This weekend I attended a clowning workshop. Yes, clowning. But no, not in the 'running around in a painted face with a red nose and a bucket of water' kind of way. The workshop was mainly made up finding the comedic moments within traditional theatre games. The facilitator focused on getting us (the participants) to be present, in the moment, and alive. He was continually reminding us to keep it simple, keep it real, and to follow our impulses. Brillant and important lessons for performance and so essential for LIFE.
The clown lives in the 'ready, coiled, anticipatory' space. He finds joy and excitement in the most simple of moments, very much like a child, for clowning is essentially PLAY. Ah, that word: play. If applied to adults it is usually used in a negative context, i.e. 'Stop playing around and get to work!'
Adults are only meant to play in their spare time, and those who do so 'too often' are not taken seriously and are viewed to be 'throwing their life away'. WHY?!
I'm the first one to admit that I've always been someone who tended to take life too seriously. I have spent 20 odd years wondering how to get the most out of life. For the longest time I thought that if I saw the world (or as much of it as possible), if I was successful in my career, if I found the love of my life and had a family THEN my life would feel complete. Mission accomplished. But what about all the days in between? The mundane and boring hours spent cleaning, cooking, doing errands, working, etc...?
Remember when we were children? When a couple of crayons and a blank piece of paper could keep us entertained for hours? When we questioned everything and life was so intriguing? What happened? I know we have to grow up and be responsible and pay bills and yada yada yada yada, but why do we have to loose the joy?
This weekend was so freeing. For two days I felt like I had taken a trip back to childhood. We were able to be silly, to find the humour in the simple moments, and to realise that you don't have to over the top like Jim Carrey to be funny. You just have to present, be open and be in the moment.
I won't lie to you. It's much easier to achieve this in the rehearsal room than it is to do so in real life. That's why I love theatre. That's why I love making it.
After losing P I thought I needed to be a doctor or work for a charity in order to make a real difference in this world, in order to feel proud of my life's work. But the people I admire most are those who are eternally grateful, who do not seek joy, but live it, and who are childlike in their approach to life. It is not what they do to make a living, but how they live that matters.
Clowning taught me that I do not have to fill my life with adventures, finding joy in the everyday can be an adventure in itself.
The clown lives in the 'ready, coiled, anticipatory' space. He finds joy and excitement in the most simple of moments, very much like a child, for clowning is essentially PLAY. Ah, that word: play. If applied to adults it is usually used in a negative context, i.e. 'Stop playing around and get to work!'
Adults are only meant to play in their spare time, and those who do so 'too often' are not taken seriously and are viewed to be 'throwing their life away'. WHY?!
I'm the first one to admit that I've always been someone who tended to take life too seriously. I have spent 20 odd years wondering how to get the most out of life. For the longest time I thought that if I saw the world (or as much of it as possible), if I was successful in my career, if I found the love of my life and had a family THEN my life would feel complete. Mission accomplished. But what about all the days in between? The mundane and boring hours spent cleaning, cooking, doing errands, working, etc...?
Remember when we were children? When a couple of crayons and a blank piece of paper could keep us entertained for hours? When we questioned everything and life was so intriguing? What happened? I know we have to grow up and be responsible and pay bills and yada yada yada yada, but why do we have to loose the joy?
This weekend was so freeing. For two days I felt like I had taken a trip back to childhood. We were able to be silly, to find the humour in the simple moments, and to realise that you don't have to over the top like Jim Carrey to be funny. You just have to present, be open and be in the moment.
I won't lie to you. It's much easier to achieve this in the rehearsal room than it is to do so in real life. That's why I love theatre. That's why I love making it.
After losing P I thought I needed to be a doctor or work for a charity in order to make a real difference in this world, in order to feel proud of my life's work. But the people I admire most are those who are eternally grateful, who do not seek joy, but live it, and who are childlike in their approach to life. It is not what they do to make a living, but how they live that matters.
Clowning taught me that I do not have to fill my life with adventures, finding joy in the everyday can be an adventure in itself.
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