Recently Ciara Thorburn [circus artist, clown pirate (CC Member) and facilitator & instigator of such excellent things as the Spin Circus Festival & Circus Garage Sale Facebook group] did a course at the famous (or infamous) Ecole Philippe Gaulier (The Gaulier Clown School). As Ciara was doing it she posted a daily diary on Facebook which was such a good read I asked if we could post it here on Carnival Cinema so it could be saved and shared.
Thank you Ciara, for generously sharing your experience!
I hope you all enjoy,
Cheers Hamish
Day 9# & 10# – The End
My final two days in Etampes were different and unexpected. It feels odd to blog today from a UK country train on my way to Newark, for the European Juggling Convention. As the train pulls away Etampes became a blur of colour through a scratched up window. And all of a sudden I am surrounded by strong British accents, downing cans on their way to some very important cricket match (or so I hear).
Movement
I find that these classes with Tom Tom are reinforcing to me that we do clown exercises to practice technique and that the exercises are just another reason to be onstage. Interestingly, Philippe will later question today Ketch whilst onstage, asking what the purpose of the homework exercise is. Ketch answers perfectly in my eyes, “to share focus, have complicitae, listen to the audience, and not move too much.” Phillipe’s reply; “Ooh, he souhndz lihke a wahnker from Mehlbourne. All zee wankers from Mehlbourne use zis language”. Its so hard to tell when he actually means it.
– We play volleyball keep ups, its surprisingly difficult with our group to get over ten without dropping.
– Clown exercise: The clowns play mime tennis, then demonstrate their figure skating showreel. Other sports include synchronised swimming, fencing, and I get shot put. I’m rather happy with the energy I use for shotput, not many people laugh.
I am reminded that the mime needs to concentrate more on seeing the object, and then check in with the audience. Something I am terrible at but aware of. When we are playing these sports the clown, of course, does not know anything about the sport, the same with ballroom dancing. Some clowns imitate the sport well, and we are impressed, some are so bad at it, we are also impressed. It literally works both ways. So I wonder how does the clown know both too little and too much at the same time? The clown must be so good to be bad, we must be convincing but also stupid. Maybe it is all or nothing. Also, you must be good by accident.
– On the final day, both classes A and W are combined. In one exercise we are grouped into nationalities and we are to sing a children’s song from our country, the Australians go first and we sing Happy Little Vegemite. We are to play as children and are genuinely proud to share this song with the other clowns, it’s fun. It’s nice how the songs are so reflective of each nationality, I notice the Russians are so Russian.
– Sleeping clowns exercise: the clowns demonstrate the nightmares they have been having throughout the course. It turns into a great exercise of parody, mostly of Philippe. With both classes combined there are a lot of in-jokes and callbacks that only half of the audience understands at a time.
I am reminded of the balance between mocking and parody. I enjoy watching some clowns pickup on the offers of others during the nightmares and the exercise becomes a game. I also notice in this exercise something I have been curious about for such a long time, when corpsing works. I feel like I am inching closer to an understanding, I think it is when you have built a rapport or in-joke with the audience. Wow, that answer seems so obvious now, for something I have been curious about for so long.
– We dance ballroom dancing and rock and roll with a partner. I get partnered up with a girl from the other class, I notice everyone else is in a duo from their own class. I concentrate a lot on the audience but also try for complicitae with my partner. Reflecting now I think I was swapping between these two modes in blocks, whereas it should be seamless, maybe? Or maybe not… for clear focus exchange. It gives me an idea for a group slapstick ballet routine, or a handstand synchronised swimming routine.
Gaulier
We do a distinct focus exercise, where Philippe hits his drum calling number one, and again number two. Number one must do nothing while number two is in focus, the focus shifts when one clown flops and looks to the other to save the show. The second clown must (usually) come in with high energy to save the show. You have to love the audience.
We parody and dress up in each other’s costumes. The class changes into their new costumes and we are all in an excited flurry, swapping clowns and excitedly and secretly rehearsing the physicality and catchphrases of the other clowns. I am really happy to impersonate Fransisco and happy he wants to impersonate me, his presence in the workshop has had such an impact on my learning. I show him how to wear my costume, and we take a photo, giggling as we impersonate each other. We agree not to look at the photo until after the exercise.
What happens next is an interesting feeling. The class recommences and everyone is excited, until the first few clowns go, and flop badly, reprimanded for being “SOH FARKING FUNNY” (sarcastic commentary from Philippe). I’m excited to see Fransisco go onstage, and a little nervous, it’s a good feeling. His walk onstage is funny, he repeats my apparent catch phrase in an Australian accent “The angriest cleaner at Melbourne Airport.” Then he laughs, obnoxiously. The audience mostly loves him, and I do too, embarrassed, and slightly offended. It hurts, but it’s ok that it hurts because I like him. I consider again the fine line between parody and mocking, and also if I should be emphasizing these qualities in myself that stand out. I go after him a few turns later, I get almost no laughs. Its an interesting feeling when another clown is better at being your clown than you are.
A few clowns with acting backgrounds stand out, Chase is the best, imitating Will (the Viking). He imitates him perfectly, but not offensively. Everybody loves Will. Philippe comments that Chase shows the truth, and the truth is funny. We like the parody more than the person. I am reminded that we are supposed to imitate the clown, not the person – but we are the clown, we are the person. I’m confused again.
A question I am too afraid to ask of Philippe, with fear of sounding like a Melbourne wanker. Philippe tells us of a few friends he has not met, who are not clowns but are clowns on the inside (I think I understand what he means by this).
Q – Is it human to be a clown, or to clown is to be human?
I know the answer has a lot to do with humanity, and I guess I don’t ask, because I think the answers/thoughts that my question poses are more important than an actual definitive answer. I’ve also realized something more about the way Philippe teaches which I don’t want to forget. He really tries to see the person within the clown (and also the clown within the person), the clown underneath all the layers of person.
For the final exercise, our audience consists of both classes, and we show our homework exercise from the week, where we were instructed to meet another clown and talk about where we are going or have seen each other before. The exercise is for the clown to pretend they know about the country (but get it wrong), we think. I and Kirsten rehearse but we also know there is little point. When we get up I come onstage with my bucket and Kirsten with her trolley. Philippe immediately stops us and says ‘Wai yoo ‘ave zis trohlley, becos it iz not fuhnni.’ (to Kirsten), I am permitted to keep the mop “Zis is goot. It iz ze firhst time we ave scene ooo wiz zis mop.”Which is probably true, I haven’t really gotten that much stage time in my costume this week. We do ok, I am given focus first and yell loudly “HEY!” the audience laughs because it is unexpected of my character and at this point, I’m willing to try anything not to get sent offstage. I retain focus for a little bit until we get gonged, Kirsten doesn’t get to do much.
– Philippe’s feedback: I am too aggressive with my partner. But last time he told me I need to be more grumpy/aggressive. “Iz shee an Ostralian with a bit of fantastique? Or iz she Classique Ostralian.” (she is classic)
I don’t get triple zero, but I don’t get ‘good, surprising’ either. In the middle, I guess. An unmemorable way to complete my final exercise.
While watching the other class, one of the students cries because she gets a “triple zehro” from Philippe. Philippe questions her, and confronts her while she cries, he is somehow mean and intimidating, but also empathetic at the same time. This interrogation onstage by Philippe is exactly what she needs. He demands she looks at us while she is crying, for us to find out if she is funny when she cries. He instructs her partner onstage to slap her when she looks away. The empathy we feel as an audience is strong, and it works, so well. We laugh, and we feel for her, I start to cry in the audience. At the end of the exercise the pair hug in a real embrace onstage, and the whole audience claps loudly. This place is intense.
I realise it is like Philippe has the perfect exercise for every clown. And I learn a lot from being in the audience, watching the other clowns. I want to be used as an example onstage, but I still get a lot out of how he works with others. His exercise for contrived actors is kissing their necks sensually, actually attempting to make them aroused or embarrassed, while they deliver rehearsed lines. This is beautiful and funny for a few clowns, as they stand onstage vulnerable and red-faced. Philippe even asks who in the class they may have had sex with during the course, or whom they would like to tonight on the last night.
One exercise he does for a student, is incredibly vulnerable. The most vulnerable any of the clowns we have seen so far. The clown (dressed as a police woman in full gear – hat, nose, wig, gun etc) walks slowly downstage with her arms held out in a Christ-like position by two helpers. She closes her eyes, and in silence, the helpers are instructed to remover her hat, then wig, costume, and nose. We can see how uncomfortable she is while she is stripped of her masks, and even with her eyes closed, we can see her crying. I get goosebumps, I cry again in the audience. It is exactly what she needed.
Notebook notes:
– When you move too much it is to hide something ridiculous, when you are a clown you have to show something ridiculous.
– Little by little you learn what is your best way to save the show (or be funny)
– I wonder what it is that makes a student excel here. Perhaps no prior knowledge (they are shapeable and free), perhaps lots of prior knowledge (they are trained).
– Maybe it is the student that continues to learn, that keeps on getting up and coming back.
– Some of the funny is where the clown tries to ‘save the show’ and does something terribly not funny, and the audience thinks ‘You really thought that would work? You idiot’, and then they laugh at your beautiful stupidity.
– I go onstage ready and expecting to flop magnificently.
– I start to understand why Philippe talks to us always in nose. It is perhaps to blur the line between clown and human. So any real emotions we feels when he abuses us, we are still in nose.
– A student asks the relation between clown and acting, for example how clown can be useful for delivering Shakespeare (which is part of the two year course). Philippe answers that it is not the same, but we use clown to find the pleasure in playing mad (or insane), love, despair etc.
I knew it would be easier to smoke bomb yesterday after class, but I also knew I would regret it if I didn’t say my goodbyes. Here I was thinking I was immune from my own emotional investment and prepared to detach myself from this place and these clowns. Wow, I learnt a lot here.
I finish this final blog post as I sit on the train from the European Juggling Convention, through the UK countryside, heading towards the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for my first time ever. My mind is in a different place now, and I am grasping at the fading memory of these final two days at Philippe Gaulier. I can see that the lessons from this place will stick with me for a long time, and some will continue to reveal themselves for a long time to come.
Thank you to all who have followed my blogs and my journey. It was unexpected but the support I have had from afar, from my classmates, and my reflections on my learnings were invaluable. This is what got me through.
Ciara Thorburn
*You can read the other days here:
Ciara Thorburn
Circus Artist, Variety Performer, Children’s Entertainer, Clown, MC, Cabaret Luminary and human being.
Ciara is a passionate, progressive and creative circus artist based in Melbourne, Australia. An avid art critic in her past life, Ciara has combined her passion for conceptual art with entertainment in an inimitable fusion of variety skill with clowning. Ciara defies expectations, using everyday objects in extraordinary ways, and has a knack for turning the mundane into the astonishing with her unique character work.
Ciara Links
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