Sunday, April 1, 2012

Fly me to the Moon

How stupid can you be really?  Spectacularly stupid.  Infinitely stupid. Welcome to Clown.  These past two weeks have been dedicated to finding the place where stupidity becomes sublime... Where what you do is so ridiculous that it's brilliant.  Where you, and only you standing there on stage in your far-out costume sporting a red nose, believes in what you are doing... so much so that the audience goes there with you.  Like believing that you really are a hypnotist...  Or you really are a magician and no-one can see the mechanism behind your tricks...  Or that that you really can make that feather duster disappear and no-one but you knows it is actually behind your back.  Like kids games.  It is a very special space - because whilst being wildly stupid and completely ridiculous it also has to be true.  And totally naive. So in some way it is personal...  Dealing with recurring or hidden themes in your life...  Spectacularly stupidly.  Insecurity.  Neediness.  Loneliness...  Hello audience - Here are my issues. Now laugh! And sometimes - well often actually - it really is very funny.

One of my favourite exercises was in voice we had to bring a song that means something to you - like you loved it in your childhood. And whether or not you can sing is not the point... It's the honesty and the emotional crescendo of the delivery that matters... And staying in tune a far as possible also helps.  Singing is vulnerable... but in a crazy costume with an impossible clown voice and a red nose... it's also fantastic.  Watching a military clown sing 'Tall. And tanned. And young. And lovely. The girl from Ipanema goes walking...' in the least sexy way imaginable... or a quiet reserved whistful clown suddenly belting out 'the hills are alive with the sound of music' through a flood of tears... Is tremendously funny and deeply moving.

And the possibility for poetry.   Delightful poetry.  Where a chaotic clown quietly walks on stage pulls out fake flower from her handbag and out of nowhere starts... 'fly me to the moon and let me land amongst the stars...' A second clown immediately appears wearing a helmet to fly her to the moon... And off they go.  And suddenly the whole audience is on the moon.  Remembering what it is like to dream. To believe. In magic.

Helena's clown... 'Regina D Ding Dong' prepares for her heavy metal solo before the Cello's funeral!

An orchestra of clowns! ...who are really excellent musicians as well!

Freya's Clown 'Margaret' tapping away at the piano...  She was the one flown to the moon x

The baby clowns who are also wonderful jugglers!

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