The Theater Resource Centre

Bouffon

The bouffon live at the periphery of society, true messengers for our times, never asking for the love of the audience, only to survive and to flash a mirror before us. The darker side of our psyche, a true side, is developed through physical manipulations and grotesque forms.

Through this, the psychology of the outcast is explored

General Information

Clown Through Mask

Based on the pioneering work of Richard Pochinko, this process synthesizes Native American and European clowning traditions to guide you in the discovery of clown. Participants are taken on a journey exploring colour, innocence and experience.

Six clay masks are made which create a personal mythology. As they are worn and explored various characters emerge which form and define your clown.

We need to build a clown who speaks to today, that is not just a collection of gags, but an archetype that reveals the essence of the performer.

This is clown that gives us a larger sense of the divine in each of us, that celebrates our humanness, our animalness, and the times that we can touch each other in a moment of laughter.