Hello clowns and clown curious (of course including all you Närr*innen, fools, payases, Witzbolde, buffoons, Schelme, silly people and more!)!

 

We invite you this August to the CLOWNVENTION in the Zirkushalle Dornbirn: a one week gathering of clowns in a beautiful small town in Austria, near the Swiss and German borders, not that far from Italy or France.

 

The Clownvention is a space for sharing skills and practices between the participants, instead of a workshop led by a teacher. It’s a perfect landscape, full of time and space, for clowns from all over to gather, meet, play and exchange, including with these formats:

 

Labs are self-organized and self-directed spaces for your burning clown questions, where you can get together to research/discuss/experiment/plaaay – maybe “the role of clowning in a polarized world” or “the technical 1 2 3’s” of “physical gags”, or “how to work in trios” or sharing your favorite games, and, and, & and! Share your questions by leading a lab, or bring your curiosity and join in!

 

Clown Jams are a facilitated space for open play and improvisation for clowns, based on Contact Improvisation jams and the Argentine “Punto Fijo” jams. Olivia and Bryce have been leading Clown Jams for 8 years, and they will lead at least 2 jams during the week. You might even find your new clown partner in the beautiful chaos.

 

The Clown Lounge is a living room in the Zirkushalle where you can hang out, rest, meet up, hatch plans, chat, drink tea, maybe find an outside eye and space to work on your number, or talk to someone who has toured Europe and ask them how they did it…

 

The Flea Market is a place to exchange costumes, objects, and more. Bring what you don’t use anymore, take home that perfect thing to make your costume complete!

 

The Shows and Cabaret will be performed by invited clowns, who will also be in conversation with us about their creation and production approaches and processes.

 

The Open Stage is a cabaret where you might perform a number. Support beforehand by Lila Monti, and helpful feedback afterward from the participants of the Clownvention, will also be available for those who wish it.

 

The Symposium: People who are deeply involved in clown-related topics present their experiences and impressions, such as the history of clowns, current trends, networking strategies, and possible future scenarios for clowns.

 

The Clown Parade is open to all who wish to be part of a colorful parade into town.

 

The Silly Dance Party is a dance party, guided by Bernhard Zandl,  where we celebrate all the silliest moves on the dance floor!

 

Why did we come up with this idea?

 

Clown gatherings are popping up in different parts of the world, so we see we’re not the only ones with a big wish to get together. Basically, we’re dreaming of this week as a time to get to know each other, to connect, to build bridges between the tiny clown islands dotted around here and there. To exchange (and play with!) ideas with peers, colleagues – people who are as passionate as us about humor, silliness, and comedy. And to inspire each other to create, perform, to transform and be transformed by the world around us. Maybe also to discover future partenaires, or directors, or companies, or even inspirations or role models. Or simply new clown friends to talk to. To expand our horizons and capture at least a little bit of the vast and rich diversity of the clown world, with its multiplicity of styles, pursuits, techniques, and topics. 

We hope to co-create with you a space of inquiry, in a spirit of horizontality, cooperation, and dialogue. 

 

(Some) Questions…

• Community: Who are we, who is close by and who is a little farther away but eager to get in touch? What do we want from clowning? Where do we come from? Where do we want to go? And where can we go? 

• Performing: Where are we performing? Where should we be performing? For whom? For what purpose(s)? 

• Clowning in the World: What things would we love to do in the not-too-distant future? What do we need from this world? What do we, as clowns, have to offer this world?

 

These are just some of our questions – we’re also looking forward to the questions you want to bring to the Clownvention to put into play and action!

 

Join us, play with us – we cordially invite you to be part of this gathering! Come and help make this week a place where new friendships, bold ideas, and unforgettable clown moments can unfold.

 

 

Lila Monti (ARG/IT)

Argentine performer (clown, actress, singer), teacher and director, infinitely curious and passionate about the world of clowning person, who travels regularly to Europe to teach, direct and perform, since 2008, Having been in contact and forging links and networks with hundreds of clowns/ klinikclowns/ performers/ companies throughout South America and Europe. www.lilamonti.com

 

Raffaela Rudigier-Gerer (AT) 

Circus (hall) director, clown, and cultural journalist. She runs the Zack & Poing association and the Dornbirn circus hall and has been bringing circus and clowning to Vorarlberg for over 15 years, both through her own projects and by inviting numerous artists. www.zirkushalle.at

 

Sebastian Gerer (AT/DE)

Circus artist, clown, and circus educator. He runs the Zack & Poing association and the Dornbirn circus hall and has been bringing circus and clowning to Vorarlberg for over 15 years, both through his own projects and by inviting numerous artists such as Laura Fernandez and others. www.zirkushalle.at

 

Olivia Platzer (AT) 

clown and performer, staging her own plays and collaborating with international artists. In addition to her artistic projects, she leads clown workshops and worked as a hospital clown in NRW at "Rote Nasen e.V.". Together with Bryce Kasson she created the clown company Fort Willy. She is based in Vienna. www.fortwilly.org

 

Bryce Kasson (DE/USA)

Clown, dance improvisor, musician –  collaborator in international projects, and also together with Olivia Platzer as the clown ensemble Fort Willy. He teaches workshops internationally in clowning and dance improvisation and lives in Cologne. www.fortwilly.org