workshops

The Clown's Job

The Clown's Job: be seen...seeing! Zen Buddhism's Beginners Mind will be the jumping off place for this investigation into the painfully silly quality of Now. We'll play fiercely in a nurturing, gun-to-yer-head environment, listening for the unexpected in ourselves, in our bodies and in the audience. So...dip your feet, or plunge head-first (you decide) and come surf that ever-changing point of contact between us and our audience. Useful for beginners and seasoned performers alike.

John Leo has taught several weekend long intensives in Juneau, Alaska and New York City.

“I keep coming back to the handful of moments when I felt discomfort and uncertainty ‘on stage’ fall away to be replaced by attentiveness and an intimate sense of connection with the audience. This powerful feedback-loop, the give and take between Clown and viewers, when I did feel it with certainty and presence, always left me mystified and in awe of what can come out of when pretension and reason are abandoned.” - Daniel Martin

“During class, he follows students’ process using empathic understanding while following and responding to the student’s feelings rather than leading them to a place that he thinks they should go. He challenges students to continually go deeper in their self-awareness, to use their emotions intelligently, and to use this power to connect with an audience." Edy Rodewald, PhD (read a full letter from Edy below)