LATEST NEWS & UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

stop the goats...and the fascists

This week we took to the streets joining thousands of anti-fascists gathering to say NO to racism and fascist violence. The community stood strong; all together in the beautiful diversity that is Bristol. A small group of clowns came out to bring love, stickers, bubbles, humour and connection to the space.
But humour and clowning has a history of being powerful tools in the fight against fascism and white supremacy. Check out my blog talking about these powerful possibilities of The Activist Clown.
Photo by @_ian_irwin

two street clown play days announced

I'm excited to be offering two FREE Street Clown Play Days this August. Thanks to SPARKS Bristol, who are kindly offering a space in their Department Store with a Difference. Here we meet, warm up, play and then devise small actions, set intentions and then gently spill into the streets of Bristol.  The aim of this continued research is to develop the artform in innovative ways that can speak to the issues of our time. I also want to increase visibility of clowning and playfulness in public space, to offer accessible, playful ways to participate and engage with the city and politics, and to build the community of clowns in Bristol.
I also want to dispel and deconstruct ideas people have about clowning; that they are chaotic, aggressive, garish, destructive and scary. These times call for a softening and a gentleness. I want to explore how this incredible artform can help us deepen our connections with the city, with other people and the planet.
Get in touch if you want to join.

next stop for the activist clown...sheffield 

 After a successful Activist Clown Weekend in London, I'll be taking a break for the summer...but will be back in September this time in Sheffield. My gorgeous friend Ollie Riddle has invited me to meet, play and activate the clowns, artists, performers, activists and curious humans in middle England. Who's wants to join me in Sheffield?
This two-day deep dive explore the dynamics of clowning; from the deeply regenerative practice of play, presence and pleasure to the liberation in being ridiculous, transgressive and rebellious.
Here are some recent testimonials of the workshop:
  • “It exceeded my expectations in terms of the utility of what i learnt and how it can be applied to my wider arts practice and activism. I did not expect to feel so politically engaged and informed!”
  • “Two days of freeing up body and soul, utilising laughter as a tool for social commentary and change. Made me think about how I live my life as well as the kind of theatre I make. It really did feel like we were furthering the project of activism through clown.”

A Nomadic Adventures in Berlin & brussels

The Nomadic Rebel Clown Academy continues to gallivant across Europe. From Berlin to Brussels we have worked over 30 artists and activists all working from a deep desire to find new ways to address the issues of the world through heart connection, humour and play. You can read all about what happened in Berlin blog; 5 days of play, experimentation, action design and delightful activist clowning on the streets of Berlin. We were joined by an incredible photographer for a couple of days, Jason Krüger of Ekvidi Photography. You can see the workshop through his lens here. Brussels was a beautifully different beast and inspiring nontheless. Our photographer kardama_pedalpxl captured our process, play and actions from the most multi-cultural neighbourhood of Brussels to the tourist packed squares in the centre.  You can see the workshop through his lens here.

introducing the bristol clown school

I am delighted to announce that I have founded The Bristol Clown School; the Home of Clowning in Bristol. The vision is to create educational, creative and community spaces dedicated to celebration of all the powerful personal and political possibilities of clowning.
I am currently curating seasonal programmes of classes and workshops, bringing in teachers and organisations to share the full gamut of clown practice and its expression in the world.
The heart of the Bristol Clown School is community! That's YOU! And this space has to serve you. So what do you want your clown school to look like? What kind of courses or workshops do you want? Who would you like to teach here?  I would love to hear from you so we can build the Bristol Clown School from the ground up together, rooted in the needs and desires of its community. Do you have just five minutes to fill in this questionnaire?

so...what happened at the Clown Congress?

The Clown Congress returned for 2023, this time bringing together 55 clowns, academics, performers, artists, theatre makers teachers, therapists, activists and hobbyists from across the UK and Europe to interrogate our clowning practice and explore what it means to clown in these times. It happened over three days in Bristol.
We had a theme: Identity and Clowning.  We had a shiny new venue, The Wickham Theatre at the University of Bristol. We had a bigger organising committee Jon Davison, Jan Wozniak, Aerial Mel Stevens, Holly Stoppit and me. And we had an online programme which ran simultaneously and included interviews, discussions and workshops by international practitioners.
If you want to find out what happened, I got blogs! 
Check out Day One by Holly Stoppit; Day Two by Jan Wozniak; Day Three by Robyn Hambrook; Plus How was the Congress...  reflections from participants and The Clown Congress in Prose by Beccy Golding

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'.

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!

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.