Think about the role of a clown in the circus. They’re sent out after sword swallowers and fire breathers. Trapeze artists and tightrope walkers. Skilled performers who risk their lives for the crowd’s amusement. In order to compete with that kind of spectacle, the clown must find a way to risk just as much. So they do the one thing that scares people more than death. They fail. Utterly, deeply and completely. And the crowd loves them for it.

As performers, we focus too often on getting it right. We say too much and feel too little, speeding past our missteps, in pursuit of a better choice. The clown revels in their mistakes. They take the stage having promised too much and prepared too little. They double-down on bad ideas, leading them to outrageous and unpredictable predicaments. The clown thrives when they’re in trouble, because then they must do the impossible to save the show.

This intensive focuses on creating those stakes in our performances. You’ll explore how to create more dynamic shows by embracing failure. Experiment with techniques that help you bypass judgment and surprise yourself with absurd choices. And you’ll learn how to harness the audience’s energy to drive your scenes, making them completely invested in the outcome.