The clown is spontaneous, fearless, and playful, an acute listener who is creative and generous and always alive. From the ancient Roman pantomime, through the masked theatre of the Commedia dell’Arte, to the great era of the silent film comedians, and a modern-day renaissance on stage, in film, and at the circus, the clown remains an iconic figure – the voice (and body!) of the dispossessed and the eternally mischievous. Study this elusive art with master movement teacher David Bridel and messy clown teacher Orlando Pabotoy, co-founders of The Clown School.

  • Our unique series of classes has been designed to inspire actors, performers, and comics.
  •  Exercises and improvisations are carefully constructed to build skills and techniques that are applicable to many differing performance venues and disciplines, including stage, on-camera, comedy, improv, & circus.
  • Students receive individual attention and targeted challenges.
  • Classes are disciplined, rigorous, and great fun.

The LA Stage writes: “Both David and Orlando are like two big kids themselves – they are also incredibly perceptive and inspiring teachers. Their astute observations are deep, thoughtful and pertinent.”
In the tradition of Jacques Lecoq, Philippe Gaulier, Bill Irwin and David Shiner, we seek to liberate the creative spirit from the doldrums of everyday life. Come and make a beautiful mess!

David Bridel

David BridelDavid trained with Philippe Gaulier of the Lecoq school – one of the world’s foremost clown teachers – and has been teaching clown, mask, and Commedia dell’Arte for nearly twenty years since.

David has conducted clown seminars, workshops, and courses at major universities including NYU, UCLA, USC, Cal Arts, and SUNY Purchase, as well as independently with the Open Fist Theatre in LA, and Studio 5 and the Playback Theatre in New York. He recently represented Studio Six as a Clown Specialist on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, teaching Bristol Palin how to clown! David served as the Commedia dell’Arte and Movement Director for Center Theatre Group’s production of The School of Night by Peter Whelan at the Mark Taper Forum, for which he won an Entertainment Weekly ‘Special Events’ Award for 2008. His commedia-inspired choreography for William Friedkin’s production of Ariadne Auf Naxos at Los Angeles Opera was much acclaimed. David’s own clown productions include Il Sogno d’Arlecchino (UCLA), Show Business with Quincy Newton (LA), Twelfth Night and The Legend of the Dead Soldier (Franklin Stage), Our Worser Genius (Purchase), The Dispute (UCLA), and Clown Crazy (Central School of Speech and Drama). The Los Angeles Times writes: “Bridel is the real thing, one of the most inventive, scholarly and vastly challenging voices on the current theatrical scene.”

In 2008, David (along with Orlando Pabotoy) was honored to co-teach a workshop in The Presence of the Clown with David Shiner, one of the great living clowns (Fool Moon, Cirque du Soleil), at the Summer Arts Festival in Fresno.

For more on David, visit www.davidbridel.org

Orlando Pabotoy

Orlando PabotoyOrlando is a performer, director, choreographer, and teacher of theatre.

DIRECTING/CHOREOGRAPHY: Recent projects include directing Zibaldone (CSULB), adapting and directing Il Mondo della Luna (USC and Getty Center, LA), creating and directing That Beautiful Laugh (LA New Musical Festival); directing Zibaldone (CSULB), directing Scapin for the Juilliard Drama Division with Bill Irwin as the choreographer, and choreographing Shakespeare Santa Cruz’ production of Romeo and Juliet and Andrei Belgrader’s production of Pericles (UCSD). Orlando’s revival of Creation, which opened Off-Broadway in New York City (August 2006), was met with critical acclaim, and he also directed a revival of Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me for the Sounding Theater Company.

TEACHING: Orlando has served on the Faculty at Tisch School for the Arts at NYU for over six years. He has taught at the Juilliard School, the University of Texas in Austin, Bard College, The Old Globe, UCSD, Cal Arts, Cal State Long Beach (where he was the Head of Movement), and at the Actors Center in New York. He is currently an Associate Arts Professor for NYU Tisch School of the Arts and is the Head of Physical Acting Training for the New Studio on Broadway. He has served as faculty for the Public Theater’s Summer Lab (New York), teaches in the Netherlands every summer for NYU’s Study Abroad program, and last summer taught a 4 week commedia dell’arte intensive in Portovenere, Italy.

PERFORMANCE: Orlando has performed at The Kirk Douglas Theater (LA), The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park in NYC, New York Theater Workshop, The Metropolitan Opera House (at Lincoln Center), The Old Globe, Yale Repertory Company; with Ma-Yi Theater Company, IMUA Theater Company, Lake Lucille, The Flying Machine Company; and in numerous productions for the Division 13 Theater Company. Some his roles include Aufidius in Coriolanus, Puck and Lysander in A Midsummer Nights Dream, Azdak in Caucasian Chalk Circle, Petruchio and Grumio in The Taming of The Shrew, Prospero, Antonio and Stephano in The Tempest, Capt. Jamy and a French Lord in Henry V (with Liev Schreiber), Magno in The Romance of Magno Rubio, Genet in Jean Genet, and the Fool in King Lear. He was a cast member for the Grand Finale 365 plays/365 days by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzanne Lori-Parks, sponsored by CTG in Los Angeles. His Television/Film credits include three Seasons on Strangers With Candy with Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris (Comedy Central), and guest starring on JAG (CBS), In the Weeds (Independent Feature), Blue Hour, The Beat (WB) and Whoopi (NBC).

ARTS AND SERVICE: In 2008 Orlando helped facilitate the Arts In The One World Conference at Cal Arts. AOW is a once a year conference where artists around the world come together to discuss the artist’s role as a peace builder. This years focus: Rwanda/Uganda and Cambodia.

AWARDS/CITATIONS
• Founding member of Pandemonium Theater Company in New York.
• Recipient of the
→ 1997 John Houseman Award
→ 1998 Fox Fellowship
→ 2003 OBIE Award

Orlando is a Graduate of The Juilliard School of Drama and a member of the LA Doces stick fighting team.