IN PERSON Classes

For Any of our in person classes listed below - click here to Book Your Place

TUESDAY MORNING SERIES: SHAKESPEARE’s CLOWNS AND FOOLS

Class Type All Comers
Dates February 3, 10, 17, 24 2026
Times 10am-1pm Tuesdays ONLY
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor David Bridel and Christopher Earl
Cost $325 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)

Join David and Christopher Earl for a hybrid workshop/scene study class that takes a deep dive into the world of Shakespeare’s Clowns. Explore the role of clowns and fools in Shakespeare’s plays and learn about the actors who played many of these roles (Will Kempe, Robert Armin); witness how clowns embellished the playwright’s script through movement, gesture and improvisation in plays as varied as Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Much Ado About Nothing; dig into Shakespeare’s gloriously salacious wordplay, featuring innuendo and raunchy humor; and grapple with the manner in which clowns both mirrored and advanced the throughline of so many stories.

You’ll play the roles, dive into the comedy, and enrich yourselves in a Shakespeare immersion!

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequisite: None

FRIDAY MORNING SERIES: SILENT MOVEMENT PRACTICE

Class Type Open
Dates Fridays in February (6,13,20,27)
Times 10am-Noon Fridays ONLY
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $289

“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.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequiste: None

SUNDAY NIGHT SERIES: CLOWN 1 LAS VEGAS

Class Type Beginners
Dates February 15 - March 29, 2026
Times 5-9pm, Sundays ONLY
Location Western Stage Props, 4017 Dean Martin Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89103
Instructor Erik Engman
Cost $299 (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

Hello Las Vegas Clowns! Come and 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. We’re delighted to offer this new section and to welcome a new generation of clowns into the fold!

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!

SUNDAY NIGHT SERIES: CLOWN 1

Class Type Beginners
Dates March 1 - April 12, 2026
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)

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. We’re delighted to offer this new section and to welcome a new generation of clowns into the fold!

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!

MONDAY NIGHT SERIES: MIME 2 [PERFORMANCE SERIES]

Class Type All Comers
Dates March 2 - April 13, 2026
Times 6-9pm 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)

Take your Mime skills to the next level, and build a show out of routines, bits, and stories, all delivered through the magical medium of mime. Using physical characterization, cinematic techniques for the stage, and live foley, creating your original mime material offers you the chance to do something incredible with just your body, your imagination, and your skill.

MIME 2 is part of The Clown School’s PERFORMANCE SERIES, offering participants the opportunity to perform their original material to a live audience.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequisite: Mime 1

FRIDAY SPECIAL WORKSHOP: Indian Classical Dance Meets Clown - The Art of Physical Storytelling

Class Type Open
Dates Friday March 6
Times 2-6pm
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor Dr Pali Chandra
Cost $130

In this workshop with the internationally renowned Indian classical dance artist, Dr. Pali Chandra, participants will actively explore how tools from Indian classical dance can support clown and physical theater work through the body. The focus is on doing: clear mime, strong physical choices, playful presence, and ensemble awareness. Participants will practice using gesture, rhythm, imagination, and resistance to make physical storytelling more specific and alive. Using the myth of Samudra Manthan (The Churning of the Ocean) as a shared story, the group will work together to create nonverbal scenes, explore transformation and play, and discover practical ways these movement tools can feed directly into physical theater work. Come join us for a rare meeting of ancient movement traditions and contemporary clown play. No prior dance experience is required.

SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: CABARET - THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF BUILDING AN ACT

Class Type All Comers
Dates March 7-8, 2026
Times 12-5pm Saturday/Sunday ONLY
Location The Industry Loft, 755 Highland Ave, LA CA
Instructor Cleo DeOrio
Cost $325 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)

Travel through time with Professor Cleo DeOrio of Dell’Arte International to discuss cabaret acts from the Vaudeville era to today. In this lab-style workshop, learn what it means to build an act, why some acts work and some don’t, and the importance of knowing your audience. This workshop is rooted in devising and will require that students devise an act in solo or small groups, or come prepared with an act to workshop. Time will be allotted for creation, feedback and discussion. Each act will receive individual coaching from Cleo.

Cleo DeOrio (she/her) is a Physical Theatre and Dance artist-teacher from Cleveland, Ohio. Cleo received a BA at Baldwin Wallace University, where she focused her studies in Directing and Choreography and an MFA from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, where she developed works such as Citizens of Nowhere and Visions of a Crying Girl. Cleo specializes in storytelling through movement, physical character development, emotional embodiment, and devising. Cleo is currently teaching faculty at Dell'Arte International and The Sitka Fine Arts Camp.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequiste: None

SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: DIRECTING

Class Type All Comers
Dates March 21-22, 2026
Times 12-4pm Saturday/Sunday ONLY
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $325 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)

For the first time, The Clown School offers a workshop in directing for the stage. David draws on a long career and his vast experience in theater and opera to explore the tenets of directing. From concept to realization, from script work to working with performers, this weekend immersion in the art of directing offers a comprehensive overview of the art form, fleshed out with practical exercises and clearly articulated principles that can be utilized swiftly and effectively.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequiste: None

SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: MAD CIRCUS SKILLZ WITH MATT WALKER

Class Type Open
Dates April 18/19, 2026
Times Saturday & Sunday 12-5pm
Location Screenland Studios
10501 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA, 91601
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.

SUNDAY NIGHT SERIES: CLOWN 2

Class Type Beginners
Dates April 19 - May 31, 2026
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)

Clown 2 offers an amazing opportunity to explore clown archetypes. Bring your vulnerability and playfulness to the Auguste, the clown at the very bottom of the ladder, and the Joey, also known as the boss clown, the clown that wins! The class brings incredible transformations, a deeper connection with your clown, and the joy of creativity in this beautiful discipline.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequisite: Clown 1 or Intensive

MONDAY NIGHT SERIES: THE INCUBATOR [PERFORMANCE SERIES]

Class Type All Comers
Dates April 20 - June 22, 2026
Times 6-9pm Mondays ONLY
Location JJ Gym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $499 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)

In The Clown School’s new Incubator, you can develop your own brand new show or routines. Whether you want to build a full length solo show, make mayhem with your clown partners in duos, trios or more, or play with new bits, routines, and variety acts, the Incubator will customize a pathway for you to achieve your goals. Structure, story, script; characterization, scenography, ensemble; gags, improvs, and audience participation; you’ll receive encouragement, feedback, and direction, as you build your own material and share it with an audience.

THE INCUBATOR is part of The Clown School’s PERFORMANCE SERIES, offering participants the opportunity to perform their original material to a live audience.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequisite: None

SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: VOICE FOR CLOWNS AND NON-CLOWNS

Class Type Open
Dates May 16-17
Times Noon-5pm
Location JJ Gym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructors Natsuko Ohama
Cost $375

Natsuko Ohama is one of the world’s premier voice teachers and exponents of the Linklater Voice Technique. In this two-day workshop, she will work with performers of all stripes to offer a warm-up that can be learned and repeated, address the physiological needs of the voice, increase alignment between body and voice, explore emotional connection through vocal exercises, and deepen an understanding of the personal relationship between form and content, performance and human being.

Don’t miss this stunning opportunity.

Natsuko Ohama trained under legendary Master Kristin Linklater at the Working Theatre in New York. She is a founding member and permanent faculty of Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, Mass.), a senior artist at Pan Asian Rep NewYork, a certified Joy of Phonetics teacher trained by Louis Colaianni and was the Director of Training at the National Arts Center of Canada. She has taught at numerous institutions all over North America, including NYU, Cal Arts, Columbia University, the Sundance Institute. Internationally has taught in Stromboli Italy, Istanbul Turkey, Zurich Switzerland, Shanghai China as well as in Orkney Scotland at the KVLC. She has an extensive workshop and private teaching practice in Los Angeles and has coached numerous productions at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and the Wallis Annenberg Theatre. A Drama Desk nominated actress, she has portrayed roles ranging from Juliet to Lady Macbeth from Hamlet to Prospero (Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company). Film and TV appearances include the action film Speed, the cult series Forever Knight, and Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Favorite stage roles: Imelda Marcos in Dogeaters, Winnie in Beckett’s Happy Days, and she was in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Company 2018. Ms. Ohama’s play Geisha of the Gilded Age was performed by her at Summer Arts 2019. She heads the voice progression for the MFA Acting Program at USC.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequisite: None

FRIDAY MORNING SPECIAL WORKSHOP: THE SOUND HEALING CLOWN

Class Type Open
Dates Friday May 29
Times 10am-Noon
Location JJ Gym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructor Marisa Petroro
Cost $100

Join Marisa Petroro, Winner of The Clown School’s 2024 Humanitarian Clowning Award, for this very special clown workshop featuring a unique Sound Healing experience. Play, connect, engage, and then immerse yourself in the gorgeous tones and vibrations of Marisa’s sound work for a one-off experience that can’t be replicated!

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequiste: None

THE CLOWN SCHOOL SUMMER CLOWN 1 INTENSIVE

Class Type All Comers
Dates July 20-24, 2026
Times Noon - 4pm, Monday thru Friday
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor Tiffany Elle
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 Clown School Summer Intensive at The Clown School in July 2026. 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.

Prerequiste: None

THE CLOWN SCHOOL SUMMER CLOWN 2 INTENSIVE

Class Type All Comers
Dates July 27-31, 2026
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, including participants in the Summer Clown 1 Intensive)

For the first time ever, The Clown School follows the Summer Intensive with a second week of training in our Clown 2 curriculum. The journey continues with an exploration of Clown archetypes and a deep dive into their roots, practices, and routines. You will learn about the influence of the circus on clown personae; you’ll practice entering into the imaginative world of two very different types of clown; you will explore costume and physicality, emotion and routines; you’ll experience incredible transformations, a deeper connection with your clown, and the joy of creativity in this beautiful discipline.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequiste: None

FRIDAY MORNING SERIES: EMBODIED CHARACTERS

Class Type Open
Dates Fridays in September (4,11,18,25)
Times 10am-1pm Fridays ONLY
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor Sarah Painter
Cost $299

Learn to create unique character bodies and build movement skills to carry into scene work, clown, and more! Every human body moves in its own unique pattern and cadence. The invitation of the performing artist is to explore each character's specific way of moving through the world. But what if that is different from your own movement rhythms and body shape? How does the actor discipline the body in creative new ways to express diverse characters? This class will teach concrete tools to understand the diversity of human movement and a space to practice using your body in new ways to create dynamic characters. Each class will focus on exercises in the Laban Movement Analysis technique, followed by time incorporating these techniques into rehearsing monologues and dramatic scenes. You will complete this class with applicable skills for work on the stage and screen, as well as a deeper somatic understanding of yourself.

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequiste: None

SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: THOSE MAGICAL LARVAL MASKS

Class Type Open
Dates November 7-8, 2026
Times Noon-5pm
Location JJ Gym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructors David Bridel
Cost $325

The Larval Mask is the “baby clown” of the theatrical world - and so much more. A manifestation of total innocence, the mask offers up a beautiful, profound, and highly unusual experience for the performer, who has to forget everything and start from the most basic prompts in order to unlock the treasure in each mask. The enlightenment of simplicity follows!

Ages 18 and older.

Prerequisite: None