clown course
We are thrilled to announce our next clown course at Hoopla with one of the world’s most experienced clown teachers, Peta Lily!
Peta teaches Clown at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She has also taught at Circus Space (NCCA), The Actor’s Centre, École Philippe Gaulier, Guildford School of Acting, Mountview Theatre School and ArtsEd School of Acting. Peta trained with Jacques Lecoq, Philippe Gaulier and more.
Clowning helps create joyful and playful performers. You’ll be learning to “let go of the normal” and use your body in humour to play physically and create joyful theatre. You’ll also be playing with the audience and letting them guide you to increase the laughter. We’ll be playing with mime, voice, being “in the shit”, playing the flop, the rules of comedy, breaking the rules and more.
Most of all Peta will be sharing her years of experience about Clown and the craft of laughter in a fun and playful way in one of our most fun courses ever!
Only suitable for people with previous improv or acting experience. If you haven’t got previous experience it’s best to do our improv classes first.
dates, time, location
Dates:
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 18th September 2024. SOLD OUT
Time: 7pm – 9pm.
Price: £250. Either payable all at once or with an initial payment of £100 followed by the remaining £150 once the course starts.
Teacher: Peta Lily.
Venue: KCBC, Vernon Square, King’s Cross, London, WC1X 9EP.
Tubes: King’s Cross.
Ages: 18+
Only suitable for people with previous improv or acting experience. If you haven’t got previous experience it’s best to do our improv classes first.
teacher Peta Lily
This award-winning performer/theater maker is well-known for her solo career with well-reviewed shows including Wendy Darling, Beg, Topless, Midriff, Invocation and Chastity Belt. She has toured the UK, Europe, Mexico, Indonesia, Argentina, Chile, Hong Kong, Australia and Brazil.
She trained with Jacques Lecoq, Philippe Gaulier, Monika Pagneux, Theatre du Mouvement, Yoshi Oida, Carlo Boso (Commedia dell ‘Arte), Sankai Juku and Natsu Nakajima (Butoh Dance), and Mike Alfreds (Theatre Direction).
She teaches theatre courses including: Take It Further, Comedy Toolbox; Clown & Dark Clown.
Lily teaches at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and London College of Fashion (Costume Design for Performance MA). She has also taught at Circus Space (NCCA), The Actor’s Centre, École Philippe Gaulier, Guildford School of Acting, Mountview Theatre School and ArtsEd School of Acting, London. She serves as Auditions Chair at RCSSD.
As a director, recent works include Je Regrette for Sarah-Louise Young (won The Stage Edinburgh Awards 2016), Two Tongue Theatre’s Boys’ Club, Fiona Coffey’s A Touch of Mrs Robinson. Lily recently directed and devised The Death of Fun for MimeLab Hong Kong.
This course is Red Nose Clown, however Peta is also known for her development of the genre of Dark Clown cited in Jon Davison’s Clown – Readings in Theatre Practice – Palgrave MacMillan 2013. A documentary: Taking Laughter to the Limits is about to be released. She was Dark Clown consultant for Acrojou’s Wake and also for Jammy Voo’s Birdhouse.
topics
Exact topics will vary from course to course as the teacher adapts to each group.
- Entering into the clown state.
- Stamina for staying in the clown state.
- Letting go of the “normal”.
- Releasing into physical play.
- Physical theatre skills.
- Mime.
- How to create humour with the body.
- Rhythm in performance.
- Playing with voice.
- Interacting playfully.
- Playing with each other, “le jeu”.
- Buoyant energy, “elan”.
- Being “in the shit”.
- Embracing the joy of failure.
- Playing the flop moment.
- Rules of comedy and breaking of the rules.
- The rule of 3.
- Repetition in comedy.
- Engaging warmly with the audience.
- Fun strategies for working with the audience.
- Sharing humanity with the audience.
- Following and increasing the laughter from the audience.
- Dissolving the fourth wall between performers and audience.
Most of all it’s going to be loads of fun and lots of laughter every week!
faqs
What previous experience do I need?
You should have at least done our Level 1: Beginners Improv Course and Level 2 Course or a similar amount of improv or acting elsewhere.
Do I need any previous experience of Clown?
No, just a bit of improv or acting experience.
How often do you plan to do this course?
Probably about once a year.
Is there a show at the end?
No.
What should I wear?
This is more physical than our improv courses so we suggest loose comfortable clothing and soft soled shoes.
Can I do the course if I have a disability or use a wheelchair?
Yes. Although the course is more physical than improv we are always happy to work with people to find a solution they can play with for each exercise. We have had many wheelchair users on our other courses and have always been able to work out something with the teacher. So please contact us if you have any concerns or requirements.
What if I can’t make every week?
As we’re forming a team over the course it’s best not to miss more than two sessions over the course. Please don’t book the course if you’re likely to miss more than two sessions.
What if I’m running late?
We’ll be starting each session at 7pm. Please don’t book this course if you are likely to be late on a regular basis.
What’s the class size?
The group size is going to be limited to 14 people - small enough that you get lots and lots of practice and stage time, but big enough that there’s still a lively atmosphere in the workshop. It’ll be fun as we get to know each other and build a team together.