A Virtual Space to Meet, Connect, Play & Learn


The Online Clown Academy (previously Clown Workouts), is headed up by professional idiots Robyn Hambrook and Holly Stoppit. We provide virtual space for clowns of all ages and all stages of their clown evolution to meet, play, connect and learn.

We provide virtual space for clowns all over the world, of all ages and all stages of their clown evolution to meet, play, connect and learn about the fine art of clowning. The online clown group began back in March 2020, at the beginning of lockdown. We brought together a team of clown facilitators to create short daily mini clown workshops (Clown Workouts) on video. A whole bunch of clowns tried out the clown exercises in their own homes and posted photos and videos of their discoveries.

You can dive into these workouts whenever you like (follow the links below) Expect invitations to play, tools for clown devising, explorations of upside-down problem solving, guided grounding meditations, clown drawing, clown dancing, clown cookery and of course, dressing up... You can post stupid selfies or even short video clips of the results. 

Join can our Facebook group this is where you can find and post photos and videos of yourself doing the Clown Workouts and see all what happened for the other idiots from all around the world. You can also like our Facebook page.

If you're not on facebook, don't worry, I'll be posting our videos here as well.

If you'd like to hear Holly and Robyn chatting about where the idea came from, click here for an interview with Dr. Mel McCree.
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, Jon Davison, Zuma Puma and Deanna Fleysha.
Robyn has collaborated with companies including Let’s Circus, The Sexual Health Circus and Whispering Wood Folk and performed with acclaimed physical theatre companies including, Derevo, Akhe, Oceanallover, and Gappad as well as her own award-winning company, Fun in the Oven Theatre.
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. She has also set up the Laboratory of the Un-beautiful; a collaboration with Deborah Antoinette Bard, exploring the bouffon & grotesque with womxn theatre makers.