May, 15 → June 10, 2022
Padova, ITALY
RED NOSE INTENSIVE
A unique opportunity to study and practice
the essence of Theatre Clown
and the roots of Physical Comedy
The Red Nose Intensive is back !
The Red Nose Intensive Care is up and running !
This training was schedule for April 2020, but the pandemic sent it into the dreamland. The same happened in November 2020. Now, after two crazy years ruled by the pandemic, the odds look favorable again. I am writing this page on January 25th, when things are still complicated and confused, but the high tide of the pandemic seems to be receding. And we are all finding ways to coexist with it.
So it is time to call out the Red Noses again ! And it will be the an extraordinary gathering, full of the unlived joy and the unplayed folly that has brewed in our hearts, body and minds during the long days of lockdown and retreat from the artistic and pedagogic embodied field.
I’ll see you there. I am looking forward.
Giovanni Fusetti
THE RED NOSE CLOWN
Clown is about comic poetry : funny and touching, essential and rigorous. It’s a dive into the mystery of laughter.
Deeply rooted in movement-based theater, this workshop proposes an intensive training in Red Nose Theater Clown – a specific theatrical and poetical genre. The pedagogy focuses in particular on the analysis, amplification and play of the physical and emotional world of each actor, as revealed by their body in space. This will lead to the discovery of a unique individual clown, with a specific body, tempo, voice, costume, attitudes, emotions, and poetic universe.
The journey begins with the exploration and analysis of the body within the theatrical space. In terms of movement, no body is neutral – every body carries profoundly expressive themes, embodied in everyday movement. Within each person’s movement and physical presence there is a web of “non-neutral attitudes” and physical and emotional “background sounds”.
If an actor is observed with an eye to movement, using the reference point of the Neutral State, this web appears like a structure of dynamic patterns, or markings on a white sheet. They are “dramatic” in the etymological sense: they contain a drama – an action.
The use of the smallest mask in the world, the RED NOSE, and the amplification and articulation of these very personal movement patterns, allows the actor to enter the Clown State. Before being a chracter, the clow is a state of playing, in which everyone has access to the key question: what is so funny about me ?
To discover one’s own clown is to reveal one’s own unique comic persona and turn it into a universal comic form.
For the theater artist as a poetical human being, there is something fundamental about the discovery of their individual Clown: it’s raw, essential, personal, emotional, unique, challenging, empowering, revealing, and extremely rewarding… It’s the exquisite pleasure of touching the empty space of complete comedy.
As a theatre territory, Clown has a unique poetic potential because it allows the performer to explore and play with the naiveté and the vulnerability of the child and with the rigor and the technique of the adult, thus revealing the poetry of the ridiculous, and a unique personal poetic power and folly.
As a personal journey it is an ecstatic way to get in touch with one’s unique humanity, and play with it in a space of openness, vulnerability and poetical fun.
The sublime stupidity of the clowns is their enduring openness to life and to the present moment, despite their radical imperfection.
There are as many clowns, as there are human beings.
There is one way to stand, and infinite ways to fall.
Intelligence is limited. Stupidity is infinite.
Giovanni Fusetti
THE PEDAGOGY
The pedagogical approach integrates the Pedagogy of movement-based theatre of Jacques Lecoq with different principles and practices of physical and emotional awareness. In particular: Gestalt, Reichian Analysis, Bionergetics, Taoism and Process Work. The result is a deep artistic and emotional work, involving the body in a dynamic of play, technical training, awareness and performing folly.
This workshop is simultaneously an artistic process and a personal process.
The personal process within the pedagogy is based on the combination of three fundamental principles. The first two come from the bio-energetics field, first expressed in the West by Wilhelm Reich and then explored by many different somatic approaches.
The first principle says that what is not expressed by the body remains impressed in the body in the form of a structure, or a “character”.
The second principle states that the expression of all emotions brings fluidity (flow) to the body and this fluidity brings physical pleasure.
The third principle is related to the archetypal nature of theatre as a ritual of connection and exploration of the different aspects of human nature: the parts of ourselves that we don’t play with, will play us.
As a way of getting in touch with, and integrating different parts of the self, seen as a process, theatre becomes a powerful space of knowledge, awareness and personal and collective empowerment. Through the playful unfolding of the energies impressed in the body, a clown will appear, and through playing this form with the rigorous support of theatre technique, a unique poetic world will emerge, as well as a fundamental process of personal evolution. And deep fun.
The Way (Tao) of clown brings powerful and highly poetical insights, witnessed by the audience and celebrated with laughter, and generates the ecstatic joy of being who we are in a unique experience of letting go of all intentions (Wu-Wei).
THE PROGRAM
First Week: THE CLOWN “STATE”
– Play, action/reaction and fun
– The empty space and the non-intentional mind
– From the neutral state to the comic state: movement analysis of the body in space
– The Red Nose as a mask: amplification and articulation of movement
– The clown as a state of being on stage
– Emotional presence and awareness and contact with the emotional body of the actor
– Awareness of awareness
– Contact and play with the audience
– Playing with space and with objects
Second Week: THE PLAY (le jeu)
– The relationship among clowns: hierarchy, masters and servants, levels of stupidity
– The Circus Clown Archetypes: Augustus, White Clown, Monsieur Loyal
– The Clown’s Voice
– Clown acts and le bide (fiasco)
– Rhythmical space and time: entrance, crescendo, development of themes, climax and exit
– The actor’s skills in service to the clown: playing with music, singing, acrobatics, juggling, dance and unusual or unique skills.
Third Week: DEVISING CLOWN ACTS
– Devising of Clown Acts based on the previous weeks’ improvisations
– Accidents and comic routines
– Devising a clown variety show
– Staging and directing clowns: each clown will work and rework on some acts /routines to be presented in 3 public performances
– Rehearsing a Clown Variety Show
Fourth week : PERFORMING
– Public presentation of a Clown Variety Show, devised by the participants under the direction of Giovanni Fusetti.
– Feedback on the performance and re-work for a second and a third performance.
– Feedback on the whole process and final celebration of the clowns and their world.
– How to continue the work
ADMISSION
The aim of this course is to give participants professional theatre tools and emotional poetical awareness, in order to play and create within their own clown world.
It is addressed to people with previous experiences in performance (theatre, circus, dance, music, etc.) who feel a strong poetic urgency to be on stage, as well as a strong desire to create art from a space of emotional openness and vulnerability.
It is a training based on generosity, support and the commitment to turning one’s own most genuine humanity into play. It requires the participants a strong and bold curiosity about self-discovery through the healing power of humor. And a fierce commitment to bring this discovery to the audience in theatrical forms, through the rigorous practice of theater technique.
The emotional work will be intense and ecstatic: the body will reveal what it needs to experience and express, in a dynamic of amplification, play, letting go, insights and theatrical transposition. Shadows, archetypes, physical symptoms, dreambody processes will appear and will be welcomed in the alchemical space of the stage. All will feed the sublime human poetry of each clown.
This is not just a theatre workshop.
If you are only interested in the technical/theatrical aspect of clown and physical comedy, this might not be the work you are looking for.
On the other hand, if you are only interested in the therapeutic or healing power of clown, you might find the rigor of the artistic process frustrating.
If you want both… hurry up and apply now ! You do not want to miss this opportunity !
Please read the attached document by Giovanni, as well as Giovanni’s bio and the page THE ROOTS, to learn more about the ingredients of his approach to clown and theatre.
APPLICATIONS
There is no application form.
To apply to THE RED NOSE INTENSIVE, please email
– a short bio, including a recent photograph
– a letter of motivation sharing the essence of your story, vision, dream, desire, fear or inexplicable intuition that leads you to this training.
Please include in your letter these themes:
-how did you come to know about this work;
-your experience with movement-based theatre;
-your previous experience with clown;
-for what purpose you apply to this program;
-some notes about your personal journey in terms of healing or therapeutic practices, or other relevant inner experiences.
Please send your application to giovanni.fusetti@helikos.com
Giovanni will choose students from the applications received, forming the group. In some cases Giovanni will ask the applicant to have a skype or zoom conversation.
Once accepted, to confirm the enrollment, a deposit of EURO 500 is due.
Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.
Once the application is accepted, spots in the class will be given in the order the application was received. Once Giovanni has selected 12 students, the workshop is full, and a waiting list will be created.
In these uncertain pandemic times, the training will be confirmed ONLY if the Italian and International scenario will allow the health safety necessary to travel and to practice in close proximity with other human beings and clowns. The final decision will be taken no later than March 21st, 2022. In case of cancellation, all paid deposit and tuition will be refunded, and the training will be rescheduled.
ENROLLMENT SITUATION ON MARCH 15th 2022:
The training is Confirmed
and fully booked. A waiting list is in place
TUITION
The tuition is following a sliding scale approach. These are difficult times. The coronavirus crisis has provoked a significant loss of income to almost anyone working in the field of live arts. Especially to free lance artists. The sliding scale wants to acknowledge both the difficult moment we are facing and the vital urgency we all feel to practice our art and to support each others and the Poetic Field. Different countries have put into place different systems of public support of artists, if any, so different participants might find themselves in different financial situations.
If you can and want to pay on the higher end of the scale, you will be supporting those who are in difficult spots, and you will also fund Helikos School and Giovanni’s ongoing pedagogic research. If you need to choose the lower end of the scale you are accepting that you need support and you will receive it. We are in this pandemic together and together we need to care for the poetic garden.
Please indicate in your application the amount that you choose to pay.
Please let us know if you need any specific certificate or letter of support in order to apply for some form of funding or grant.
Early Bird Tuition: Euros 1.200 to Euros 1.600, if full tuition is paid by March 1st, 2022.
Full Tuition: EURO 1.500 to 1.900. If tuition is paid after March 1st, 2022.
Please note that the tuition does not include accommodation and that participants will be responsible for organizing their staying in Padova. Here is a list of useful information and contacts on how to organize your staying in Padova. WELCOME TO PADOVA
APPLICATION DEADLINE : March 15th, 2022
PRACTICALITIES
LOCATION
HELIKOS STUDIO, Via Monte Solarolo 16, PADOVA, ITALY
SCHEDULE
May 15 – June 10th, 2022
Week 1: Sunday May 15th through Friday May20th
Week 2: Monday 23d through Saturday 28th
Week 3: Monday 30th through Friday June 3rd
Week 4: Sunday 5th through Friday 10th
Time: 9:00am – 5:30pm each day
Lunch: There will be a lunch break, and morning and afternoon tea breaks.
Tuesday June 7th, Wednesday June 8th and Thursday June 9th, Public Performance at 8:45pm.
Please note that the workshop is a pedagogic continuum so it is not possible to attend it only in parts, or to miss classes.
LANGUAGE
The workshop will be taught in ENGLISH and a basic understanding of this language is required.
VISA
The program will be less than 90 days, so citizens from many nationalities can enter ITALY and the EU without a VISA. You can check online on this web site for the requirements for your country: http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en
If you come from a country for which a VISA is required, please contact us and we will provide a certificate of enrollment for the VISA application.
For further information about the content of the workshop
and for application and practical inquiries, please contact Giovanni Fusetti at
Tel: +39-349-7130121
A SAFETY MESSAGE IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC
The training will happen in the rigorous respect of the National and Regional anti-Covid regulations which, for indoor activities like this class, currently requires a valid Green Pass, a digital certificate attesting either the completed vaccination cycle or the recovery from COVID.
Before the beginning of the training all participants will receive a document with the most updated regulations and all participants will have to agree in engaging with these rules.
On the first day of the class, all participants will have to present a COVID negative test, taken in the 24hours before the start.
Given the extraordinary circumstances of the coronavirus global crisis, the training will be confirmed ONLY if the Italian scenario will allow the safety necessary to travel and to practice in compliance with the health regulations. The final decision will be taken no later than March 21st, 2022. In case of cancellation due to Covid, all paid deposit and tuition will be refunded.
Please check which travel restrictions have been put into place by the Italian Government for visitors wishing to come to Italy. You can find the most up to date information on this web site of the Italian Ministery of Health.
Also, some countries have established travel restrictions towards Italy and/or for travelers returning from Italy. You can check your own foreign office to verify what are the travel advises and requirements.
We are aware that these restrictions will make impossible for some of you to join the training. We are sad about this and we will organize this training again in the future.
See you in Padova !
Giovanni Fusetti 