IN PERSON Classes
MONDAY NIGHT SERIES: CLOWN 1
Class Type Open
Dates November 2 - December 21, 2026
Times 6-9pm, Mondays ONLY
Location JJ Gym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructor Tiffany Elle
Cost $475 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)
“I think all people, big and small, fat and tall, outlandishly extroverted or shy and squeaky, believing or non-believing, happy or sad, beautiful or butt ugly, ready or not, should TAKE. THIS. CLASS.” KS, Los Angeles
Delve into the magical world of the clown. Learn to meet an audience on equal terms. Discover the energies inside you waiting to be tapped, relish the liberation of laughter, confront your fears and support your peers. You’ll be amazed how the clown inside you emerges into the limelight and experiences the pure pleasure of connection.
Clown 1 is our foundational class, and most popular offering.
Ages 18 and older.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
FRIDAY MORNING SERIES: SILENT MOVEMENT PRACTICE (GREATEST HITS)
NOTE: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER WILL BE THE LAST SILENT MOVEMENT PRACTICE CLASS UNTIL 2028.
Class Type Open
Dates Fridays in November and December (Nov 6, 13, 20, Dec 4, 11, 18)
Times 10am-Noon Fridays ONLY
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $420
“Understanding each other without verbally communicating is so powerful. Thank you so much for this incredible experience.” NM, Los Angeles
A unique, original class that explores energy, physical communication, and connection - with self and others - in silence. Fusing elements of meditation, contact improvisation and balance work, Viewpoints, and David’s own movement curriculum, each session unfolds without speech and opens up new channels of somatic listening and learning. By joining this class, you pledge to enter the studio in silence and to maintain that silence throughout the class experience.
This combined November/December session will feature many of SMP’s “greatest hits” from 2026, including inspiration from the worlds of music and drama.
SPECIAL ONE DAY WORKSHOP: The Invisible Music - From Somatic Movement to Mimodynamics
Class Type Open
Dates Thursday November 12, 2027
Times 10am-5pm
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructors Ivano Conte
Cost $125
An intensive one-day workshop designed for performers, clowns, actors, and dancers seeking to develop a subtle scenic presence and a deep rhythmic sensitivity.
The journey begins with somatic listening to "tune" the bodily instrument: through targeted work on breath, the spine, and gravity, we will free the body from parasitic tensions to reach a state of total availability and presence. Subsequently, this internal awareness will be projected into space through mimodynamics: we will learn not to "dance" or illustrate the music, but to embody its invisible structure—forces, tensions, suspensions, and explosions—applying it directly to scenic action and the spoken word.
Ivano Conte is a movement teacher and physical theatre practitioner with an international background rooted in Jacques Lecoq's pedagogy. He combines movement training, mask work (neutral, larval, expressive, half-mask), Commedia dell'Arte, mimodynamics, clown, bouffon, and the Feldenkrais Method® to help performers develop awareness, precision, and a more articulate physical language.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
SPECIAL ONE DAY OJAI RETREAT
Class Type Open
Dates Saturday November 14, 2026
Times 10am-5pm
Location Sane Living, 316 E Matilija St, Ojai, CA 93023
Instructors David Bridel
Cost $160
The Clown School invites you to take a day out of your life and join us for our latest retreat! Refresh, revitalize, and inspire yourself in the magical surroundings of the Sane Living Center in beautiful Ojai, California. Our series of exercises in movement, ensemble work, foolery and clowning offer a transformational experience, filled with connectivity and laughter, that will cleanse the palate and treat the soul.
Ages 18 and older.
No prior experience necessary.
SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP - THE DYNAMICS OF PLAY
Class Type Open
Dates December 5/6, 2026
Times Noon-4pm
Location JJ Gym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructors David Bridel
Cost $325
The concept of play lies at the heart of everything in the clown and theatrical universe, and is the foundation of much of the work devised by Philippe Gaulier. Join David for this deep dive into play, complicity, game, structure, and sensitivity, opening up new revelations about the performer’s process and offering amazing moments of joy and excitement. In particular, watch out for a completely original version of the children’s game Hide and Seek, which David has translated into theatrical form with remarkable results…
Ages 18 and older.
SPECIAL ONE DAY SAN DIEGO RETREAT
Class Type Open
Dates Saturday December 12, 2026
Times 11am-5pm
Location The Dance House, 2180 Chatsworth Blvd, San Diego CA 92107
Instructors David Bridel
Cost $150
Our first ever one-day retreat in San Diego! Come and explore the wonder, the beauty, the silliness and the profundity of the clown at The Dance House in San Diego. Laughter, learning, and a whole lot of delirium will ensue. For actors, clowns, comics, improvisers, and seekers from all walks of life and all manner of interests. Clowning is for everyone.
Ages 18 and older.
No prior experience necessary.
THE CLOWN SCHOOL WINTER CLOWN 1 INTENSIVE
Class Type All Comers
Dates January 4-8, 2027
Times Noon - 4pm, Monday thru Friday
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $475 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)
“One of the most euphoric experiences of my entire life.”AS, Los Angeles
Book your place now for the astounding Winter Clown 1 Intensive at The Clown School. Welcoming participants from all over the country and all over the world to Los Angeles, the Intensive is rigorous, irreverent, playful, personal and profound, with a unique and transformative clown curriculum that can’t be found anywhere else! From vulnerability to a relationship with an audience; from levels of energy to physicalization and imagery; from emotional connection to archetypes and routines; this comprehensive exploration of the beauty and wonder of clowning offers a breakthrough experience for performers, comedians, artists, professionals, the curious, and the seekers of all stripes. A rare opportunity for newcomers and returners alike to go big and go bold - and release parts of the self into the creative process that have, until now, remained blocked.
Ages 18 and older.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
FRIDAY MORNING SERIES: THE PROGRESSION #1 - OPEN BODY, OPEN SPACE
A FULL YEAR OF CLASSES BASED ON THE MASK TRAINING PROGRESSION CREATED BY JACQUES LECOQ
SIGN UP IS MONTH-TO-MONTH (SPECIAL DISCOUNT AVAILABLE FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR OF TRAINING)
TOPICS: OPEN BODY, OPEN SPACE / FOUND MASK / NEUTRAL MASK / LARVAL MASK / CHARACTER MASK / HALF MASK / MELODRAMA / PUPPETRY / GRAND GUIGNOL / TRAGEDY
Class Type Open
Dates Fridays in January (8, 15, 22, 29)
Times 10am-Noon Fridays ONLY
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $280
In Open Body, Open Space, we examine concepts of presence, ensemble, non-verbal communication, and the use of space as a precursor to working in mask. This foundational month strips away at pretense and self-consciousness and examines the body as the ready source of creative inspiration. Much of the content of this class is based on the work of Lecoq’s brilliant collaborator Monika Pagneux. Simplicity, availability, and impulse lie at the heart of this challenging and immensely rewarding work.
SUNDAY NIGHT SERIES: CLOWN 3
A CLOWN SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SERIES CLASS
Class Type Advanced
Dates January 10 - February 21, 2027
Times 6-9.30pm, Sundays ONLY
Location The Stomping Ground, 5453 Alhambra Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90032
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $475 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)
“Incredibly transformative! Clown School taught me truly life-altering skills!”CSH, Los Angeles
For participants who have come through the Clown progression, the chance to make a Clown show together. Enjoy the thrills of your clown character making material and creating beautiful routines. Everything culminates in a presentation for friends and family. Don’t miss this totally unique opportunity to be a part of a fabulous adventure!
Ages 18 and older.
Prerequisite: Clown 2
CIRCUS AND CLOWN LAB FOR TEENS
Class Type Open
Dates Mondays in 2027
Times 4-6pm, Mondays ONLY
Location JJ Gym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructors Jeri Kalvan, David Bridel, Matt Deegan, Sarah Painter, Tiffany Elle
Cost $100
TO RESERVE A SPOT, WRITE ADMINISTRATOR@THECLOWNSCHOOL.COM
For the first time, The Clown School partners with JJ Gym to offer a weekly Circus and Clown Lab for teens!
Participants will learn circus skills - juggling, hoop work, trampoline - and clown techniques - physical comedy, building an act, audience engagement - on a weekly basis. Perfect for building confidence, increasing balance, expression of self, creativity, and performing practice. Sign up month-to-month and participate in a class show in May/June!
Ages 12-17
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
MONDAY NIGHT SERIES: SLAPSTICK 2 - WHIZZ BANG POP! MAKE A SHOW!
A CLOWN SCHOOL PERFORMANCE SERIES CLASS
Class Type All Comers
Dates January 11 - February 22, 2027
Times 6.30-9.30pm Mondays ONLY
Location JJ Gym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $399 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)
Let’s do this! All the trips, slips, slaps, naps, bungles and fumbles you could dream of! We’re going to take the fundamentals of Slapstick and Physical Comedy and turn them into a show for friends and family - goofy routines, mad scrambles, impossible problems, and wild tomfoolery. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll get a pie in the face. Don’t miss this singular opportunity to build new material in the vein of slapstick and turn it into comedy gold - in front of a crowd!
Prerequisite: Slapstick 1 or equivalent experience.
SATURDAY MORNING SERIES: THE CLOWN SCHOOL INCUBATOR FOR NEW WORKS
Class Type Open
Dates January 16 - March 6, 2027
Times 11am-2pm, Saturdays ONLY
Location TBA
Instructors Sarah Painter
Cost $500
Thinking of taking a show to the Hollywood Fringe in 2027? Or developing your own new show for a different venue? The Clown School Incubator for New Works will provide you with a framework and a testing ground for creating your own original material. Solo shows, duos, trios, or larger groups* are all welcome in a class that provides improvisation, inspiration, and collaboration for your unique vision - as well as deadlines, structure, and feedback! Come in with whatever you have and you will leave this class with a clear artistic and producorial road-map for bringing your show to fruition. As a bonus for those planning on Fringe, Clown School and Clown School Company alumni will discuss the do's, don'ts, and delights of putting up your show at the Festival in Hollywood.
All of the above will be led by director and actor Sarah Painter, whose production of Trickster for The Clown School Company won Best in Physical Theater and Dance at the Hollywood Fringe in 2026!
*One class fee payable per group
SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: BECKETT’S CLOWNS
Class Type Open
Dates February 6/7, 2027
Times 12-4pm, Saturday/Sunday ONLY
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructors David Bridel
Cost $325
Explore the application of clowning in the works of Samuel Beckett, guided by David, whose expertise in the subject includes his recent work as consultant on Broadway’s Waiting for Godot starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Beckett’s long-running fascination with clowns of the circus and silent movie era is reflected in so many of his plays, from high jinks and comic routines to philosophical angst and existential despair. Beckett captured - and shaped - the essence of the modern clown with signature brilliance, and this workshop reveals both the outer images and the inner dynamics that connect the iconic clown figure with the imagination of perhaps the greatest playwright of the 20th Century.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: MAD CIRCUS SKILLZ WITH MATT WALKER
Class Type Open
Dates April 10/11, 2027
Times Saturday & Sunday 12-5pm
Location TBD
Instructor Matt Walker
Cost $325
He’s back! Learn the proper tricks and techniques of various circus skill disciplines, including juggling, balancing, and hat tricks! Ringling Bros. Clown College graduate and former circus clown Matt Walker will guide you through the necessary practices and protocols to add to your bag of tricks! Hands (and feet) on training on all the circus apparatus over the course of the weekend. Develop practical application of these skills to help create a vital, well-rounded clown! Or, just kick-ass at parties!
Ages 18 and older.
Prerequisite: None.