I have recently become infatuated with Fawlty Towers the British sitcom made in the 70’s, written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth and performed by them as well. The show was ranked number one on a list of the Greatest British Television Programs ever in 2000 and, in 2019, it was named the greatest ever British TV sitcom [...] The post The Genius of Fawlty Towers appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

Sad news, friends.  It has just been announced that PeeWee Herman (actor Paul Reubens) has been struggling with cancer for the last 6 years and has just lost that battle, passing away on Sunday evening.. I read it on Rolling Stone, but wanted to write about it here.  He was a big influence on me as a young performer, and [...] The post Good Night PeeWee! appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

TAKE A WALK ON THE FUNNY SIDE: CLOWN SKILLS 101 I’m teaching Clown Skills 101 an intro to clowning class at the Comedy Clubhouse this month and next month! It’s a beginner’s level class (no clowning experience required). In the class, we’ll focus on warming up our bodies, minds, and imaginations, learn some fun theatre games, and learn some clown [...] The post Clown Skills 101 at the Comedy Clubhouse appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

I was going through some old stuff I’d written, and came across this  “Advice For the Director” that  I’d written in 2002 on a discussion list for theatre about somebody tackling a commedia project for the first time with newbie actors as well.  I think it sums up my take on acting in physical comedy and commedia dell’arte plays very [...] The post Advice for the Newbie Commedia Director appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

At Espai Piluso, a small space in Barcelona’s Poble Sec neighborhood, Swiss based clown/physical comedian Tom Greder is giving a performance and a workshop on the weekend of March 16-19.  I won’t be at the class, but I expect to be at the performance, which I’ve heard is really great. Tom is a graduate of Queensland University in Australia, and [...] The post Finding Comedy with Tom Greder March 16-19 BCN appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

I’m teaching my first physical comedy workshop in Spain! I’m teaching at the Comedy Clubhouse, a venue that has in a very short time become the premier center for English language comedy and improv in Barcelona.  Located in the historic Born district, they have open mics and shows every day of the week. I’ve performed there a couple of times [...] The post From The Neck Down: Physical Comedy Workshop for Standup Comedians appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

Two of the original members of Theatre de Complicite , Jos Houben and Marcello Magni, opened the 2015 London International Mime festival with their show Marcel,   It’s a clown double act in which Houben, the tall, skinny figure of authority puts the shorter clown Magni through a series of demanding physical and mental tests.  What these tests are for, [...] The post Free video through February 5: Marcello Magni & Jos Houben appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

Joe Dieffenbacher, former director of the Clown Conservatory in San Francisco and the former clown teacher at the Dell’arte School, is teaching some workshops in Spain.  And I’m attending some of them! I’ve written about Joe before multiple times, see here to see the list, and I’ve known Joe a long time, but I don’t think I’ve ever taken a [...] The post Joe Dieffenbacher Teaching Clown in Spain appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

Dan Rice, the most famous clown you’ve never heard of, is going to turn 200 this year! You may not have heard of him, but surely, you know his image. Dan Rice was “most likely” the model for the classic Uncle Sam poster.  It’s not 100% proven, but the poster looks a lot like him, and combines his costume and [...] The post Uncle Sam’s Bicentennial Birthday Bash : Toasting Dan Rice! appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more

I’ve known Greg Frisbee for about 15 years now.  He’s a performer/juggler/magician who has performed all around the world and a lot on cruise ships.  I hired him multiple times when I was running the New Year’s Eve Festival Bright Night Providence (he had a local connection to Providence) and everybody always loved his show.   Greg has recently written [...] The post Book Review: Sheep Theory by Greg Frisbee appeared first on ClownLink.com ..read more