Teaching Skits on the fly

[Fredzo]

I just posted a blog update to a couple of public events I worked this weekend. Had great success doing the mobile clown school. www.mountaincircusarts.com/blog1

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The performance theme of the day was “Clown School” which went over well with three performers. We were able to divide the kids into three groups for three separate classes which worked out well, giving more children an opportunity to practice more skits.

We followed the school with a performance for the audience which resulted in some delightful performances from the stage. The freshly trained clowns performed five clown skits including “Ring a Ding a Ding”, “Whip Cracker”, “Leap Frog”, and “Baseball Museum”. They followed that with a loud finale performing “Clown Machine”.

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Cheers,
Fredzo

[Paboberto]

Looks like a good time! Get 'em while their young!

[Fredzo]

Its amazing to see that sometimes, the youngest of all actually get the gag more purely than the six year olds. More evidence that kids know best.

[Paboberto]

Indeed, it is ultimately about play, which is stronger the younger you are. You should read "Why is that So Funny" by John Wright sometime. It has some great ideas, about play and clowning. It is geard towards theater students and teachers, but you can easily do some of the excercies or rather games, at a event like that!

[Fredzo]

Thanks for the reminder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wr...eatre_director)

Why Is That So Funny? : A Practical Exploration of Physical Comedy

Synopsis

Comedy is recognised as one of the most problematic areas of performance. For that reason, it is rarely written about in any systematic way. John Wright was original founder of Trestle Theatre before establishing his current company, the acclaimed Told By An Idiot (recent success: Playing the Victim). He therefore brings a wide range of experience of physical comedy to this, his first book, a unique exploration of comedy and of comedic techniques. The first part of the book is about the various kinds of laughter that can be provoked by performance. The meat of the book consists of games and exercises devised to demonstrate and investigate the whole range of comic possibilities open to a performer. The result is a deeply but satisfyingly provocative book, in which every assertion in this most subjective of fields is put to the practical test. Everyone interested in how comedy works will be thoroughly stimulated by this book, but teachers and performers will find it invaluable.

[Paboberto]

Yep thats the one. The best book on clown I have read yet.