Words of Wisdom

[Chance Marmalade]

I've come across some really great words of wisdom in my clown studies now and then and I thought it might be fun to start a thread where we can all put up notes, sayings, passages from articles or clown books etc. As long as it is good clown advice let's hear it!

In one book which I will have to find the title to I read some great advice on mistakes or unfortunate events happening in a show. It basically stated that mistakes you make, or events like the scenery falling down or any of the problems that might come up in a performance, should be looked at as a gift. Use the unexpectedness of the moment for comedy. Any mishap (short of injury!) can be made funny and armed with that you shouldn't fear mistakes happening in your show.

Of course the book said it much more eloquently! But it is great advice that takes a lot of the pressure of performing off of me!

[Paboberto]

"If they laugh it's funny." - Lou Jacobs. This helped me realize that it is not about what I think is funny but what other people think is funny. It is a very important concept.

"The pursuit of excellence is a appalling tyranny" - John Wright from "Why is that so funny?" This just resonates with me. I have never been one to try and be perfect because the stress of it is killer. I think it especially true for clowning and art in general where trying to be perfect is a sure way to sterility.

"Clowning is no more than a credible idiot playing for an audience... Were all clowns really, but we have all spent most of our lives trying to hide this embarrassing reality under layers of intelligence, sensibility, sophistication, and social nicety." Also John Wright from "Why is that so funny?" I like the definition of clown, and the rest of it is certainly true for me.

[noname]

Originally Posted by Snugglesnort

"The pursuit of excellence is a appalling tyranny" - John Wright from "Why is that so funny?" This just resonates with me. I have never been one to try and be perfect because the stress of it is killer. I think it especially true for clowning and art in general where trying to be perfect is a sure way to sterility.

"Clowning is no more than a credible idiot playing for an audience... Were all clowns really, but we have all spent most of our lives trying to hide this embarrassing reality under layers of intelligence, sensibility, sophistication, and social nicety." Also John Wright from "Why is that so funny?" I like the definition of clown, and the rest of it is certainly true for me.

I really have to finish reading this book

[Chance Marmalade]

Take care of your tech crew. They are under appreciated and when treated right will take extra pains to move mountains for you. Always have a little thank you for them when closing a show. Bringing in salmon or something nice for them to munch on to show your gratitude can really make the difference. Good techs are extremely hard to find, treat them like gold!

My phrasing of something Chumleigh taught me last year when I was apprenticing with him.

[Fitzwilly]

That is probably one of the most profound pieces of insight I've seen in a long while.

[Chance Marmalade]

One of the best (and shortest) guides to clowning I have read, from an interview with David Shiner:



"At the core of the clown's character are the ultimate questions of life: Why am I here? Where do I fit in? Many people who go into clowning are trying to heal the world, but in fact they're just trying to heal themselves. By taking our deepest human weaknesses and making them funny, the clown confronts us with tragedy and suffering, but also with the fragile beauty of the world."

"As a clown, your main responsibility is to be the biggest fool you can possibly be. You're an idiot, you're stupid and brainless, a misfit that's trying to fit in but always falls flat on your face. That makes us laugh, because life isn't easy, it's a struggle, and there's great beauty, great tragedy and suffering, and that's what the clown communicates. The more aware a clown is of the suffering of others and of his own suffering, the more laughter he can create."

"The clown is also an anarchist. The clown gets to break the rules."

"Our deepest fear is fear itself. Turning it into something funny is so cathartic."

... On the circus

"Circus is a deeply symbolic art form where man's desire to fly comes true; it celebrates the human form; it is a deeply emotional art form that stirs up emotions of fear, wonder, sadness and joy in a very pure, straightforward way."

-David Shiner

[tim]

I never liked pajamas with feet. Too confining. And being a big girl stinks. Especially considering that I never got any good at makeup.

[Harpoetta]

Originally Posted by Chance Marmalade

Take care of your tech crew. They are under appreciated and when treated right will take extra pains to move mountains for you. Always have a little thank you for them when closing a show. Bringing in salmon or something nice for them to munch on to show your gratitude can really make the difference. Good techs are extremely hard to find, treat them like gold!

This is true. I experienced this from the tech side back in January. I was the stage manager for The Theatre of Fools, a couple of very talented clowns that had written a play for our theatre. They were the performers, and me and another were stage manager, light and sound, and special effects.

They were very good to both of us. They bought lunch for us at during most of the rehearsals, asked us what we thought about how things were going with the show, did we have any ideas that might be worked into the show, was there something we thought didn't work or could work better if it was done differently. (Of course the last bit may be because both of us know quite a bit about magic and there were some magical moments in the show.)

Lloyd and Rosie were very, very good to us the entire time we were working with them, and we both went out of our way to do whatever we could to make the show a success. I can't wait to work with them again in November!

And as far as mistakes, we did have one side of the curtain come off of the lead during the last show, I had to think fast and pull it by walking behind it the last couple of times we needed to close it. (Thankfully the side that fell off was on the same side of the stage that I was on.)

[Yin Yang]

Originally Posted by tim

I never liked pajamas with feet. Too confining. And being a big girl stinks. Especially considering that I never got any good at makeup.

You're a girl? I would have never guessed.

[Willace-the-Clown]

Chance i like what you posted in the first post & its true cuz if you play it off the adeince will think its part of the show & think it was suppost to happen