Clown Fest Interview - Zea Barker of How to Give Up on Your Dreams: By Not Really Trying

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Zea Barker

Name: Zea Barker
Show: How to Give Up on Your Dreams: By Not Really Trying
Relationship to show: Creator/Performer
Website: http://zeabarker.com

Tell me a little bit about your show.

How to Give Up on Your Dreams... is a solo show, a sort of a non-motivational presentation. The description goes like this:

"So much struggle. So much heartache. Don't you think it's time to let those dreams go? Take it from a recent convert. Bony Lil takes you by the hand and leads you to a place where you don't need to try and strive ...and cry. Give up on your dreams. You'll be awfully glad you did."

It's a dialogue about goals, failure, settling, ambition, surrender.

What inspired you to create it?

This show is a theme and variation of my life and current struggles. Deciding to pursue clown and move a thousand miles away from home a few months before the economy collapsed was... interesting. Certainly tests the human capacity for adaptation.

When you find yourself hot off a rough two-and-a-half week van tour selling other people's t-shirts, 24 hours later flying a thousand miles to do wardrobe for someone else's show, the exhausted notion might placidly occur to you that now would be a good time to give up on your dreams. We always want to believe in the inspirational power of ambition, but we don't give much thought to how that same drive can rip you to shreds in the process.

Wow, now I feel I've gotten too heavy.

The show WILL be funny. It's also about liberation and widening your embrace. "Don't Get Back in the Saddle. Take the Saddle Off"

What is your clowning background?

I have been a stage performer since childhood. I started focusing on physical comedy, influenced by my love of Buster Keaton, about eight years ago. I performed cabaret and vaudeville pieces in underground art shows in Boston. I did everything from circus-themed nightclub nights, to street festivals, corporate events and created a short film duet on the struggles of the creative process called "Bony Lil's Creation + Distraction." It took me a while to realize that what I was doing was called "clown". I, like most folks in the US, had a very specific idea of clown as being some awful thing people did at birthday parties for money. Then, I started poking around the internet and discovered a few videos that featured the work and students of Pochinko clown teacher, Sue Morrison. About three years ago, staring down a full-time supervisor job doing laundry for other performers, I decided if I was ever going to pursue this physical comedy thing, then was the time. So, I packed up my life and gave up my apartment so I could afford the time and expense of studying and headed to Toronto. After a year of workshops and bopping around the US for work, I settled in Chicago, I did a few cabaret nights, dabbled in street performance, landed an invitation to audition for Cirque du Soliel and met up with a couple other Pochinko clowns in town and created a trio piece called Wanted: The Effect of the Economic Crisis on the Local Clown Population. This year's NY Clown Theater Festival will be the premiere of my first full length solo show.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come to your show?

I hereby promise: no huge orange wigs, no big shoes, no exaggerated white face make-up, no balloon animals, no squirting flowers. It is a very common misconception that they are afraid of clowns. They are, in fact, afraid of bad clowns. The big shoes and intense make-up originate from clown in huge American circus tents, far, far away from the audience. Like the crazy shoes and masks with cones in them the Greeks used to fill the amphitheaters. The Brick Theater is very small. You'll see less of that sort of thing at this festival. This is people doing comedy, where they don't necessarily talk all the time or at all.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

I am rushing back to Chicago to finish packing my stuff and cart it back here to New York!

HOW TO GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS: BY NOT REALLY TRYING
Bony Lil aka Zea Barker
Chicago, IL

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

Friday, September 17th @ 9pm
Monday, September 20th @ 9pm
Saturday, September 25th @ 6pm

Clown Fest Interview - Heather Marie Annis of Morro and Jasp do Puberty

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Alex Nirta

Name: Heather Marie Annis
Show: Morro and Jasp do Puberty
Relationship to show: Co-Creator, Performer (Morro)
Website: www.morroandjasp.com

Tell me a little bit about your show.

Morro and Jasp do Puberty is about two clown sisters going through... you guessed it... puberty. Morro just got her period and can’t figure out what to do with menstruation, and why anyone should ever have to experience such a horrible thing. Jasp, on the other hand, can’t wait for her period and waits by the phone for the love of her life to invite her to the dance. A tale of laughter, longing, tears and tampons.

What inspired you to create it?

This show is actually an extended version of our own experiences, going through that cherished time of life. As clowns, we feel like we can explore and celebrate anything, so why not this amazing/awkward event.

What is your clowning background?

The three members of our company met in theatre school together and decided we wanted to do some clown work. We hired Peter Jarvis (also known as Silver Elvis in the international clown and busker circles) to train us in the art of Pochinko clowning. Over a three year period, we did a series of workshops in clown through mask, kinetics, intuition and play, and then began to experiment in creating our own work. We still train with Pete as well as other teachers (including Francine Cote who we will be working with this fall.)

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come to your show?

We have actually rescued a number of people from their fear of clowns. Our clowns do not wear a lot of make-up, they have a full emotional range (so there is no creepy, always happy component) and they could potentially be as afraid of you as you are of them... kinda like spiders.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

Next up Morro and Jasp will be scaling a mountain at the LabCab Festival (Factory Theatre, Toronto) and are then off to Montreal at the end of October to perform their show Morro and Jasp Gone Wild at Theatre Ste Catherine.

MORRO AND JASP DO PUBERTY
UNIT Productions
Toronto, Canada

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

Saturday, September 4th @ 7pm
Sunday, September 5th @ 7pm
Thursday, September 9th @ 8:30pm
Friday, September 10th @ 9pm
Sunday, September 12th @ 9pm

Clown Fest Interview - Gabriela Muñoz of Perhaps, Perhaps, Quizás...

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Leonardo Manzo

Name: Gabriela Muñoz (CLOWN ME IN)
Show: Perhaps, perhaps, quizás...
Relationship to show: Playwright, Director and Performer.
Website: www.clownmein.com

Tell me a little bit about your show.

Perhaps... is a clown show playing with the idea of loneliness and waiting for the “perfect man”, the soul mate and the day that for most women is the most important day in their lives, their wedding day.

Our protagonist rehearses that day and wants it to be so perfect that by the end, she doesn´t really know what exactly she is longing for anymore and needing with desperation from the other. Is a real person going to satisfy her needs or would she rather stay with the “perfect gentleman” living in her head...

What inspired you to create it?

What inspired me to create this piece was the actual situation of human beings not being able to find true connections with one another anymore and therefore acting desperately as a result. In an era were woman become more and more independent, I wonder if we are not only being lonely but too picky, yet we do still believe in romance... forced by others to follow the “rules” or “paths” to happiness can sometimes show us the true side we have.

What is your clowning background?

I studied physical theatre and circus in London, wanting to specialize in aerial work. I discovered the universe of clowns and I stayed! I have since been clowning around in different countries with my company, CLOWN ME IN, and my colleague Sabine Choucair from Lebanon. We have worked and toured some countries in the Arabic world such as Lebanon, Syria and Jordan working with children in Palestinian camps as well as performing with circus companies in Mexico City and Amazonian communities in Brazil.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come to your show?

I would tell them, don´t be!!! There are many ways of doing clowning, and this piece plays more with an inner state of such alert and humanity than with huge and contradictory masks, which in my opinion is when clowns becomes scary.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

I will go back to Mexico City and continue my project with Casa de la Sal, children living with HIV AIDS. We have been working on a book written by them in order to start a storytelling group and tell their stories and experiences to other children living difficult situations. I will be touring Mexico and then back to the Middle East where a 5-month tour awaits us. We will be In Oslo, Norway working with Company LINGE and in Bangladesh and India in the months to come.

PERHAPS, PERHAPS, QUIZÁS …
Clown Me In
Mexico City, Mexico

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

DOUBLE BILL WITH MS. PRETTY SMART, SECRET AGENT
Sunday, September 5th @ 5pm
Monday, September 6th @ 8pm
Tuesday, September 7th @ 9pm
Saturday, September 11th @ 8pm
Sunday, September 12th @ 7pm

Clown Fest Interview - Butt Kapinski of The Kapinski Private Eye Academy

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Butt Kapinski
Show: The Kapinski Private Eye Academy
Relationship to show: Creator, Co-writer
Website: www.buttkapinski.com

Tell me a little bit about The Kapinski Private Eye Academy.

It is not theater. It is serious training in the private eye arts.

It’s the dirty city, and you’re in the middle of it.

On the back side of the BQE, through the streets of Williamsburg, hard-lisping clown Butt Kapinski will teach you to be inconspicuous, run from danger, investigate mysteries and get in the mood film-noir style.

A sizzling hot band guides you through this ridiculous interactive experience.

What inspired you to create it?

I like shows that aim to give people real experience, in a real location and not just a theater. I like work that encourages audiences to be active as they're being entertained.

What is your clowning background?

I've been a clown officially for 5 years now. I clown both in the circus and at seedy downtown cabarets.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to
come to your show?

I would tell them to lock their doors at night, and to guard their babies because clowns eat babies.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

Counting my money and eating more babies.


THE KAPINSKI PRIVATE EYE ACADEMY
F.O. Fire
New York, NY

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

Friday, September 17th @ 8:30pm
Monday, September 20th @ 8:45pm
Tuesday, September 21st @ 8:45pm
Wednesday, September 22 @ 8:30pm
Friday, September 24 @ 10:30pm

Clown Fest Interview - Olivia Lehrman of Ms. Pretty Smart, Secret Agent

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Olivia Lehrman
Show: Ms. Pretty Smart, Secret Agent
Relationship to show: Creator/Performer
Website: http://www.landinthe.net

Tell me a little bit about your show and what inspired you to create it.

I play a waitress who longs for any life other than her current one. So she takes a job in Chinese restaurant because her heroine, Secret Agent Gal, doubles as a waitress. In the restaurant, the waitress creates a mission for herself and the audience, finding other agents in the theatre, doling out fortune cookies and realizing that sometimes adventure can be found in your own clogged toilets.

This is my first foray into a full-length clown theatre piece. Normally accustomed to leaping off trapeze platforms 40 ft in the air for Ringling Bros, and sliding down circus fabrics at 30 miles an hour for local Cirque Boom, clowning is a much bigger challenge than all the acrobatic work I've done.

This show in particular, honestly, was inspired by a coat I bought at a drag queen's boutique! And I really like sneaking around.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come to your show?

HA! Well, it IS the clown THEATRE festival, and in many ways, the theatre aspect outweighs the clown flavor. Think of Shakespeare's clowns; in this kind of theatre setting, we are striving to get closer to the regular joes with whom we can all relate, who might help reveal something about ourselves. And I won't wear a wig or big shoes. There may, however, be polka dots involved.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

I was just accepted into Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Uptown/Downtown performance program to develop pieces of the Secret Agent show. I also teach flying trapeze to adults and acrobatics and physical comedy in afterschool programs. Hopefully this winter I will re-join Cirque Boom co-creators to develop a new show, "We'd Rather Be Shucking!"

MS. PRETTY SMART, SECRET AGENT
Olivia Lehrman
New York, NY

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

DOUBLE BILL WITH PERHAPS, PERHAPS, QUIZÁS …
Sunday, September 5th @ 5pm
Monday, September 6th @ 8pm
Tuesday, September 7th @ 9pm
Saturday, September 11th @ 8pm
Sunday, September 12th @ 7pm

Clown Fest Interview - James and JF of Channel One

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Matthew Gribbon
Design by James & JF

Name: James and JF (Emily James and Ishah Janssen-Faith)
Show: Channel One
Relationship to show: Creators / Performers
Website: www.jamesandjf.blogspot.com

Tell me a little bit about your show.

It's the future. There are only two people left and they're bored with themselves. They happen upon a group of people from the past. Then they discover that these people like TV, so they do TV for them.

What inspired you to create it?

We created a bunch of characters based on ourselves and people around us, and when we looked at them all together, we noticed they were a little off-center. Until we took a closer look and realized they were simply ahead of their time. So we set the show in the future.

What is your clowning background?

We have both studied with Mick Barnfather (Ishah has studied with him more though), Philippe Gaulier (Ishah has studied with him more, too - she went to Ecole Philippe Gaulier for two years), Kendall Cornell (same amount), and Emily took a workshop with Avner the Eccentric in college and her Aunt Peggy was his high school chemistry teacher. Also, Emily's birthday is April Fools Day.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come to your show?

Taking risks opens the door for great things to happen. Like falling in love, for instance.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

Saturday Night Live.

CHANNEL ONE
James and JF
New York, NY

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

Sunday, September 19th @ 8pm
Wednesday, September 22nd @ 9pm
Thursday, September 23rd @ 7pm

Clown Fest Interview - Sabrina Mandell of Diz and Izzy Aster: Vaudeville's Late Bloomers

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Paul Gillis

Name: Sabrina Mandell
Show: Diz and Izzy Aster : Vaudeville's Late Bloomers
Relationship to show: co-Performer/co-Creator
Website: www.happenstancetheater.com

Tell me a little bit about your show.

Diz and Izzy Aster are a married couple, classic Vaudeville song-and-dance duo, who bring their baggage to the stage in harmonies from Between-the-Wars and cheery songs of the Great Depression. Slapstick comedy, ukulele and musical saw in a sweet little music hall show.

What inspired you to create it?

We were working with a great clown director, Ami Hattab, on one of our other shows and began to discover the humor in our husband and wife relationship dynamic. We were then invited to perform for a cabaret night and thought to develop these dynamics into characters. Diz and Izzy were born. We explore a variety of material through the classic Auguste and White Clown lenses. We are also both (Mark Jaster and myself) in love with the late 19th and early 20th Century so have chosen Vaudeville as our vehicle.

What is your clowning background?

We are both clowns with the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Program. Mark has been performing 3 solo, mute, clown shows for over 30 years and I have been using clown as a performance and devising tool in the development and production of our company's work.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come to your show?

We don't look like "clowns". There are no red noses in our show. No white face make-up. No wigs. And we won't embarrass or harass you.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

We are in the throes of a 9-week run of 2 shows at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, MD (which is, sadly, why we can only do 2 performances at the NY Clown Theatre Fest), and then we open an Edward Gorey-esque, Halloween show called Cabaret Macabre at the end of October at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. Visit us at www.happenstancetheater.com for what lies beyond.

DIZ AND IZZY ASTER – VAUDEVILLE’S LATE BLOOMERS
Happenstance Theater
Rockville, MD

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

DOUBLE BILL WITH CLOWNS WITH GOWNS
Tuesday, September 7th @ 7pm

DOUBLE BILL WITH FERDINAND THE MAGNIFICENT!
Thursday, September 9th @ 7pm

Clown Fest Interview - Julie Goell of Carmen the Mopera

By Byrne Harrison
Photos by Steve DiBartolomeo

Name: Julie Goell
Show: Carmen the Mopera
Relationship to show: Performer
Website: www.JulieGoell.com


What inspired you to create Carmen the Mopera?

My writing collaborator on the project, Mark Ross, proposed the basic concept of a person with a hum-drum job who reveals a fantastic inner life in the privacy of four walls. I had been looking to do a clownesque treatment of a well-known opera heroine, singing being my only skill. I am hopeless at juggling, balancing, magic and that sort of thing. Our two visions merged over time into one mopera, with Bizet's Carmen as its center piece.

What is your clowning background?

I started as a mime in Boston (Pocket Mime Theater), but soon gravitated toward clowning. Once I opened my mouth, I never shut it again. This transformation of mediums occurred while doing my street act in Piazza Navona in Rome, where mime didn't really fill the space enough. I was making a bit of a name as "Il Clown di Piazza Navona" and the daily exposure gave me lots of visibility, enabled me to pay off my college loans in 100 lire pieces, and led to nine working years in Europe, clowning with La Compagnia i Gesti and with the Schaubude Circus, as well as teaching at Teatro Studio, Rome's equivalent of the Celebration Barn. It also led to TV and film work. Between touring I moonlighted as a singer in a Big Band and other jazz ensembles.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come to your show?

If you hate clowns or opera you might enjoy Mopera.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

I'm in the final stages of developing and directing a large puppet play in Boston, based on a native creation myth of the Tagish People of the Canadian Northwest. It's called Star Sisters.

CARMEN THE MOPERA
The Eccentric Company
Peaks Island, ME

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

Monday, September 20th @ 7pm
Thursday, September 23rd @ 8:30pm
Saturday, September 25th @ 8pm

Clown Fest Interview - Matt Mitler of Cirkus Luna!

By Byrne Harrison
Photos by Jen Petrashock

Name: Matt Mitler
Show: Cirkus Luna!
Relationship to show: Director/Performer/Creator
Website: http://dziecitheatre.org

Tell me a little bit about your show.

Cirkus Luna is the best East Molvanian circus in the world. It's also the only East Molvanian circus in the world. There is nothing this family troupe does that comes even remotely close to demonstrating skill. So, the audience becomes tantamount in creating some semblance of a performance. Dzieci uses team building and trust techniques under the guise of inspired idiocy to create community between themselves and their audience. For Cirkus Luna, this audience is most often children with severe disabilities, but has also on occasion included late night revelers in NYC nightclubs.

What inspired you to create it?

The original inspiration was a completely inept one ring Bulgarian family circus that I saw when I was living in Poland in 1977. At one point, they brought out a small wooden circular stage and the daughter of the family got up on it and did a really bad tap dance. The finale was a farm animal act; all the goats got loose, and it took them 20 minutes to round them back up. The performers were very good at posing and shouting, "Hey!" We've made that a big part of Cirkus Luna!

What is your clowning background?

Clown, and comedy in general, is like music to me. There are rhythms and beats. But the challenge here, is to instill in my actors a sense of this timing. For Cirkus Luna, the comedy is one of humiliation, so we work be acutely vulnerable. A valuable effort no matter what kind of theatre we're after.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come to your show?

Don't worry, the clowns are more afraid of you.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

The very next week, we make our first tour to Toronto, where we're presenting our signature piece, Fools Mass, and our gypsy, chamber version of Macbeth, Makbet. Neither of which are clown pieces. It's good to explore range.

Cirkus Luna!
Theatre Group Dzieci
New York, NY

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

Friday, September 10th @ 7pm
Tuesday, September 14th @ 7pm
Wednesday, September 15th @ 9pm

My Dad

As some of you know, my father passed away unexpectedly around this time last year. I hope you will indulge me a little if I dedicate this post to him.

My dad was a drama major. I wish he had pursued acting for a living, instead of becoming a lawyer, but he had a family to support. I often wonder what life would have been like, if he had... but it is what it is.

This is my father playing Lachlen MacLachlen in The Hasty Heart (he's the one in the striped pyjamas). I recently saw the movie, and it was easy to picture my dad in the role (I'm sure my dad would have been much better, of course). Dad's story from this was that he had to wear a kilt, and had no idea how to put it on or wear it. After one of the performances, if I remember correctly, a Scottish woman came up and explained that he was wearing it backwards.

I seem to think there is another photo of him with the kilt and bagpipes, but I'm not sure, and I don't know what happened to Grandma's photos after she passed away.



This is my dad and some of his theatre friends. I can't tell you how many photos I have that are almost exactly like this from my own college days - my friends and me sitting in the green room in Neely between classes. I wish I could have known this version of my dad. I did see glimpses of this guy when Dad would come up to college to see me in a play and would go out with me and my friends afterwards. There was this look of happiness plastered all over his face when he was listening to us as we rehashed the performance and generally worked off the excess energy from the show.



My grandmother said that my dad's Hamlet was the best one she ever saw. I imagine she was somewhat biased. Whenever I would talk about theatre, she would tell the story of his "To be, or not to be," and how he would sit on the edge of the stage and quietly do the speech. She said he seemed so real, like he really understood what Hamlet was going through.

What I wouldn't give to have seen that.









Thank you, Dad, for encouraging my love of theatre. I miss talking with you about all the shows I've seen, especially the racy, avant garde stuff, since I know you got a kick out of that. Most of all, Dad, I really, really miss you.

Review - Closet Cases (William Mullin)

By Byrne Harrison

Producer William Mullin has brought Shawn Hollenbach's Closet Cases to Provincetown for a limited run at The Vixen's Madeira Room in August and over Labor Day weekend. Closet Cases features a top-notch line up of gay and lesbian performers telling their own coming out stories.

Admittedly, this is a hard show to review since it has a rotating cast; no show will be exactly like the previous ones. The performance I saw featured Michael Brill, Chantal Carrere, John Flynn, and Kate McKinnon. The stories, as expected, were very funny, but did have some touching moments. And some creepy ones. And one that made me kind of want to throw up.

Hosted by Mullin, the show is fast paced and hilarious. One of the most interesting aspects of the show, especially for you wanna-be reality stars, is that Mullin brings up an audience member (don't worry if you're one of those shy types, you have to volunteer; he doesn't just snatch you from your seat) to tell their own coming out story. Don't have one? Then you can talk about a friend's or loved one's. Mullin does this in an Oprah-like interview, which is a very good format for keeping the guest on track. Mullin makes a genial and effective host.

The cast over Labor Day weekend(assuming the hurricane doesn't screw things up) will be:

Friday, September 3rd
Frank DeCaro
Robin Cloud
lizz furtado
Mike Albo

Saturday, Sept 4th
Frank DeCaro
Robin Cloud
lizz furtado
Steven Polito (Hedda Lettuce)

Sunday, Sept 5th
Frank DeCaro
Steven Polito (Hedda Lettuce)
Mimi Gonzalez
Neil Thornton

Want to find out more about the guest stars? Visit the Closet Cases site.

Closet Cases runs about an hour, so it's the perfect length for someone seeking a laughter-filled diversion before a night out. There was a large crowd the night I saw the show, so I would buy tickets early. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 508.487.6424.



Closet Cases
Produced by William Mullin

The Vixen Night Club
336 Commercial Street

Through Sept. 5th

Clown Fest Interview - Vincenzo Tortorici of The Wow Show

By Byrne Harrison
Photos by Jason Goetz

Name: Vincenzo Tortorici
Show: The Wow Show
Relationship to Show: Creator, Performer, Audience Participant Facilitator
Website: www.polytropic.org, Facebook


Tell me a little bit about The Wow Show.

My character, EnzoClown, is an exuberant innocent who relies upon his own (admittedly limited) wits and the help of the audience to complete his list of tasks. He enters the theater, explores his surroundings, and makes a mess of things as he tells the story of a Prince, a Witch, and a Princess who loves broccoli. The show is fun, entertaining, and nutritious for the whole family.

What inspired you to create it?

The show was originally commissioned by the Aurora Theater, in Georgia, as part of their Learning Library series, fitting the state curriculum for early childhood education. Some of the basic skills expected of that age level (lists and following directions) were a good fit for a clown show (as any good subversive, clowns love to *try* to follow directions--with varying degrees of success). Creating a fairy tale--a hybridized Hansel-and-Gretel/Frog-Prince story--was another fun piece of the process that dovetailed with the curriculum. The end result is a fun, energetic introduction to live theatrical performance, that is entertaining for the entire family.

What is your clowning background?

Clown is an acting style. I'm an actor first; Clown happens to be one of my favorite means of creation and expression. Simply put, it's fun. It's one of those things where, looking back, it's an almost inescapable path that I've been on, starting with watching Abbott and Costello movies every Saturday morning, and an hour of Jackie Gleason every night when I was growing up. When my training as an actor began in earnest, I found that I kept encountering teachers who served as guides, mentors, and partners in Clown... and to this day, they just keep coming. And, when I began working with the Big Apple Circus Clown Care program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (now preparing for our 10th anniversary in Atlanta), I found my artistic home.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to come see your show?

For myself, I wear a very simple costume (ill-fitting clothes that seem to get ever-more-ill-fitting as the years go on), and a red nose. No make-up. My face and personality are plainly visible the entire time, and I consider it my job to make people more comfortable--not less. In performance, I only play with them that want to play with me. It's no fun otherwise. Let's face it: no one likes to have their boundaries or sense of space trod upon or disregarded. (May the gods forgive me for speaking in the masculine voice for convenience's sake) The Clown lives and thrives by his direct relationship with the audience. Professional performers of the caliber that the NY Clown Theatre Festival attracts, grok this basic tenet of performing artistry. Some random guy who buys a rainbow wig and a polyester jumpsuit: not so much.

What is next for you?

Along with various irons in various fires here at home, I'll be setting out around the new year to Dusseldorf and Geneva, teaching commedia dell'arte and puppetry, respectively.

The Wow Show
Have Vaude, Ville Travel Productions
Decatur, GA

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

Saturday, September 11th @ 3pm
Sunday, September 12th @ 3pm

Clown Fest Interview - Christina Gelsone and WT McRae of A-Dressing History

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Christina Gelsone and WT McRae
Show: A-Dressing History
Relationship to show: Creators and performers
Website: www.foolsacademy.com

Tell me a little bit about A-Dressing History.

Our goal is to make American history funny and stick like Velcro. Both fun and educational, our show explores history through clothes we wear everyday. Supposedly the show is for kids, but adults have as much fun and learn even more than the children do. It's like a mash-up of Alton Brown, the History Channel, and Electric Company.

What inspired you to create it?

We've both performed for years in schools, and the teachers kept saying how much they wished they could make curriculum as fun as our storytelling shows. One day we looked at each other and said "We can do that."

What is your clowning background?

There's the formal training, like Christina went to the Dell'Arte School of Physical Theater, and WT has a BFA from Adelphi University. But formal teaching only gets you so far. The most important part of comedy is to perform hundreds of times and just get better, bit by bit. In other words, you have to be willing to suck... for a long time.

What would you tell someone who is afraid of clowns to get them to
come to your show?

Though we are clowns, we don't wear noses or use make-up. We're just two affable comics who happen to have purple and orange hair.

What is next for you after the New York Clown Theatre Festival?

WT works for a Broadway theater, and Christina is competing at the Wuhan International Acrobatic Arts Festival in China.

A-Dressing History
Fool’s Academy
New York, NY

NY Clown Theatre Festival
The Brick Theatre
575 Metropolitan Ave.

Saturday, September 18th @ 3pm
Sunday, September 19th @ 3pm

Review - Derin Brockovich: The Musical (Become Entertainment, Steve Alden Nelson, and The Provincetown Theatre Company)

By Byrne Harrison

Steve Alden Nelson and Michael Sottile have given a Provincetown twist to their parody of the 2000 Julia Roberts vehicle "Erin Brockovich." Erin is now Derin Brockovich (Michael Sottile), a ridiculously well-endowed father of three with few marketable job skills. After losing a lawsuit over an accident caused by his amorous pursuits in a parked car, Derin convinces his toupeed and perpetually horny attorney Dick Small (Nicholas Guide) to hire him as an office clerk. As he takes Dick's calls, he sees a disturbing pattern emerging - something is shrinking the men of P'town... you know, down there. With Dick's permission, Derin investigates and quickly determines that the common thread among the victims is their incessant cell phone use. Could it be that Betty Lichter (Katilin Varkados), the billionaire who is flooding the Cape with cell phone towers could be behind it? Spoiler alert: She is.

But can Derin stop her with nothing more than his endowment, Dick Small's questionable legal talent, and the love of a good drag queen (Steve Alden Nelson)? Or will it take the confession of an insider who knows all of Betty Lichter's secrets?

Well, if you saw "Erin Brockovich," you can figure out the answers to all those questions. But getting there is half the fun.

As a parody of "Erin Brockovich," Derin Brockovich is a success. It lampoons the overblown aspects of the movie, while showing a certain admiration for the source material. As it currently stands, however, it stays a little too true to the film. A shorter, tighter script would benefit the production, and would concentrate the humor, as would some stronger direction, especially as to the pace and timing, by director Michael Sottile (who wears many, many hats in this production).

In addition, a little more work on the relationship between Derin and his biker-chick, drag queen paramour Whore-neeto (Steve Alden Nelson) would greatly help the story. It's clear why Whore-neeto instantly falls for Derin (the whole ridiculously well-endowed thing), but Derin's lack of any visible affection for Whore-neeto - she's just a convenient babysitter - makes it hard to understand his eventual decision to be with her.

Otherwise, the play has lots of laughs and features some terrific musical numbers by Michael Sottile. Sottile has a good ear for different styles of music and he plays with several in the show, from novelty numbers, to torch songs and power ballads. He also is a talented singer, as is most of the cast, so the musical numbers are definitely a high point of the production.

Acting is somewhat varied in the show. There is a fine line between being humorously broad and chewing scenery, and some of the cast give their molars a workout. The outstanding performer without a doubt is Kaitlin Varkados, especially in her role of Betty Lichter. Betty is brassy and over-the-top, but rooted in reality. Varkados plays up the comedy, but never goes overboard. She gives a fantastic performance.

Michael Sottile also excels as Derin, who despite his humorously large endowment and the degrading things he has to do to move the lawsuit forward is always portrayed as a fairly noble character. Sottile also brings the house down at several points with his powerful ballads.

Steve Alden Nelson brings a certain tragic dignity to Whore-neeto, which given the character's name, is no small feat. Again, this role is somewhat underwritten, and I would like to see more chemistry between Whore-neeto and Derin.

Technical elements are good, though striking and setting certain props and set pieces slow some of the scene changes. In a show like this, where pacing is so important, anything that can be done to speed it up is helpful. Karen Billard's costumes are well done, especially those for the female (or cross-dressing) characters.

I also should mention Chuck Saculla's choreography which was light and fun to watch, and appropriate for actors with varying dance skills.

Derin Brockovich: The Musical offers plenty for both the "Erin Brockovich" fans and those who aren't familiar with the movie. While the script and the production could use a little tweaking, overall the great songs, loads of laughter, and a high sexual inuendo content are just the thing for those who are looking for a fun night out.

Derin Brockovich: The Musical
Written by Steve Alden Nelson and Michael Sottile
Created by Steve Alden Nelson, Danny Schmitz and Michael Sottile
Directed by Michael Sottile
Original Music/Musical Direction/Orchestrations/Musical Programming/Sequencing: Michael Sottile
Choreographer: Chuck Saculla
Assistant Director: Melissa Nussbaum Freeman
Lighting Design: Michael Clark Wonson
Set Design: Matthew CW Page
Sound Design: Allen Gallant
Costume Design/Wig Stylist/Make-Up: Steve Carey
Costume Design: Karen Billard
Stage Manager: Roberta Eggart
Props Mistress: Chris M. Kerr
Sound Operator: Patrick Lamerson
Lighting Operator: Alex Turevich

Featuring: Michael Sottile (Derin Brockovich), Nicholas Gulde (Dick Small), Christopher Clough (Fisherman, Sheila Schmata, Escort #1, Ensemble), Clyde Shelby Mellert (Shermie Schmata, Creepy Guy, Ensemble), Steve Alden Nelson (Whore-neeto), Kaitlin Varkados (Betty Lichter, Mia, Ensemble)

The Provincetown Theatre
238 Bradford Street

Through September 4th

Theatre Shorts

By Byrne Harrison

A look at the now lost Union Square Theater on Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.

The marquee of the new Stephen Sondheim Theatre will be unveiled and lighted at a 6:30 PM ceremony Sept. 15 at 124 W. 43rd Street in Manhattan's Broadway theatre district.

Shakespeare . . . in Klingon.

Provincetown actor and Ghost Hunter Academy winner Adam Berry gets interviewed by GhostHunterFans.net.

This Thursday, Sept. 2, 6:30 pm Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, The Graduate Center, CUNY 365 Fifth Avenue, at 34th St. THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF US STAGE DIRECTORS, A Presentation by Segal Center Scholar Sophie Proust.

Good article featuring Tony Kushner.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival's Beautiful Burnout coming to NY.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the live version.

Vanessa Redgrave does not like Broadway buffoonery.

Beginning Tuesday, September 7th and continuing through Sunday, September 19th, many Off-Broadway shows will offer seats still available twenty minutes before the curtain for only $20.

Playbill Backstage features a behind the scenes look at The 39 Steps.

Great Peter Scolari interview about It Must Be Him.

Is Bryan Batt heading back to "Mad Men"?

Gavin Creel heading to the UK for three shows.