Bubbles. What to do? What to do?

[Snugglesnort]

It is fortuitous (I love that word) that Tim alias Deborah alias Chip or whatever his name is now, asked about bubble machines, cause I had bubbles (the little round floating things not the horse next door.) on my brain this morning at work. I was thinking what in the world could I do with bubbles beyond blowing them, or making a lot of them.

Now I know that making bubbles is a intrinsically good time. I know that we all love to chase them and pop them or just watch them. I know that making really really big bubbles is always a crowd pleaser and if you can put a kid inside one you'll bring down the house.

But doing that, any of it all of it there is no... twist... nothing that says, "Make no mistake I am a clown." It is like doing a card trick with no problem, or singing a funny song straight up well. It is entertaining, sure, but where are you in it as a clown? What have you put in that only a clown can?

So I thought to myself "What could I do with bubbles?" in the same way I have asked my self "What could I do with a Broom?" or "What could I do with, with um... er... a squeaky toy?" Yeah... anyways sorry I am slow in coming to the point.

The only thing I came up with was I could blow a bubble and then try to give it to some one. Of course, this is highly problematic, because as soon as I touch it, it will pop if it does not pop as I reach towards it. Then I will have to blow another one... and it will pop... and so will the next and so on. I could then try blowing it towards them, but even if I get it to them it will pop when they touch it. Then I could blow a whole lot of them and try to get one of them not to pop. They will, then perhaps I could chase after one and move on.

What do you do with bubbles as a clown?

[tim]

Among other things, I am working on a Lawrence Welk-ish take off at the moment. That will be more of a stage piece, perhaps, but become adaptable to a kids audience, also.

[The_Princess_of_Bozonia]

Stalk them like a cat?
Capture one on a plate, take a knife and fork to it and attempt to make a meal out of it?
Pretend they've suddenly acquired great density and are knocking you about?

[Fitzwilly]

Rex Nolen has a bit (and he sells the prop) where he is blowing bubbles and he suddlenly sees one that doesn't look right. He reaches out and grabs it and low and behold it is an acrylic ball just about the same size as the bubbbles he was blowing. At this point you could go into a variation of an egg bag routine and then end up blowing more bubbles and they all pop, you special bubble has vanished.

[Vivi-Ann]

acquired two bubble machines as part of my MA final project performance - and they were used to "set the stage for comedy" by creating a world of bubbles at the beginning of the stage piece through which the clown entered (and eventually exited)

I have used them since, I one thing I do is chase them with a butterfly net and try to catch them to give them to kids. (haven't succeeded yet) Another is to try to walk through the bubbles as if they are a mine field and not pop any. (never happens)

still looking for more good ideees though too .....

[Snugglesnort]

Ooo ooo! Vivi-anne! what exactly was your masters project/thesis on?

[OkiDoki]

Here is what I do:

I like to play a whole act around the bubblebottle before the bubbles are even blown

I use these wellknown small bubblebottles with those ballgames on top. The whole act is played in a examining curious way not knowing what it is and how it is used. First I start playing the ballgame on the lit. Showing the audience the game like "look what I've got". Listening, looking at the bottle. Blowing on the bottle. Try to open it on the wrong side. Finally figure out the lit is on the other side and open it on the right side. Look through the circle, listen to the circle, sticking my finger through the cirkle and spinn it around. Smell the circle, getting soap on my nose and getting irritated by it. So now my focus is going to the bottle. Seeing the soap. Dipping my finger in the soap. Smelling the soap, tasting the soap. Putting the bottle against my mouth as to taste it and blow a bubble by mouth. Reacting suprised and exited by the bubble. Try to catch it and give it to someone. I'm so exited by the bubble that I want to make more so (I act as if) I take a too big of a sip and now the taste is disgusting. (Here I also squeeze in a whole act around a bidon) Now I try to make bubbles by blowing over the bottle but nothing happens. So I do it harder and harder and finnaly too hard so soap is getting into my face. After cleaning my face (with a bidon or handkerchief) looking at the lit with circle seeing the soap within between the circle. Touching it careful with my finger. React jumpy when the soap breaks away. Looking from bottle to lit and put the circle in the soap again again touch the soap. Blowing through the empty circle. Putting it in the soap again and blow again. Tadaa another bubble. Getting exited and make loads of bubbles. I continu with ideas like above. You can actualy catch bubbles on the circle and bring them to a child to let them break them on with you react jumpy. Or you can do an amazing trick with it. One two three... and there you bring the bubble from the top of the circle to the bottom (I know it's stupid). Try to count with the children how many bubbles you make. Try to make those bubbles existing of more bubbles and be amazed by it. Count out of how many they exist. I like bubbles so much because they are so powerfull in inviting you to be playfull and amazed. Do so together with the children and you and the children will have a great time.

[Vivi-Ann]

Snug -
I was required to do a thesis final creative project ... and mine was on how I trained to be a clown. So I had to come back and .... clown as part of my presentation. I did three different carpet clown gigs of 45 min each on three different days, and the "piece duh resistance" was my stage show. Which I billed as "possibly the third greatest show on earth". It was a 5 minute homage to the silent films and Chaplin with a piano sound track. My pic in the gallery shows my outfit for the show.

The degree was an MA in Integrated Arts and Education and I was concentrating on movement and dramatic arts for my projects. Any artist with a Bachelors degree who wants to teach, or any teacher in the humanities might be interested in the program:
The Creative Pulse
School of Fine Arts
University of Montana, Missoula
http://www.sfa.umt.edu/pulse/gen.htm

[littleprofessor]

You can add a little color to the bubbles using food coloring. Few drops of this, and a little of that . . . laugh like a mad scientist - - after all its October !

[Jolly Well]

I use La Rock's as my primary supplier, but likely you can get them at most others (I've never looked); but anyway... The product is "Magical Bubbles."

Simple enough magic with a nice effect; allows you to "pluck a bubble from the air." When I do this at parties or events, I give the magical bubble out to the host/person of honor as a gift.

http://www.larocksmagic.com/magic/magic.htm <-- link to magical bubble