Drew the Dramatic Fool, whose projects have embellished this blog more than once, (Here, Here, and Here, at the least) is in NY for a run of shows at the Canal Park Playhouse, a tiny gem of a theatre in Tribeca. The theatre seats 50, and is mostly dedicated to family and vaudeville/variety shows. Drew is presenting his fabulous one […]
Read moreThe Reduced Shakespeare Company is bringing their zany brand of comedy and reduction to the New Victory Theatre now through November 6.  This team of 3 have taken on a number of other subjects in the past, starting with Shakespeare and moving on to the Bible, American History, World History, and  a bunch of other long and serious subjects.  Their […]
Read moreI’m hanging around with 50 Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Clown College (RBBBC) Alumni this weekend on Cape Cod. It’s a little overwhelming. Clowns of all shapes, ages, and classes are here. Clown college started in 1968, and went up until 1997, there are over 1500 alumni of the school. Of course, some have passed on, some have stopped clowning […]
Read moreStanley Allan Sherman, well-known maskmaker who contributed an excellent guest post to our Commedia Month series, will be teaching a 3 week commedia intensive from June 12-July 1 in New York. The workshop will feature over 128 hours of instruction. Here’s some of the details: RCCU 2011 RCCU is beginning its 10th anniversary year teaching Classical Commedia dell’Arte. Students will […]
Read moreI’ve been reading a blog “The Adventures of Steve and Ryan” which is a blog by Steve Copeland and Ryan Combs, the two clown partners that are on the Kelly Miller Circus. Kelly Miller is an Oklahoma based circus that has been performing since 1938, and is currently owned by John Ringling North. They bill themselves as “America’s Finest One […]
Read moreNot saying these guys are actually clowns, but there are a lot of great clown ideas here, and really well executed use of stop motion. The gag of pulling real stuff out of the shirt or vice versa is really well used. Almost an object lesson in one-upsmanship and clowning, but in a film form that would be a little […]
Read moreWORKSHOPCharacter Mask to Clown With Deborah KaufmannInspired by the teachings of Richard Pochinko, Canadian clown master teacher “If we face the six directions of self, we can’t help but laugh at the beauty and ridiculousness of all that we are.” — Richard Pochinko This investigation is an inspiring way for the artist to make direct connection to aspects of his/her true […]
Read more‘Incredibly serious work’ Local man trains Ringling Brothers clowns By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN CircusSmirkus artistic director Troy Wunderle of Cambridgeport gets a kissfrom his daughter Ariana Wunderle during the Circus Smirkus performancein Brattleboro. (Reformer file photo) CAMBRIDGEPORT – There is a lot of pressure in being one of the most important clowns in the country. For the past month, Rockingham resident […]
Read moreThanks to Drew Richardson, Dramatic Fool for pointing this out — a hilarious mini-lecture about how slapstick is no longer funny, and then Mr. D.V.D. proceeds to schlap the shtick all over it. This is an object lesson in how to build a physical routine where the audience know what’s coming, but they can’t help themselves from laughing anyway.
Read moreHotel Bananas The NY GoofsJuly 23 – 25Clowns check in but they don’t check out at the Flea Theater, 41 White Street (between Broadway & Church Streets) An evening of raucous laughter with the New York Goofs America’s Got Clowns, Season Two, proves exactly what the title says, that America has some rocking physical comedians. New York Goof co-founders Dick […]
Read moreWell, don’t say that doing a preview show won’t get you anywhere. In November, Parallel Exit previewed their tap show TIME STEP at the Joyce Theatre. It got great reviews on a limited four day run, and more than likely they broke even or lost a little money on that venture. However, people saw it, and the gods smiled, and […]
Read moreNY Times Article about Roberto Benigni, who is apparently a Dante scholar, and is performing next week in NY in a very short tour of a Dante show, “TuttoDante,†a monologue about Dante’s “Divine Comedy†that mixes literary insights with off-the-cuff political jokes. In Italy, where he has been doing the show regularly for three years, it has drawn more […]
Read moreDrew Richardson, the Dramatic Fool, is hard at work again. His blog, Think Foolishly, is currently featuring his takes on how to Think Foolishly. He’s got 60 great tips across five categories on how to create a clown logic for your work, how to enhance, create, or otherwise extend a clown routine in a logical and foolish way. He’s currently […]
Read moreThe Greatest Show On Earth hits the boardwalk this summer for the very first time in its 139-year history! SEE DATES Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents THE CONEY ISLAND BOOM A RING, an action-packed seaside circus spectacular where the energy bursts out of the ring, into the audience and bounces back to electrify the Ringling Bros. performers. Get […]
Read moreI attended the Third Annual New York Downtown Clown Golden Nose Awards last night. This now annual event was a lot of fun– not because of the awards (although it’s great to see deserving people get awards) but because of the community that has been created/nurtured by founders of New York Downtown Clown Christopher Lueck and Amanda Pekoe. It’s great […]
Read moreHey-Ya Brothers- now performing at Urban Stages! The Hey-Ya Brothers is a two-man slapstick comedy variety show with clowns and physical comedians Joel Jeske and Christopher Lueck. This 45min show is a mixture of classic comedy, slapstick, juggling, magic, and music. The Hey-Ya Brothers create a memorable show full of laughs. Now with special guest performer Mike Richter! WHEN: SUNDAYS, […]
Read more