LATEST NEWS & UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
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THIS CLOWN'S GOING HOME
I am super excited to be heading back to New Zealand for a holiday this Christmas. It's been 8 years! I am also delighted (and nervous) to bring my offerings home. I'm touching down in Auckland then launching into a two-day deep dive exploring the powerful personal, political and poetic possibilities of clowning.
The Rebel Clown NZ ★ Action:Utopia ★ is my call to share, inspire and continue the research into the potential of clowning to embody our Utopian visions for the world. In these times of political turmoil, wars and climate crisis; I want to share this regenerative form as a way to make sense of it all and invite hope and playfulness into our lives. |
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The Clown Congress returns for 2023
We're back this October bringing comrades near and far together to talk about the future of Clowning. This year's theme is Clowns & Identity exploring how our differences and who we are impact the way we clown and the way society sees us. We also have a new home thanks to a partnership with Jan Wozniak, Senior Lecturer in Theatre and Performance at Bristol University. Read more about how to get involved and attend.
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The Activist Clown just got published!
Last year I received a DYCP from Arts Council England to develop and consolidate my research of the Activist Clown. I wanted writing to be a part of that process. I reached out to Dorothy Max Prior, Editor of Total Theatre Magazine who had developed the Writers as Artists Scheme – mentoring artists to develop their writing skills, and think about their performance practice. Our work together since last November has culminated in my first published piece - 'Rebel, Rebel'.
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A Nomadic Adventure in StockholmRead all about our inaugural outing of the Nomadic Rebel Clown Academy in my latest blog. 4 days of play, experimentation, action design and delightful activist clowning on the streets of Stockhom.
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An Activist Clown Festival in Lisbon
Read my latest blog about my recent trip to Lisbon for an Activist Clown Festival. What better way to escape the never-ending UK winter than pop over to Portugal for networking, conversations, workshops, performances and a pastel de nata or three!
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In clown-versation with Barnaby King
Barnaby King asked me to join him for a Clown-versation about my activism and clowning work. It was a relaxed and easy conversation and the hour passed really quickly with still more to say. Barnaby has had about 30 conversations with clowns from all over the world, including Holly Stoppit, Eric Davis, Jeff Johnson, Nola Rae, Jon Davison and Angela Decastro. You can check out his Youtube Channel to find them all archived there.
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ABOUT ROBYN
Robyn is a Bristol-based director, teacher and performer. With over 20 years experience she is a passionate practitioner of clowning, physical theatre, circus and street arts. She has a MA in Circus Directing, a Diploma of Physical Theatre Practice and trained with a long line of inspiring teachers including Holly Stoppit, Peta Lily, Giovanni Fusetti, Bim Mason, Jon Davison, Zuma Puma, Lucy Hopkins and John Wright.
Over the past five years she has been exploring the meeting point of clowning and a deep desire to address the injustices in the world. This specialism has developed through her Masters Research ‘Small Circus Acts of Resistance’, on the streets and in protests with the Bristol Rebel Clowns and in research residencies with The Trickster Laboratory. Robyn’s Activist Clown research has led to collaborations with Jay Jordan (Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination, France), Clown Me In (Beirut), LM Bogad (US), Hilary Ramsden (Greece) and international Tricksters; ‘The Yes Men’ (US). During the pandemic in 2020, Robyn set up The Online Clown Academy with Holly Stoppit and developed a series of Zoom Clown Courses. Robyn’s research, started during her Masters, has been exploring the meeting point of clowning and activism, online, in the real world and with international collaborators. With this drive to explore political edges of her work she has also dived back into the world of the Bouffon; training with Jaime Mears, Bim Mason, Nathaniel Justiniano, Eric Davis, Tim Licata, Al Seed and the grand master Bouffon-himself; Philippe Gaulier. Keen to explore the intersection of clowning and politics, Robyn is driven to create collaborative, research spaces, testing and pushing the limits of the artform to create new knowledge and methodologies for her industry and strengthen partnerships for future work. Some of her most recent collaborations and teaching projects have included the Nomadic Rebel Clown Academy (5-day Activist Clown Training), The Laboratory of the Un-beautiful (Feminist Grotesque Bouffon Training for Womxn Theatre Makers) and the Clown Congress (annual gathering of clowns, activists & academics collectively exploring what it means to be a clown in this current era) |
Photo by HeardinLondon Photography
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