Friday, October 27, 2023
There’s a new venue in S.F., and it’s dedicated to clowning
Datebook: Sporting soda-bottle glasses and a profusion of white facial hair, Dan Griffiths stood under the stage lights of his new venue one fall morning, gazed off into the distance and intoned, “I want to empower a whole bunch of people to go and be shamanic entities.”
He was talking about clowns.
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4 comments:
The article highlights the much-needed injection of joy into our lives, and it resonates deeply with my sentiments. In an era marked by the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's easy to lose sight of the simple, pure, and liberating essence of joy. "Church of Clown" in San Francisco, as portrayed in the article, is a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of the performing arts. The project's celebration of playfulness and the reawakening of the inner child is a beautiful reminder that amid our adult responsibilities, we should never lose our capacity to find delight in the world. The clowns and their dedication to spreading joy through their art are a testament to the profound impact of creativity and performance on our well-being. I find this initiative immensely inspiring and important, as it underscores the idea that laughter and whimsy should not be confined to our childhood but should continue to be a cherished part of our adult lives. It serves as a powerful call to action to seek out and create moments of joy and playfulness, whether through the theater, the arts, or simply by embracing a more lighthearted perspective.
I find the art of clowning so fascinating. I was so glad to hear there is a space specifically dedicated to it. Two summers ago I worked with someone who was a professional clown doctor. They would go to hospitals and use their craft to assist patients with anxiety and letting go of fear. I think a vast majority of people don't take clowning very seriously however it can do wonders for oneself and others. Clowning is about finding your true inner self and spreading joy, something that in the current state of our world seems to be lacking. I think having spaces where the amplification of self is supported and cultivated can also lead to more “common” spaces having that type of acceptance through their work. All in all, I think clowning is such a pure art form and I am so excited to see how it expands in San Francisco and beyond.
I’ve always been really fascinated by the concept of clowning. It seems really cool, but I honestly don’t know a ton about it or have a very concrete and specific understanding of what clowning really was. I think part of that might be because it seems like, according to this article, clowning is sort of a lot of different things. I really liked how this article showed examples of a whole bunch of different clowns and what their form of clowning is, and I really enjoyed the concept of the theme of finding humor in human mistakes. I think that it’s really cool to have a venue specifically dedicated to clowning and sharing this artform that I believe is a bit of a niche in performing arts. It’s also really inspiring that the director of the venue wants it not only to be a performance venue, but also operate as a training ground to teach more people about clowning.
This was so fascinating. It reminded me the depth of clowning, and how there can be so much going on behind that red-nosed, silly exterior. I found it really interesting when they were discussing the interactions that clowns have with their community, like in the trash dumping example. It seems like many forms of entertainment end up being, clowning is especially integrated in social commentary and exploring people and how they interact. Especially with this new venue, it’s great that there is space for these performers to exhibit their work. One of the super cool things it seems about clowning, is that each performer has an entirely different perspective and view on life, as well as acts/personas that completely shape the way they present themselves. One act could be more like stand-up and another experimental and another more as drag. A clowning act can vary so much from another, and so each experience attending one is quite unique - I suppose people realize this when they go to the new ‘Church of Clown’ and see all of the different acts.
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