Wonderland Theatre ©2003-2009
Wonderland Productions presents
Adult Theatre Workshops Archive
Introduction to Clowning and Mime with Artús Chávez, 2006
(a Mexican clown, director, actor and teacher)
Clown
This is a fun two week introductory workshop, which will introduce you to the art of clowning and mime. Clowning is about wanting to be loved. We laugh at the clown to show our endorsement of him. 

Our central goal will be to discover our own personal clown, i.e. what there is in each of us which the audience likes so much. It will usually be our most primitive, original self. Clowning is not about interpreting a role or a character; it is about sharing our inner-selves with our audience. 

Our clown always wants to please. He/she is in a hurry to be loved by the audience, so cannot miss a chance. The clown is always alert, expecting, attentive, curious and sincere.

Clowns and fools are characters which can be found in different kinds of theatre. They appear in ancient Roman comedies, plays by Moliére, Shakespeare and in many modern texts. In recent years, the clowning tradition has flourished on the world stage. Directors and actors have understood the importance of the "fool" in the play and have studied new techniques to approach these rich and complex characters.

This clowning and mime workshop aims to provide the actor with sufficient tools to perform the clown or fool on stage. It has been developed for actors, comedians, theatre practitioners and students and indeed, anyone who is interested in the art form and, who would like to develop their expressive and performance skills.

It will be focused on understanding the specific characteristics of a clown: its energy, personality, behavior, status and rhythm. As well, it is intended to be an opportunity to develop new characters, performance skills and to get fresh ideas for upcoming shows.
Week One

During week one each student will start finding their own clown persona through a series of improvisations. To play clown one needs to work out an extreme sensitivity and to be in a constant state of playfulness. The clown is always optimistic. S/he is always expecting something good to happen. Even when he is in shit he is optimistic. Actually the clown will make us laugh precisely at this moment.

In addition the class will explore different kinds of comedy routines and will aim to devise and write new ones. Mime will be taught separately as a tool that can be used both in comedy and clown routines. The spirit of this workshop will be playful and relaxed.

At the end of the first week, students will be encouraged to present a short routine (whether using mime or not). This presentation will not be open to an audience but to the class only.
Week Two

The second week will explore the world of the clown in more depth. Students will work on various comedy routines alone or in clown families. Objects, costumes and/or mime will be used to write new comedy sketches and to improve the ones presented at the end of Week One. This will be a great opportunity to show new ideas and discuss ways to improve them. Students will be required to use mime in at least one routine.
Clowns with teacher
The workshop will culminate in a short showcase of clowning and mime numbers for a small invited audience of family and friends.

Students can opt to take the introductory week only or the introductory and intermediate week, which is the combination Wonderland ideally recommends. The workshop will be complimented by four evening classes in the essentials of Thai Massage with Alice Coghlan.
About Artús Chávez-Novelo

Artús Chávez-Novelo is a qualified theatre director with over 8 years of experience teaching drama and clowning. He accomplished his B.A. in Dramatic Literature and Theatre at the National University of Mexico. He trained in clowning with the American circus Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and toured with their show for a year. Most recently, he accomplished a MFA in Theatre Directing at Middlesex University, London. He has directed and trained actors and clowns in various countries, including Mexico, the USA, Thailand, and most recently Malta and Israel.

View Clown Alley Article on Artús or download his CV here: Artus Chavez CV
Workshop Details

Dates: March 13th - 23rd 10-5pm 06.