The Red Nose is the smallest mask in the world; poetic, comical and very personal, the clown is not a character, but a “state of being” at its base. Letting go of all intentions, the students connect with the power of presence while exploring their individuality and unique folly.

Participants experience an unforgettably profound state of freedom and authenticity in front of an audience while discovering and developing their own sense of play.

This process leads to the discovery of an “origin clown”; the clown which resides closest to us, this is only the beginning. From this crucial first encounter, instructors guide the students in the further discovery and creation of multiple clowns and comic characters.

The history of masks is almost as old as humanity itself, and today they remain a powerful tool creating a complete training for all theatre artists, laying the foundation for work on characters for all performance genres.

When the facial expressions are hidden, the focus is brought back to the body as an expressive and poetic tool, and when the mask is later removed, students are left with an enhanced physical awareness and an array of performance tools necessary to navigate the world of theatre-play and dramatic transposition.

This term encompasses the study of specific types of theatre masks including: Neutral Masks, Larval Masks, Primary Mask, the modern day masks of Human Comedy and the half masks of Commedia dell’arte.

Along with the study of masks, students will spend time in the workshop creating and researching forms and materials for the sculpting of one’s own mask. 

Like the “King’s fool, who, far from being a true madman, was licensed to express truth in all its forms” (J. Lecoq), the Bouffons’ job is to reveal the truth about humanity, to expose what is hidden, always exploring the big collective themes that make up the very essence of society itself: power, science, religion, economy, morality, war etc.

The body of the Bouffon is not that of the human being, but a “different” body, discovered and created by the students. The creation of this bouffonesque body allows the performer complete freedom to comment on the human condition.

Out of the study of Bouffons, comes the creation of the Grotesque, larger than life caricatures of figures in high society.

While still in the world of satire, but closer to home, Grotesque characters, rooted in the world of the Bouffons, allow for nuanced and grounded performances in this grand theatrical style.