November, 7 → 11, 2022
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

THE SUBLIME STUPIDITY

The Actor in Search of the 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 theatre, this workshop proposes an introduction to the Clown State. The pedagogy focuses on the analysis of the physical and emotional world of each actor, as revealed by their natural body. This will lead to the discovery of a unique clown, with a specific body, tempo, voice, costume, attitudes, emotions and poetic world.
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 that are embodied in everyday movement. There is a web of “non-neutral attitudes” and physical and emotional “background noises” within each person’s movement and physical presence. If an actor is observed through the lenses of movement analysis using the reference point of the Neutral State, this web appears like painting/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 themes allow the actor to enter the Clown State.
The clown is not a character – it’s first a state of playing where everyone has access to the key question: What is so funny about myself?

To discover one’s own clown is to reveal one’s own unique comic persona and turn it into a universal comic form.
For a performer, there is something fundamental in the discovery of their own personal Clown: it’s raw, pure, personal, unique, challenging, empowering, revealing and extremely rewarding. It’s the exquisite pleasure of touching the empty space of complete comedy.
As a theatre genre, Clown has a unique poetic potential because it allows the performer to explore and play with the naiveté and the vulnerability of the child but with the rigor and the technique of the adult, thus revealing the poetry of the ridiculous and a unique personal poetic power.

 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

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THE PROGRAM

PRACTICALITIES

ADMISSION
This workshop is for theatre practitioners with previous experiences in movement-based theatre and the Pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq.

LOCATION
The training will take place at Hotham Mission, 2 Elm St, North Melbourne VIC 3051, Australia.

SCHEDULE
Classes will take place each day from 9:30 to 17:30, with one hour lunch break.

There is no application form. To apply to the workshop, please email a letter of motivation to giovanni.fusetti@helikos.com. In your letter please share the essence of your story, vision, dream, desire, fear or inexplicable intuition that leads you to this workshop. Please include your experience with movement-based theatre and in particular with Clown.

Giovanni will contact you after receiving the application.
Giovanni will choose students from the applications received. Places will be given in order of email submission.
The class will be confirmed as soon as it reaches 8 participants. Once 12 participants will be confirmed, the workshop is full and a waiting list will be created.
If you intend to participate, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible!

Once accepted, you will need to confirm your enrolment with a deposit of 300 AUD.
Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.

Early Bird Registration: AUS $ 750
(Full tuition is due by October 1st, 2022.)

Full Price: AUS $ 850.
(If you pay after October 1st.)

A limited number of ‘reduced tuition scholarships’ are available for this course. It is up to you to identify if you think you are in need of a reduced price. If you are interested in taking advantage of this please outline it in your letter of motivation.

For those interested in applying to more than two workshops of the series, there is a reduction of 10% on the cumulative tuition if you apply to THREE workshop, and 20% if you apply to FOUR. Please enquire for further details.

Please note: that tuition does not include accommodation and that participants will be responsible for organizing their staying in Melbourne.

APPLICATION DEADLINE : October 15th, 2022
 

Enrollment situation as of October 1st: the workshop is full and a second class has been set for January 9 to 13. You can find the details on this page.

Once the workshop will be confirmed the participants will receive a message outlining all practical details about the workshop.

LANGUAGE
The workshop will be taught in ENGLISH and a basic understanding of this language is required.

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For further information about the content of the workshop
and for APPLICATIONS, please contact Giovanni Fusetti at

For enrolment and practical enquiries please contact

COVID PROTOCOL

The training will happen in the rigorous respect of the National and Regional anti-Covid regulations.
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 (Rapid Test or PCR), taken in the 24 hours before the start.

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PHOTO CREDITS
(1) Melbourne Red Nose Intensive 2018
(2) Melbourne Red Nose Intensive 2018
(3) Helikos School 2013
(4) Helikos Red Nose Intensive 2022
(5) Melbourne Red Nose Intensive 2018
(6) Helikos