Dojo!

We here at Ear to the Ground have been looking for a way to connect with fellow performers and keep our chops up in between shows. So, we gathered together some of our favorite teachers and asked them to share their best with us.

All classes held in Seattle. Exact locations to be determined.

A Taste of Clowning

Instructor: Victoria Millard

Dates and times: Saturday, June 15th, 1-4pm

Tuition: $30

Description: Not ready for the full plate of an intensive clown class? Here's a chance to sample the flavors of physical comedy and the delightful, delectable world of the personal clown. You'll have a chance to laugh and play with others in a supportive environment that will give you insight into the ingredients necessary for the art of the clown. Caution: it might whet your appetite for more!

Registration closed.

Less Is More: Clowning From the Inside Out

Instructor: Victoria Millard

Dates and times:June 28-30, Friday 7-9:30pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 10am-2:30pm

Tuition: $110

Description:Theatre legend Michael Chekov said that "comedy comes from ease and a radiation of one's energy, not attempts to be funny." In this workshop, we'll explore simple presence as a basis for authentic clown character. From stillness and deep listening to the pleasure of physical play, that which is authentic can bubble up to touch deeply the hearts, minds and senses of those we seek to reach. Once accessed, unabashed appetite and pure emotion undergo a transformation through physical exaggeration that at some miraculous moment, if we can stay with the real and avoid play-acting, births the true clown character unique to each individual. Come experience the laughs that spontaneously erupt, the routines that write themselves, and the timeless truth that "when actors are in the right state, they make all the right choices." Limited to 12 students.

Instructor Bios

Victoria Millard directed, coached and performed in Ear to the Ground's "Not All Clowns Are Bozos IV" and teaches clown classes for Ear to the Ground. She brings an international breadth and depth to her teaching, drawn from her training in Paris with Jacques Le Coq, Yves Le Breton, Philippe Gaulier and Etienne Decroux, studies with Polish, Balinese, Mexican and Russian masters and knowledge of Native American clown traditions. As a solo stage clown, she has performed at such venues as The Lucille Ball Festival of New Comedy, The International Clown Theatre Conference in Philadelphia, The First New York Festival of Clown Theatre, Seattle’s Broadway Performance Hall, On The Boards, Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival, International Children's Theatre Festival and Bumbershoot . She appeared in Bill Irwin's "Largely/New York" at the Seattle Repertory Theatre and the Kennedy Center. From 1998-2009 she was a member of The Big Apple Circus Clown Care at Seattle Children's Hospital. Victoria has also taught at West Seattle Theatre Arts, Seattle Children's Theatre, Northwest Acting Studio, for the Big Apple Circus, and coached students at the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington.

Clown Dojo Archive