IN PERSON Classes
SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: THE HOLY FOOL
Class Type Open
Dates May 18 & 19, 2024
Times Saturday & Sunday 11am-4pm
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601
Instructors David Bridel
Cost $299 (no discounts available)
A brand new journey from the Clown School! Explore the mystical magical world of the Fool and the role of this ridiculous and beautiful character in life and art. Meet the stories of Holy Fools from history and literature, from St Francis of Assisi to Ted Lasso, and put yourself in their shoes! A blend of practical exercises, laughter practice, and personal evocation that celebrates doubt, uncertainty, and radical acceptance and humility. The Fool is part of the rich tapestry of clowning. Can you find the Holy Fool in you?
Ages: 18 and older.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: PERMISSION TO PLAY - CLOWN SCHOOL PHILADELPHIA
Class Type Open
Dates May 18 and 19, 2024
Times Saturday May 18, 9.30-5pm / Sunday May 19, 11-6.15pm
Location Deep End Studios, 1313 S 33rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19146
Instructor Danielle Levsky
Cost $199 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)
“I can't speak highly enough about the class. I felt like I was allowed to play for the first time since I was a kid. That freedom has already made be a better performer in my other endeavors, but more importantly, it's made daily life fun and new in a way I never thought I'd get to experience again..” EW, San Diego
Journey into the magical world of clown over two full days of exploration and play.
What is a clown? A clown is not a character, but a pre-socialized version of ourselves. A clown knows nothing of social conventions and pursues pleasure and fun. A clown needs access to their emotions to be a fully expressed version of themselves.
Through movement exploration, games, improvisation exercises, scene work, breathwork, writing, and discussion, you will gain knowledge of core clown archetypes while discovering how your own distinctive humor, passions, and life experiences shape your "inner clown." We will meet each activity with courage, playfulness, and support for our peers as we overcome fears and celebrate the profound liberation of expressed emotion. By leaning into failure as a source of discovery rather than embarrassment, we will find our ability to play freely and fearlessly.
Drawing from indigenous ritual clown practices, European physical theatre lineages, and the Clown School's unique integrative approach, we will focus on themes of play, failure, and imagination to unleash the clown inside you.
No prior clowning experience is necessary. This workshop welcomes new and seasoned clowns alike to this ephemeral community, where authentic self-expression takes center stage. Come ready to play!
SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: SHAKESPEARE’S CLOWNS - FOOLS, FOPS, DUPES, DOPES, ASSES AND CHARLATANS
Class Type Open
Dates June 1&2, 2024
Times Saturday & Sunday 11am-5pm
Location JJGym, 6232 Mary Ellen Ave, Valley Glen, CA 91401
Instructors David Bridel & Christopher Earl
Cost $299 (no discounts available)
For the first time! A brand new Clown School offering that gives you the chance to dig into The Bard's remarkable range of clowns, from nitwits to dreamers, and dummies to jesters. Join us for an intense weekend exploring the extraordinary range of Shakespeare's fools - from the hilarity of Bottom in Midsummer Night's Dream, to the pathos of Lear's Fool, among some four dozen characters across the 37 plays. We will explore through a series of fast-moving exercises some of Shakespeare's most entertaining and revelatory scenes, emphasizing his wit, wordplay and whimsy. You'll get precious insights into Shakespeare's world and the chance to make mayhem with many of his most beloved characters!
Ages: 18 and older.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
MIME: Silent storytelling FOR CLOWNS AND PHYSICAL COMEDIANS
Class Type All Comers
Dates June 9, 16, 23 only, 2024
Times 6-9pm Sundays
Location The Stomping Ground, 5453 Alhambra Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90032
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $275 (no discounts available)
A glorious opportunity to explore the art of mime as it relates to the world of clown and physical comedy. Learn isolations that help you to articulate your physical movements; beats, phrasing, punctuation, and sub-divisions to develop the grammar and language of mime; and develop hilarious and poignant scenes that test and stretch your compositional abilities. Perfect for performers who want to practice silent story telling as a unique, magical, and exciting art form.
MONDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: HUMANITARIAN CLOWNING
Class Type Open
Dates Monday June 17, 2024
Times 6-10pm
Location The Stomping Ground, Alhambra
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $125
Join David for a one-night only exploration of humanitarian clowning. Modeling the class around the new publication, Send in the Clowns: Humanitarian Clowning in Crisis Zones, and referencing The Clown School’s new Humanitarian Clowning Award, there will be lecture, exercises, and targeted discussions exploring the application of clowning in non-theatrical contexts, as a means to empower others, alleviate suffering, and bring relief and joy to communities in need.
Ages 18 and older.
SPECIAL WEEKEND WORKSHOP: MEDICAL CLOWNING WITH RAQUEL GENDRY
Class Type Open
Dates July 13 and 14, 2024
Times 10am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday only
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601
Instructors Raquel Gendry
Cost $285 (no returning-student discounts for this class)
She is back! Raquel Gendry, the spectacular humanitarian clown from Ecuador, is here in person to offer a Medical Clowning workshop! Learn how to explore the endlessly fascinating world of medical clowning, exploring sensitivity, connectivity, games, your clown persona, and working with patients or people in need. Raquel will guide you with her inimitable care and attention, founded on many years of experience in the field.
Raquel Gendry is an award-winning actress and master trainer in performing arts with over 30 years of professional experience in theatre. radio, television and film. She has performed and taught in North and South America as well as western Europe. But what she is most passionate about is her work as a humanitarian clown and bringing back hope and joy to the lives of those who have lost them.
She is the founder and president of Narices Rojas, an Ecuadorian non-profit organization that she started in 2006 after experiencing a life-threatening disease herself, and the depths of despair that can exist in hospital intensive care units. She has since trained over 200 volunteer humanitarian clowns. Together they have positively impacted over 300,000 people in local hospitals and refugee camps, and continue to do so. In recent years, Raquel has launched affiliates of Narices Rojas in Los Angeles and France.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
SUNDAY NIGHT SERIES: CLOWN 3
Class Type Advanced
Dates July 21 - August 25, 2024
Times 6-9.30pm, Sundays ONLY
Location The Stomping Ground, 5453 Alhambra Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90032
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $399 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)
“Incredibly transformative! Clown school taught me truly life-altering skills!” CSH, Los Angeles
It’s back! Join us for the wonder of Clown 3, a delightful, delirious and demanding experience that invites you to create your own clown material and complete your transformation into a fully fledged clown. Learn the importance of problems to the clown. Dive into dreams and themes to discover your clown’s perspective. Research and practice routines, numbers, skits, duos, and trios, while studying the inspiration of great clowns past and present. And finally, present a show to an audience of family and friends. Clown 3 is a celebration of the great journey you have been on, that you love, and that you may continue long into the future.
Ages 18 and older.
Prerequisite: Clown 2 or equivalent experience
MONDAY NIGHT SERIES: COMmedia dell’arte 2 - making a show
Class Type Open
Dates July 22 thru September 2, 2024
Times 6.30-9.30pm, Mondays ONLY
Location The Stomping Ground, Alhambra
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $399 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)
“A miracle happens.” FQ, Beijing
You’ve experienced the improvisations, the musicality, and the characters. You’ve delved into action, rhythm, trickery and energy. Now take the next step and create a brand new show! David’s vast and award-winning experience in the art form will help you sculpt new material, create wonderful lazzi (comic bits), build comic monologues and duologues, and tell a great story, working alongside your peers and having an amazing creative experience. This class culminates in a public performance for friends and family.
Ages 18 and older.
Prerequisite: Commedia dell’Arte 1 or comparable experience
COVID-19 Vaccination Mandatory
THE CLOWN SCHOOL SUMMER INTENSIVE 2024
Class Type All Comers
Dates July 22-26, 2024
Times Noon-4pm, Monday thru Friday
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $449 (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 Summer Intensive at The Clown School in July 2024. 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!
COVID-19 Vaccination Mandatory or Proof of Negative COVID-test Mandatory
THE CLOWN SCHOOL BALINESE MASK INTENSIVE 2024
Class Type Open
Dates August 13-16, 2024
Times Noon-4pm, Tuesday-Friday
Location Madilyn Clark Studios, 10852 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood, California 91601
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $399 (discounts available for previous Clown School participants)
“Balinese Mask at The Clown School is a phenomenal and one of a kind experience.” SG, Los Angeles
Our annual Balinese Mask Intensive returns! The extraordinary masks, combined with David’s transformative curriculum, offer a mind-blowing journey towards acceptance, liberation, and creative freedom. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this astounding practice.
Ages 18 and older.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome.
SUNDAY NIGHT SERIES: CLOWN 1
Class Type Foundational
Dates September 8 - October 20, 2024
Times 6-9.30pm, Sundays ONLY
Location The Stomping Ground, 5453 Alhambra Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90032
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $449 (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. We’re delighted to offer this class and to welcome a new generation of clowns into the fold!
Ages 18 and older.
Prerequisite: None. All experience levels welcome!
COVID-19 Vaccination: Mandatory
SUNDAY NIGHT SERIES: CLOWN 2
Class Type Foundational
Dates October 27 - December 15, 2024
Times 6-9.30pm, Sundays ONLY
Location The Stomping Ground, 5453 Alhambra Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90032
Instructor David Bridel
Cost $449 (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