THE POTHEADS, a street theatre concept I developed out of a commissioning process for STILL, the Festival of Human Sculpture for Alnwick Garden in 2012. The wandering hedge-heads are an interactive street theatre ensemble of poised picnic-goers fitting of the Mad Hatter. They remain as one of Let’s Circus’s suite of popular walk-about acts
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FIELDWORK a project which placed artists and scientists side by side, creating unusual pairings and unlikely encounters in the field of arts and science. I was partnered with a Particle Physicist. I created two pieces in 2014 inspired by the collaboration; 'Grind Monkeys' and 'Anything with Mass'
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SECRET OF THE SHOOTING STAR, a commission from the Edinburgh Science Festival to create an interactive street theatre experience. Players were able to interact with the story, to meet characters, and journey to some of Edinburgh’s fascinating academic environments and locations...and participate in real science. Edinburgh Science Festival, 2013
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FAIRGROUND OF FISHY FEATS a Five Ring Youth Circus circus show commissioned by Juice Festival, based on the book, ‘The Boy who Swam with Piranhas’. I worked as a movement director for the show and created animations based on the work of a young artist to accompany the show, 2014
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THE SECRET FOREST PROJECT is a firm favourite among Kelburn Garden Party Festival Goers since 2011. A participatory game within the Secret Forest with a host of characters to meet and a mystery to solve. With co-designer, Cam Hall we develop the story and train performers
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PM TEA A culinary event; immersive, musical and tasty. I created and developed this tongue in cheek look at and celebration of the 1950s Domestic Goddess for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2007 and the Opening of Ladyfest 2008
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THE GREAT PAULINI Development of a clown based duo cabaret act, based on a magician and his new trainee assistant, from devising, act creation to marketing and performing 2015
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CLUB MUD has been engaging, surprising and inspiring festival-goers since 2010. With the Club Mud team we develop and direct flash mobs and mass games, starting with a theme, fun workshops and then all manner of festival infiltration to subvert the norm
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FEET THEATRE As the co-director and creative producer of this company and acts including ‘The Feetbus’, a participatory street show and ‘walk-about’ act. I was involved in devising material, managing gigs, marketing and organising a European tour in 2006
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BELTANE FIRE FESTIVALS Development of dance and physical theatre choreography for these annual quarter day rituals, season festivals and celebrations. The festivals engage up to 300 community performers and present a contemporary ritual performance to audiences of up to 15000. 2001- 2011
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LA BONCHE FAMILY PROJECT Research project with Five Rings Youth Circus exploring the circus heritage of the North East of England. The project culminated in a show in which I devised an act with young people, and a newspaper and video I created to document the journey. Circus Central, 2013
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JUKKA A member of this Scottish company, creating theatre incorporating installation, live art, site specific events, street theatre and roving performance. Performances include: “The Flock”, a street theatre commission for the opening of The Arches Fringe venue and“pull-over”, a performance for Arches Live Festival, 2009
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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) |