A Conspiracy Of Clowns

Been doing a lot of research for QUACK! and other shows (more on this later), and this has involved seeking out a number of the great clowns in history, and them also present.

George Carl (1916-2000) was a pretty flippen amazing clown and visual comedian.  This classic routine of his, involving just himself, a mic stand, a harmonica, and his costume, must surely go down as one of the greatest acts ever.  You might recognise him as one of the Parker brothers in the great 1995 film Funny Bones - his first screen role, incidentally, at the grand old age of 79, where his character performs many snippets from the following routine.  George, we salute you!  Awesome.

This is always sad - it seems that the Knysna Playhouse has been forced to close its doors.  This was quite a new venue on the scene, and just starting to establish itself, so it’s very sad that it can’t continue.  We had been trying to get a number of our shows up there since last year, and I know that Fresco took Jutro there last year some time.  And I remember there were some murmurs about financial difficulties earlier this year.

But now it seems, it’s closing.  It’s very sad.  I hate it when this happens to theatres.

What they are doing is selling off equipment and stuff.  So if you interested, you can offer on the following at bargain prices:

• Jester ZERO programmable lighting control unit with two separate beta dimmer 3-pack units (12 x 15amp plugs in each) (their cost was R53 000)
• 23 x various working theatre lights (old)
• Ultra 800 watt rack mountable power amplifier with two large speakers (1000mm x 600mm x 450mm) plus four smaller speakers (500mm x 350mm x 400mm)
• Ultra 400 watt rack mountable power amplifier
• Bst Activ 40 audio mixing desk (8 channel)
• Oslo SX 240 mixing box (with pan pots, levels and 12 x RCAs)
• Gemini CDM-500 mixer (2 CDs DJ-type)
• Sansui San 400 professional power amplifier
• 2 x Behringer 1C ultra compact 100 watt monitor speakers with metal brackets (good quality units)

Any interest or offers? Call Don 082 374 0654 or e-mail donlaw@yebo.co.za

No luck, Knysna Playhouse.  We feel for you guys.

Internationally renowned clown and theatre pedagogue Giovanni Fusetti will be in Cape Town in March to do a weeklong residency, “The Essence of Physical Comedy: From the Neutral mask to the Red Nose”.  This is gonna be huge!  And Liezl and I  have both been accepted, so it will be a great tonic and refreshing play session for the Conspiracy before we knuckle down to some national touring (more about that later).

According to the website, the application date has now closed, but maybe you can try your luck?!?!  Email Yve at clowningworkshop@gmail.com

In the meantime, we dream our dreamy little dreams and wait all expectantly.

And we’re up!  Thanks to that awesome guy, Brenton Furniss, A Conspiray of Clowns makes its online debut!  Thanks, Brenton - we owe you big time.

So this is us, me, it…the Conspiracy is a loose affiliation of theatre clowns, makers, educators, and arts  managers in South Africa.  It is a special project of from the hip: khulumakahle (FTH:K), the award-winning theatre company in Cape Town, with the express mission to not only expand FTH:K’s influence, but feed back into it in a pleasing and exciting sybiosis.

Where FTH:K is about making theatre accessible to the Deaf and hearing, A Conspiracy of Clowns is the sharp end of its stylistic and collaborative experimentation.  The result is a wicked brew of alternative approaches to making theatre - think edgy, disturbing, exciting, visceral, and explosive theatre.  It’s still visual.  It’s still accessible.  But it’ll climb inside your imagination and memory and make a nuisance of itself.  It’ll give you an experience you will not forget in a hurry.

This is total theatre, folks, and the Conspiracy is a group of young, dedicated theatremakers who are rising in the South African scene.  Although based in Cape Town, it is looking to draw together the disparate artists throughout the country. And once we’ve done that, to connect to overseas.  Why not?

Good theatre is  made by the passionate collaboration of hot-blooded people.  It is a complicite - a playing of the same game.  We want to extend that into audiences and theatre lovers and give people something worth dreaming about.  Why not?

At the Edinburgh Festival a while back, The List wrote this of the famed Derevo company: “If you want to shoot over the edge of theatre, create a spectacle that is beautiful but repellent, puerile yet profound, you will need to send in the shock troops of the stage, the anarchists of the auditorium, the violent vaudevillians.  Send in the clowns…”

Not a bad way to spend an evening.