This workshop was implemented twice and it targeted two different age groups. The participants of the first workshop were participants on another Erasmus+ Training course, they were young adults between the ages of 19 and 40. The second activity was also implemented in the framework of that exact training course but with a group of minority children aged between 3 and 12 years. This workshop was disseminated by Aliki and the place of the training course was Ceuta, Spain.
The activity which was presented to both of the groups in Ceuta was a beginner’s clown workshop that was firstly tested during the Erasmus+ training course in Krushevo, both between participants and local high school students.
In the first workshop we started with doing a small warm up around the room. More specifically we tried to listen to our bodies needs and warmed them up as we needed, for the first minutes the participants stay focused to themselves, to their own bodies and thoughts. After a little while an instruction is given to them to slowly open themselves up to the other participants and as they walk around, they try to make eye contact with them. After this we moved to the part of the clowning. We had a talk about what is means to the participants to be a clown, as the talk continues it is revealed that what makes a clown, a clown is “failure”. We had with us also some red noses made of red paper that from the moment the participants wore them they were free to fail and do whatever they wanted! The participants were reassured from the start that this workshop is a safe space for them where they want be criticized and the main point is to have fun and “be stupid”.
We moved to theatrical part which was filled with improvisations that would help the participants to explore the clown they have inside of them, more specifically:
- Clown choir: All the participants gather around forming a circle. There is a clown conductor that says a gibberish word and the clowns should repeat it. The conductor uses his hands to change volumes and ways of saying it. When the conductor suddenly says : “DISASTER CHOIR!” the clowns should create a listening chaos exploring their voices as extremely as they can. The conductor stops it whenever they want, and the procedure starts all over again. Every time the participants unharness themselves even more.
- The mask: 4-6 participants each time are standing in front of the audience. There is an instructor in front of them that is clapping his hands and in every clap the participants need to make an extreme facial expression. When the instructor says: “freeze!” the participants need to keep that expression still and answer through their “mask” without changing it some questions that the instructor and the audience is making to them. This continues for as many times as its needed.
- The clown chair: 4-8 participants stand up and make a team. Firstly, they find their mask and voice (using the previous exercise with the help of the instructor) and keep it for the rest of the improvisation. There is a chair in front of them that they try to sit on it but they can’t. Through this they try to communicate and explore the many ways that the body can fail in such a simple situation. As the improv. Continues the instructor changes the situations of the chair for ex: the chair is burning, or you want to sit all together on the chair etc.
- Improvisation in pairs: We had a box which was filled with different situations (ex. Frankenstein and scientist, cowboy and horse, opera etc.) . We formed pairs each pair chose one. They had one minute exactly to present it to the audience. In this exercise they find their mask and voice (using the previous exercise with the help of the instructor) and keep it for the rest of the improvisation. The audience should guess what the clowns are doing.
In the end of the workshop, we made a “circle of expression” were the participants compared how they were feeling at the start and in the end. At the end of the workshop each of the participant had explored parts of themselves that in other situations would be criticized and with this exploration they felt more in touch with a more unhinged and childish part of themselves. This kind of workshop can be very healing for participants and usually can last for days to have more results. The methods that we used are considered some of the beginner ones for those that want to explore the art of clowning.
For the children’s workshop the activities were simpler. We had a talk with the children about what a clown is to them and started with a drawing exercise in which the children drew a clown as they would imagine them and gave them a name and some characteristics (voice, special movement etc.) . If they wanted, they became the clown character they’ve created for the rest of the workshop. Red noses were given to them!
Then we did the clown choir exercise which continued with a circle of exploring clown’s feelings through clown masks. After a while, children on their own were making suggestions for feelings (sad clown, hungry clown etc.). Then we moved to the part with body movement and explored body clown movement through different clown situations (for ex. How would a clown cat be? Or a clown tree etc). In the end this exercise resulted in a clown dance which was the end of the workshop.
