Festival Preview: The Birdmann

The Birdmann is an Australian circus/vaudeville/sideshow performer who combines magic, theatre, circus skills, and inspired nonsense to create a show that is unique. Acts include plastic-bag juggling, knife-throwing, and nostril tea-drinking. The act has displayed in fifteen countries internationally, and goes directly from the NY Clown Festival back home to the Melbourne Fringe in Australia. Here's what The Groggy Squirrel, an independent publication that reviews Australian comedy has to say about the Birdmann (reviewing a previous show, Birdmannifesto: The Birdmann is a curious creature. A character comic who has invested so much into the one character that you find yourself forgetting that this is just a persona. A performer who performs tricks that would normally be the domain of clowns with a straight-faced intensity that makes them as impressive as any serious circus performer. Every element of this show, from the opening “is this a dagger I see before me” (no, it’s an umbrella) to the crab impersonations and costumes screams absurdity, but the straight-faced delivery ensures that the audience never feels lost or confused. These things might seem ridiculous coming from any other performer, but here they are just part of the Birdmann experience. While this show is very tightly scripted and performed, Birdmann is also comfortable breaking out into casual improvisation to deal with any unforeseen input. Constant creaking of the roof and the late arrival of enough punters to double his audience were dealt with amusingly and without any break from the world that he has created for us. There’s something uniquely special about Birdmannifesto, a quality to it that screams “this show is a great show”. It’s not the funniest show in the festival, and the circus skills aren’t the most impressive I’ve seen, but something about it as a whole makes it stand out from the crowd. The fact that this is also one of the cheapest shows in the festival (only $10 in a laugh pack or on Tuesdays) makes this arguably the best value for money to be found in the festival. I can’t imagine how anyone, regardless of their comedy tastes, could walk out of this show and not feel thoroughly entertained. You can find out more about his work at http://www.myspace.com/trentbaumann His website http://www.thebirdmann.com.au/ is currently under construction. The Birdmann will be at the NY Clown Festival at the Brick on: Sat 9/6 at 7pm Wed 9/10 at 10pm Sat 9/13 at 9pm Tue 9/16 at 7pm

Last week for Bill Irwin in Philadelphia

Bill Irwin's show The Happiness Lecture has been extended for one week in Philadelphia. If you have the opportunity, you should see it! I drove down from NY on Saturday to see it. Overall it was great (Hey, it's Bill Irwin!) And a company of 9 very talented Philadelphia area artists. (including a friend from Dell'arte, puppeteer and performer Aaron Cromie. He actually won't be in the extended week (he had other commitments) Instead, another Dell'arte friend Dawn Falato will take over as the swing.) I have some thoughts about the show, if you care to read them.... Like most of Bill's original shows, the play is a meditation on his work in the theatre, and a dialogue between tricks, fear of failure (and success), and the utility of worry. If people over time begin to resemble their dogs, it's even more true with their shows, direct reflections of what they are thinking about as artists. It's very true with this show-- in some ways it is a direct continuation, extension of Regard of Flight. Regard was newer to me of course, and Bill was even more agile then than he is now (which seems hard to believe), and there are a lot of similar elements to this show, but there are also lots of twists that will have Bill Irwin watchers riveted. I'm not as fond of the writing and directing of the show as I am of the performance of the show, which (especially for Bill) borders on the virtuosic. His use of his body is fantastic, whether it's a remote control podium gone awry, creation of two cavemen (well, let's not call them that-- let's call them early men) that illustrate a sort of Darwinian Happiness Theory, or performing a beautiful Mr. Noodle piece, Bill is always as precise as a Swiss watch. It's a pleasure to watch him work, although work is the wrong word. He glides fluidly from routine to routine, and that's his genius. An amazing piece of theatrical genius is in the staging. The use of puppets of Bill Irwin and the creation of multiple focused prosceniums of different sizes and scales borders on the fantastic. The stage shifts several times in scale, and each time does so with precision and ease- it reminded me that the most effective techniques are often the simplest. And it brings home the constant argument that Bill's shows seems to always have- I've got the clown thing going, but what does it all mean? I'm not 100% sure that there's an answer to that question-- there is a kind of constant narrative about narrative throughout the piece, and a use of theatrical conventions (the pre-show speech, the usher, the audience member placed in peril) that is always pleasant to watch but is not really linear or conducive to the "well-made play." At the end of the show, I heard a grandmother asking her two teenaged grand-children what they thought of the show. GRANDMOTHER: Wasn't that marvelous and fun? What did you think? GRAND-DAUGHTER: I liked it, but it was a little weird. I didn't quite get it. GRAND-SON: Yeah, it was cool, but I didn't really get it. It was weird. It wasn't their typical play, but they liked it. If you'd like to see the show, visit the Philadelphia Theatre Company's Website listed below: http://www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org/2008/lecture.html On a related topic-- Cirque du Soleil was just ending a run of Kooza (directed by Irwin collaborator David Shiner) down the block from the theatre. If I had known, I would have tried to have gotten tickets for both. Kooza's next stop is Chicago, then Boston, then Washington DC.

Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk

Cirque du Soleil has created a new "christmas" winter show called WINTUK, about a city boy who craves snow, and who goes to a magical winter wonderland called Wintuk. It's playing at Madison Square Garden, which is a HUGE venue, and very unlike the expensive and beautiful tents that Cirque is used to playing. I've read the previews which make the show sound like a typical Cirque du Soleil show, which means that I want to see it. And the reviews have come out, and at least two of them are not very pretty: NY Daily News Cirque du Soleil offers a 'Wintuk' of discontent The Cirque du Soleil brand has become synonymous with highly imaginative, infinitely energetic shows. But after umpteen productions, even the best franchise runs out of juice. Witness Cirque's seasonal family offering, "Wintuk," at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Clocking in at 110 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission, the show feels rushed together and as padded as a fake Santa's belly. The music is taped. As with all Cirque shows, there's a slender narrative. Here, a city boy craves snow. His search for it takes him to Wintuk, a glacial land, which you can read about at cirquedusoleil.com. The program costs $15. Along the way, the kid runs into unusual people, performers and oversize puppets. Youngsters might get a kick out of the crayon-colored singing street lamps and huge, shaggy white dog puppets. But they might be confused about what to make of the pink shadow of a ballerina who appears now and again. I was. READ THE REST and NJ Star Ledger Cirque surprise: it's a dud NEW YORK -- The holiday season begins with a yawn as "Wintuk," a surprisingly duddy event from Cirque du Soleil, bowed last night at Madison Square Garden. Failing to electrify the holiday slot left by MSG's popular "A Christmas Carol" musical, this numbing new attraction aimed for family audiences is two-hours-plus of nothing spectacular. Aside from being a waste of visitors' time and money, the show's really not much of anything else, period. READ THE REST Now, granted, these papers are not the NY Times, but they are usually on the money when it comes to what will appeal to their audiences. What about you-- are you planning on seeing Wintuk? Have you seen it? Let me know what you think about the show in the comments below:

Festival Review: Clownifornia

Clownifornia featured two acts, both who trained in California at the SF School for Circus Arts under Jeff Raz. Both acts showed promise, but didn't quite hit the mark in the show I saw. A Sudden Gust of Gravity featured NY Clown Jeff Seal as he talks about physics, the universe, and gravity. Jeff has an affable likable presence, and physical chops as a performer, and his premise is amusing (he talks about the two dimensions, and then starts to take "requests" --go left and down!" And when he gets to the third, he straps a large rubberband on and attempts to go back and forward in time. The show never really gets much further than that. Jeff's concept is clever, he's likable, and overall I enjoyed the show. If he can follow through on some of the logical extensions (multiple rubberbands that act as mysterious attractants on the object (him) ), I think he'd get a great physics/science school show out of it, and also be able to tour it as a comedy show to theatres and colleges. But he needs to spend much more time working on the storyline of the show, and make sure that the routines have large enough payoffs/surprises. What if he somehow managed to go back in time, or at least convince us that he had? Or go forward in time? What's the comic payoff for that, that doesn't involve winning the lottery or buying microsoft at a dollar? (which are the trite and hackneyed payoffs) Damsel’s Demise featured two characters/children/clowns: a girlie girl clown, in love with her mannequin boyfriend, and the tomboy, playing war games in her cardboard fort. The show was created and performed by Suzanne Santos and Summer Shapiro. I saw the first show, and it was the first show of the festival that I saw that was not greeted enthusiastically by the audience. (I'm told by some of the other bloggers that saw both of their shows that the second show was much stronger) I've got some thoughts about this. It's not that the show didn't show promise-- The opening set, a large moving box with one of the girls in it, next to a mannequin doll was really strong-- and their costumes were great. And the idea of their characters seemed good. However (at least for me), a lot of the acting seemed forced- the interactions between the two, their "play" as children, their "hungers" for love and games-- none of that seemed true to me or to the audience. And that started a little bit of a deadly spin, as they played harder to make up for the lack of the audience response, their acting seemed more forced, etc. so forth. The show is a little ambiguous until the end about whether or not they are children playing dress up, or clowns in their own world. They end up (I think) being children playing dress up, and that was a safer (but less interesting) choice. Also, the show had a lot of content that had potentially "heavy" meaning-- gender displacement, the war, illness, love, being spurned, etc. All of that needs a light touch to avoid being cliched or generalized or not well thought out. Unfortunately the light touch wasn't there that night. There were parts of the show that could have been rubberstamped "Meaningful" on top of the scene. The girly girl's first entrance (she comes in very slowly, with several suspicious slow turns) made it seem a little bit more like performance art, and less like a fun clown show. I think if she had made a different entrance-- had a different engaging energy to start, I might have followed them more. The tomboy entered with a lot of energy (out of the box) but immediately started playing wargames, and I couldn't quite follow why. And then when the tomboy enters, I immediately started to wonder if they were going to be doing some kind of gender-role reversals. But nothing quite happened in that arena (actually I had a thought about midway through the act that it would have been much more interesting if the girlie girl had been played by a man-- now we've got gender-stuff going on, and in a way that could seem fun and possibly fresh, and not so trite. Of course, now I'm just writing a different play, not the one I saw. I could see that the performers had done a fair amount of work to create the show, but it didn't quite gel together for me (or the audience I was in). I'd like to see the show in four months or so (and although I may be writing some other show) I'd love to see the children element pulled out of the show, and the drag element put in. === If you like this post-- consider subscribing to the RSS Feed ===

Les Chiche Capon

This French cabaret was a big hit at last year's festival, and with good reason. It's got a number of things going for it, but most of all, the acting and the relationships between the characters are what make this a remarkably fun evening at the theatre. You are greeted by two clownish characters wearing mini-skirts and wigs (although Phillipe has his own hair, but in pigtails) A long-haired hippyish-gypsyish musician (Ricardo) is playing songs as you enter. After a while, to start the show, an IMPOSSIBLY TALL French clown comes out and starts the show. From there the insults and slights, both real and imagined on both the audience and the other performers start to flow, and that's when the great clowning begins. It's hard to describe all of the show, because it flows effortlessly one thing after another-- suffice to say, by the end, you've seen some very funny character work from everybody on the stage. I'm not quite sure who is who in this faux cabaret, but all of them are great and play their roles to perfection. I especially love Phillipe, who is in motion constantly, dancing off the walls, and at the end of the show, becoming the Human Otter that comes into the audience. The "leader" ringmaster (to the left, the one in the neck brace) is perfectly snide, and is a true prima donna.) The musical gags are hilarious, and the gags of character status, and insult intentional and not-intentional are also very very funny. The show was about an hour and a quarter, and really my only criticism is that perhaps the show could have been about 15 minutes shorter. There were a few gags that felt like they repeated themselves in, and in an act of " how you say, tossing ze baby into ze drain wizzout ze paddle, oui?" they could have jettisoned the show and left us dying for more instead of just wanting more and different. Nevertheless this is a tiny quibble on a wonderful show. I'd highly recommend seeing them if you have the opportunity-- if not in NY, then at any other festival in the world that they are going to be at-- But be warned, you should be prepared to purchase your tickets early! Two shows remain at the Festival: Tuesday 10/16 at 10pm Wednesday 10/17 at 7 pm ***FINAL SHOW PERFORMED IN FRENCH To find out more about their work, visit www.leschichecapon.com === If you like this post-- consider subscribing to the RSS Feed. ===

Bouffon Glass Menajoree

Bouffon Glass Menagerie promises a lot to its audience members-- and delivers on every promise. It's a fantastic show that is well-conceived, well-directed, well-designed, and very well-acted. Basically it's a parody of Tenessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie: which was Tennessee's first commercial success, and a play that has a long history of being parodied and mocked. And mock it they do. From the moment the actors enter into the space--they are viciously and hilariously mocking the play, the playwright, the audience, each other, and just about everything else they can get their hands on. In the straight play, the characters are all crippled and limited emotionally, but they seem fine on the inside. Here the visual display of the characters shows them as crippled physically as they are emotionally. The show features Lynn Berg as Tom (the drunken lout of a brother, with a hunchback and a bald head), Audrey Crabtree as Laura (the self-destructive crazy girl with a fetish for glass animals and cutting herself) and Aimee German as Amanda (the overstuffed mother who is living in the glory days of her past) The Gentleman Caller is culled from the audience, and is allowed free roam over the play (although with some guidance) The show is directed by Eric Davis (he of The Red Bastard.) Eric and Audrey are two of the artistic directors of the Clown Festival. There are so many great moments in this show-- including the phone sex with the audience, the picking of the gentleman caller, and the beer-chugging contest in the middle (you know I am not kidding!) It's hard to pick one to site-- and I think that's the beauty of this play. This particular show is so much about the audience connection, and what they share with us-- it's really a "you had to be there" to understand it exactly. Meaning that when you go, you might have a whole different set of circumstances that you enjoy. What I have no fear whatsoever of is that you will enjoy it-- the performers are that good, and the situation that they have created is that good. The play is wonderful and deserves to be seen-- they only have one more appearance at the festival (tonight, Saturday 8/13 at 10:30 pm.) So if you are on the fence about going-- Now is your chance. Check it out. You can also find out more about the play by going to their website, listed below. http://www.bouffonglassmenajoree.com === If you like this post-- consider subscribing to the RSS Feed. ===

Two reviews of Clown Festival Shows (not by me)

NYTheatre.com has two reviews of Festival shows up, and so far, the festival has charmed the reviewers. I saw both of these guys at the opening, and I'm sure their individual shows are a lot of fun. Sadly, these are two more shows I won't get to see. (Part of the problem of living in the town where the festival is is that your life doesn't stop. When I am performing at a festival that I've gone to, it's not like I have anything else going on in that town. I need to promote my show, and see other shows. That's all I'm doing. Here, my schedule isn't clear, so I'm sadly going to see very little (Yes, let me complain some more, why don't I! Oy gevalt!) Anyway, here's the two reviews from NYTheatre.com NO PLACE LIKE HOME, which is the show by Rob Torres. The reviewer doesn't seem to like clowns very much (spends about half the review talking about scary clowns, annoying pantomime bits, and Stephen King's IT.) Despite her fear of clowns, she seemed to like Rob's show, and calls it charming, captivating, warm and welcoming, and funny. Rob Torres' website is http://www.funeestuff.com BUBKUS Bubkus is the work of Canadian clown Jesse Buck-- who (a different reviewer) really loved. The show involves a lot of improvisation, audience participation (including whacking the clown over the head with a pillow) and some other improvised stunts. The review says that it's entertaining for all generations, and I believe it! Jesse Buck's website is http://www.jessebuck.com Both reviews are very positive-- read them and see! NY Theatre is going to continue to review shows throughout the festival, so you can check back with them on their website here. === If you like this post-- consider subscribing to RSS Feed ===

Clown Festival-- First Cabaret

Went to the first cabaret tonight-- it was very full (I'd say over sold, but the tickets were free, and the fire marshal may not be happy to hear about it- so let's just say that it was full of people.) It was my first time at the Brick, which is a nice and cozy space. Although they had a mongo air conditioner front and center, it was too little too late, the space was very hot, what with all the people. Fortunately, there were plenty of chinese hand fans in evidence (and liberally used) One of the best things about a festival like this (in addition to seeing the work, of course) is running into new friends and old friends. I ended up talking for sometime with a new friend- a Danish clown who is living in London and working with a Russian troupe (and it turns out we have a lot of the same influences!) It was great talking to him. (His name was improbably Denni Dennis (and his website is http://www.dennidennis.com ) There were a number of acts performing little tidbits of their upcoming performances. Acts ran about 8 minutes, and while some seemed well suited or designed to pique the interest in the 8 minutes, other shows were less adept at making the cabaret/showcase spot work for them. Nevertheless, all of the shows looked redeeming and pretty interesting (it's just that some looked more interesting than others) The worst part for me is because of all my other commitments, there are lots of shows I won't be able to see. Hot on the list was an old friend Rob Torres, who has been performing on the cruise ship circuit for some time, and has been working on a new solo show that is premiering at the festival called NO PLACE LIKE HOME. That show is directed by Avner Eisenberg. For the cabaret, Rob did a number of funny bits, including some great hat tricks, a bunch of stuff you shouldn't do with masking tape, and a brilliant tie-tying rope trick. Another great act was COPS by EFS, a Catalan company. Three guys perform a number of routines based on noir. The scene they showed was an infiltration of a drug bust, featuring cocaine, money, a violin, and a lot of mishaps. It's clear that the guys have a great comic energy together, and are exceedingly well cast. Their show looks like a great deal of fun. Another show that looked like a lot of fun was the Canadian clown show Bubkus. The lead clown Jesse Buck did an 8 minute piece that was nearly ruined by a slightly drunk or high giggly clown girl in the front row, who laughed at every opportunity (and some that she shouldn't have) and was just a little too game to be picked as a volunteer. Buck handled her very well, and also did some very funny obstacle bits with his toothbrush stuck in a bottle of water. Other shows that looked interesting included The Combustibles Burnt Umber, Erin Bouvey as Flam St. Cyr and her black pussy...Dill and Digger from Norway, and a very interesting act that was just coming in from San Francisco for the day--Jamie Coventry and Natasha Kaluza as Mr. and Mrs. Legume. They did a few funny music bits, including some great body drumming. At the end of the night, a crowd hung for a while in front of the Brick deciding where to go, and it was nice to see the clown energy. I think the festival needs a beer tent (or a designated drinking spot) It won't help me, as the best way to get there for me is to drive.... Still, it would be nice to hang out with everybody. All in all, a very good night for the festival, and I think a great start. I only wish I had the time to see every show and take every class. It would be a LOT of fun. === If you like this post-- consider reading clownlink.com, links to all things clown and wonderful. You can also subscribe to the RSS Feed here. ===

FRINGE REVIEW: Gardi Hutter's JOAN OF ARPpO

(PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL PHOTOGRAPHS IN THIS REVIEW ARE COPYRIGHT © 2007 BY PHOTOGRAPHER JIM MOORE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED BY PERMISSION.) I saw Gardi Hutter's show yesterday, and can highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. The show is original, creative, playful, physical, and downright wonderful. You should definitely see it if you have the opportunity. Gardi starts with a simple concept-- a set of washing machines on stage, and a large pile of clothes. Enter Gardi as an old washerwoman lady-- clown nose and stuffed body. She notices us and is slightly surprised by us, but then goes about her business. She reads a little from her book JOAN OF ARC & OTHER HEROINES, and starts to let her imagination go. By the end of the show she's fought in a war, caused the destruction of innocents, created and destroyed a golem made of clothes and a washerwoman's tub, and entertained the entire audience. In between she's explored a number of different comedy ideas, including getting stuck in her washer-tub, getting stuck in the washing machine, walking a tightrope/clothesline, and infinite hilarious variations on clothing and laundry gags. Part of what makes Gardi's clowning so wonderful is her inventiveness and her openness. She takes simple ideas and makes them understandable, but does it in a way that continually surprises and delights. At the end of the show I was sitting there feeling inspired, and trying to figure out how I can make my show more like her show. And that is one of the best compliments that I can pay to this show-- it gives you license to let your imagination run wild. Click on one of the dates listed below to purchase tickets online. JOAN OF ARPpO Gardi Hutter Writer: Gardi Hutter - Ferruccio Cainero Director: Ferruccio Cainero Sloppy laundry woman dreams of becoming a heroine like Jeanne d'Arc, but lacking worthy enemies, she transforms her washhouse into a grotesque battlefield. A tragicomic parable of the today world with a tousled, fury, nasty, touching and poetic female clown. 1h 10m Lugano Switzerland Clown/Mask Solo Show VENUE #2: The Cherry Lane Theatre www.gardihutter.com Sat 11 @ 9:30 Wed 15 @ 5 Thu 16 @ 9:30 Thu 23 @ 2:30 Sat 25 @ 12

REVIEWS: Princess Sunshine and Out of My Mind

I'm reviewing clown shows of the Fringe, and saw two on the opening day (that was yesterday, Friday August 10) Although I didn't plan it like this, it turns out that these shows had a lot more in common than just the fact that the performers were clowns. Both of the shows are about clowns trying to find their way in the world. (please note, as full disclosure, that I am friendly with people in both shows. Marvin Novogrodski and I have been friends for nearly 20 years, and Joel and Juliet Jeske are graduates of Ringling Clown College (as I am) The first show Princess Sunshine's Bitter Pill of Truth Funhouse, is a parody of a children's entertainment show. Featuring a brightly colored set, two puppets, and crazy costumes, if you were to watch a video of the show, with the sound turned down, you might not notice that anything is amiss. Turn the sound up, and actually watch and listen, and you'll find there's a whole bunch of subversiveness going on in this show. Believe me, leave the kids at home for this show. The main character, Princess Sunshine,(Juliet Jeske) is a former children's entertainer who is so jaded from doing her 6 birthday parties a weekend that she has decided to create a show that will "tell it like it is" and let kids learn to grow up with some tough love. Featuring characters like the crusty Uncle Fun, who teaches kids how to make a tin spoon shiv (Hey, ya never know)() and the Kommunist Klown (Juliet), who plays a tiny Russian guitar and sings about poverty, the errors of capitalism, and Appalachian teen pregnancy. The show also features the horniest and most lecherous puppet in the universe, Yakko Stinko, (played by Juliet's husband Joel, who was a featured clown in the last edition of the Big Apple Circus) who has slept with everyone in the show, and a hilarious anti-violence PSA that ends with the rabbit shooting the mountain lion in the groin (TJ O'Brien and Brenda Jean Foley, who play very able sidekicks and characters throughout the show) This show is definitely worth seeing. It's in a tiny little theatre on the second floor (you have to enter through a weird little courtyard, and then up the metal stairs) There's only 50 seats or so, so get your tickets early! The second show I saw Out of My Mind, deals with a similar theme, but it has a more serious feeling. The actor, dancer, and school performer Marvin Novogrodski is trying to figure out his life, and how he can cope with his crazy family and his conflicting feelings about them and his life. To do so, he brings his real-life hypno-therapist on the stage, Doug Vogel. Vogel leads Marvin through a series of NLP exercises, hypnotic moments, and important questions. Novogrodski tells stories about his family, and acts out some of his therapy sessions. At one point, he turns to the audience and says, "I'm a star in my own personal Pinter play." The show is incredibly vulnerable and personal as he explores some of his innermost feelings about his family, his career, his relationships, and his therapy sessions. Both Vogel and Novogrodski are very likable and believable on stage. There are also some very funny moments, and even a brief (and very well done) juggling routine. The show has a non-linear feeling, full of short little moments that are well-acted. But if you look at it from further, you see a fairly linear structure. Marvin has a lot of charisma, and watching the show, I found myself recognizing my own situations and feelings in Marvin's. I highly recommend this show, not so much from a clowning perspective, but from a "wow!" perspective. Click a date below to order tickets for the remaining shows. You can also visit www.fringenyc.org for more information. PRINCESS SUNSHINE VENUE #12: The Independent Theater www.princesssunshine.com Sun 12 @ 2:30 Mon 13 @ 9 Sun 19 @ 7:30 Thu 23 @ 6:30 Fri 24 @ 1 --- OUT OF MY MIND VENUE #2: The Cherry Lane Theatre www.marvmarv.com Tue 14 @ 9:45 Wed 15 @ 3:15 Wed 22 @ 4:45 Sat 25 @ 5:15

Adam Gertsacov/ Acme Clown Company

THE ACME CLOWN COMPANY Uses Popular Theatrical Traditions To Amaze, Educate, And Entertain Audiences Of All Ages. Specialities include puppetry, clowning, commedia dell'arte, circus skills, magic, melodrama, masks, and method acting. They perform shows, teach workshops and residencies, and coach and direct physical comedy and clown routines. The boss clown of the Acme Clown Company is Adam Gertsacov (the author of this blog). Adam is the most educated clown in America (barring certain elected officials.) He wears many hats, including those of a professional clown, an author and publisher, a P.T. Barnum impersonator, a flea circus impresario,and the esteemed hat of the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland. Adam is the Festival Director for Bright Night Providence. If you'd like to find out more about Adam's work, please visit his websites listed below: Clown Shows and Classes http://www.acmeclown.com An Authentic Victorian Flea Circus http://www.trainedfleas.com P.T. Barnum Impersonation Show http://www.ptbarnum.org House Renovation Blog About Yonkers http://www.yonked.com Bright Night Providence http://www.brightnight.org