets are $10 with valid ID) Online: www.lamama.org Phone: (212) 475-7710 In person: LaMaMa box office (Mon - Fri 10am – 10pm, Sat - Sun Noon - 10pm) MORE INFO: www.lamama.org and www.notjustforshockvalue.com MORE INFO ON GUEST PERFORMERS: Alfonso Cid: www.gazpachoandalu.com Rod Ferrone, The Tap Cat in the Hat: www.rodferrone.com Kevin Draine, The Bitter Poet: www.thebitterpoet.com Fiona Landers: www.fionalanders.com and www.myspace.com/fionalanders

Clowns Without Borders South Africa- New website!

I wrote about Clowns Without Borders South Africa back in September 2007. I'm happy to report that they now have their own website. http://www.cwbsa.org/ You can now click on the link above to make sure you keep up with the great work they are doing of bringing the gift of laughter to the impoverished in South Africa and surrounding areas. Not only are they bringing kids laughter, they are leaving behind the seeds-- one of their important works is teaching workshops so that after they leave, kids have the tools to start making their own shows. If there is a surge of South African circus in 10 years, you will know why.

Clown Show for Bruno Feb 27,28 in Atlanta

Acclaimed mime Daniel Stein and Dell'arte graduates Kali Quinn and Bill Celentano are featured in a new show about Polish artist and novelist Bruno Schultz (author of the classic Street of Crocodiles) Schulz was killed in the Holocaust in 1944 by a German officer. The show will be performed at Atlanta's PushPush Theatre. The play,written by author Murray Mednick, is produced in association with Padua Playwrights. In 1978, Murray Mednick and five other playwrights, including Sam Shepard and Maria Irene Fornes, converged on the old Padua Hills estate in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, just east of Los Angeles. The playwrights, as well as playwriting students and actors, were given free reign to re-investigate thei