Kristen V. Brown

When Clowns Come Marching In

With the Brick Theatre’s third annual New York Clown Theatre Festival fully in swing, locals are learning clowning is more than just circus antics — it’s an art.

“Just when I thought I knew everything you need to know about theatre, clowning blew me away,” said Robert Honeywell, one of the founders of the Festival and co-artistic director at the theatre.

“It’s a completely idiosyncratic, unique form of art. There’s an element of anarchy you never see in normal theatre,” he said, adding, “And it’s not like the circus.”

The festival kicked off September 5 when hundreds of clowns paraded through Union Square and invaded the Brooklyn bound L train in a frenzy of rush hour clown madness. The Brick Theatre has brought clowns to the neighborhood from all across the US and from as far away as Denmark, France, Brazil and Australia, with cabarets, workshops, lectures and over 20 main stage productions.

“I’d never seen clowning before,” said Honeywell, who helped pioneer the festival when his friend Audrey Crabtree, a clown, approached him with the idea three years ago. “But I was intrigued by the idea, and now the festival is one of our biggest events each year.”

Honeywell explained some of the more traditional elements of clowning — oversized shoes, frizzy red wigs and polka dotted jumpsuits not included.
But the clown nose? Apparently essential. “The nose is a traditional element of clowning — something about it gives you an enormous amount of freedom,” said Honeywell of the stereotypical big rubber nose. “It suddenly allows you to enter people’s space and shake things up.”

French clown Orianne Bernard, whose C’est La Nuit Qu’il Faut Attraper La Lumier was one of the festivals most highly anticipated shows, explained that most clowns’ personalities are merely an exaggeration of the actors themselves.

“The character comes from my dark part,” said Bernard of her character Miss Oberniche, whose existential crisis eventually leads her on a journey to reincarnation. “It’s the part I don’t want to see, but I grew this part into my clown character.”

The Birdmann, Trent Baumann, agrees, explaining that his character was partially inspired by his physical traits, like his pointy, birdlike nose and hair that sticks straight up. “I accent things that are already present in me,” said Baumann. “It’s all personal, it comes from me.”

Honeywell also explained that there are two styles of clowning: the traditional clown, whose performance is typically about the clown discovering the world and reacting to its oddities, and the buffoon, who interacts with the audience. Honeywell explained that the definition of clowning is actually much different than people think of it — and much more than just a circus act. “I even think of Andy Kaufmann as a clown,” Honeywell explained.

The festival wraps September 28 with the Clown Funeral Procession through the streets of Williamsburg and the Closing Night Party Theatre Group.
Tickets to the main stage and cabaret performances are $15; lectures and workshop prices vary.

Tickets are available by calling Theatermania at 212-352-3101 (or toll-free at 1-866-811-4111) or on line at http://www.theatermania.com/. For more details on the festival, visit www.bricktheater.com.