DECEMBER, 15 → 19, 2021
Padova, ITALY

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 in particular 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, 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 trough 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 her or his 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, and 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

HOW TO APPLY
There is no application form.
To apply please email a letter of motivation
Please include in your letter a short bio and your experience with movement-based theatre.
Please send your application to giovanni.fusetti@helikos.com Places will be given in the order of arrival of the applications.
The class is limited to a maximum 10 participants.

APPLICATION DEADLINE : November 15th, 2021

No applications will be accepted after this date.
Once the workshop will be confirmed, participants will receive a message containing further practical details about the workshop, as well as the details of the safety anti-covid regulations that the group will engage to comply with.

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

LOCATION
HELIKOS STUDIO, Via Monte Solarolo 16, 35141 PADOVA, ITALY.

SCHEDULE
Wednesday December 15th to Sunday September 19th, from 9:00 to 17:30.

TUITION
The coronavirus crisis has provoked a significant loss of income to all theatre practitioners, so the tuition is following a sliding scale approach. The sliding scale wants to acknowledge the difficult moment we are facing and the vital urgency we all feel to practice our art and to support each other 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.
Please indicate in your application the amount that you choose to pay.

Tuition: € 380 – € 500

To confirm the enrollment, a €200 deposit is due. Please note that the deposit is non-refundable unless in case of cancellation due to force majeure. The remaining part of the tuition is due by December 10th

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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

For further information about the content of the workshop
and for application and practical enquiries please contact Giovanni Fusetti at

Tel: +39-349-7130121

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A SAFETY MESSAGE IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC

  A SAFETY MESSAGE IN TIMES OF PANDEMICS   

The training will happen in the rigorous respect of the National and Regional anti-Covid regulations (social distancing, face masks indoor if the safety distance cannot be maintained, frequent hand sanitizing, sanitizing of surfaces in the studio).
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 48hours before the start, or a valid Vaccination Certificate (Green Pass).

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 November 28th, 2021. In case of cancellation, all paid deposit and tuitions will be refunded.

Please chack 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 websitse of the Italian Ministery of Health.

Also, some countries have established travel restrictions towards Italy and/or for travellers returning from Italy. You can check your own foreign office to verify what are the travel advices 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 organise these workshops again in the future.

See you in Padova !

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PHOTO CREDITS
(1) Helikos Pedagogic Training, 2019
(2) Boulder Advanced Clown Training 2014
(3) Helikos School 2013
(4) Joan Miro’ The Red Sun, 1972
(5) Helikos School 2013
(6) Helikos Studio: from Plague to Playgue