Clowns International are proud to present the next in our workshop series with Simon Thomson. Join us at Dance Glasgow 37 Ruthven Ln, Glasgow G12 9BG on the 29th and 30th of September for a class on devising and developing new routines.
We’ll work over the weekend on a new piece you are planning and get it ready for scratch night development. This is a must if you’ve ever sat with a blank pad of paper trying to come up with and original act, Simon will use workshop games and a focus on play to guide us through coming up with the act without having to write – no writing = no writers block.
Workshop times and costs: Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday and 11am-4pm for the very Artist friendly price of £40 for non Clowns International members and £20 for members…. Or if you decide to sign up at the event we’ll refund the difference from your membership
To Book a Place:
Email: secretary@clowns-international.com
So what will the workshop focus on?
Creating a new original clown routine that lasts typically 6-7mins, taking into consideration any other skills you may have, and tailoring the routine to the type of clowning you focus on.
How will we do this?
We’ll focus on two Key Tools in a clown’s toolbox and they are PLAY and CONNECTION. Yes the audience is king and they should be the main objective for any clown.
What will you come away with after the workshop?
A greater understanding of the devising process through play and a confidence to go away and create new work, also you will have created a work in progress routine that is suitable for clown cabarets and variety shows.
A little bit about Simon Thompson
Simon is a Clown, Bouffon a Pedagogue and a Director, he trained with LeCoq and Gaulier, he has worked with and collaborated with many other leading professionals during his 34 yrs experience of performing throughout Europe, Asia and the USA, in Theatres, Circus’s and Festivals.
In 2014 he embarked on a solo project to write a Clown Trilogy specifically to be performed as three separate one hour long theatre shows. Part 1 was “Clown Noir, This is me” which toured Ireland, U.K and Denmark. In 2015 he toured Internationally with part 2 “Peines d’amour perdues” a clown adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labours Lost”, and in 2016 he toured world-wide with “Nose Business” the final part of the Clown Noir trilogy.
Simon is also a Lecturer on the M.A. in Festive Arts at University Limerick and a PhD candidate at The Irish World Academy, University of Limerick. Researching “A Creative Pedagogy through Mask and Clown”
His most recent works include a metaphysical mask exploration of the Australian Indigenous Peoples Creation Stories; entitled “Altjeringa” this was performed by Dancer Lucy Dawson as a gestural etude at the Irish World Academy. Currently he is touring a clown adaptation of Chaucer’s “The Millers Tale” In development is the work “Wired for Sound” a silent mask performance that highlights the difficulties of sensory overload in adults who are on the Autism spectrum.