ADVANCED-INTERMEDIATE CLOWN
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DEVISED PERFORMANCE, INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE, PACE UNIVERSITY
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COMING UP!
A WORKSHOP ON PLAY
for The Funny School of Good Acting
www.christopherbayes.com
PERFORMANCE /\ PEDAGOGY
It ain't easy, folks. As an artist (and a human being), I am all too familiar with the need to resist uncertainty and to move away from chaos in order to neatly solve the problems of my life or current artistic pursuits. But, rather than looking for a formula or trying to "solve the comic problem" as my mentor likes to say, one must stand squarely in the mess -- proceeding from the place of not knowing how to proceed. This manifesto is for those who are willing to stand in the midst of the big mystery and say, Whoa! Or, even better, WOW! Or maybe, Yikes! In this moment of surrender to the unknown, we make room for discovery and surprise. From here, our pleasure, our imagination, our enthusiasm, ferocity, vulgarity, inappropriateness, vulnerability, our humanity - in all of its beautiful, messy glory - may spring forth. From here, we sparkle! Everything feels possible.
"Preach, sister!", did you say? Oh, yes, I have been to the mountain, people! To the Play Mountain, that is, and I am here to tell you that it is a beautiful place full of wonder and chaos, simplicity and delight. The Play Mountain is where your FUN is. Its where your CREATIVE SPARKLE burns brightest. You know what I am talking about. I know you remember your FUN. When you were six, perhaps and you played freely in your room for hours with nothing but a toilet paper roll, a piece of tin foil and a tube sock? Or, maybe last week when you made your friend laugh so hard they snarfed martini out of their nose? Everyday I work to find my way back to that sweet Play Mountain. It is not easy, good people. I won't lie to you. I would never lie to you. The socialized world is set up to systematically reduce our fun, to flatten our passion and to diminish our capacity for unbridled, unfiltered free expression. In art, we tend to prize the clever, the cool, the cunning and the charming over softness, openness, vulnerability and mess. The clever and cool might make art that is palatable, and even marketable, but its as tasty and original as a piece of dry toast. Its missing the secret ingredient: YOU, and your SWEET & SPICY FUN!
Okay, settle down now and gather in close to your screen. I'm going to tell you a secret...wait for it....that Play Mountain won't come to you. YOU have to go after IT! Put on your galoshes or your Swiss hiking boots or your flip-flops or your fancy high-heels or your cleats or shit-kickers or fuzzy slippers, take out your "fun compass" - and go after it. In fact, RUN!! Just run around in circles until you get there. Or, walk softly, if you prefer - maybe you have to creep up on your fun, so you don't spook it, like a deer in the forest. But, never fear! You'll find your pleasure soon because it is never ever far.
Have I confused you? Good! That's a great place to start. I told you this wasn't going to be easy. You didn't know you were joining a revolution when you clicked onto this page, did you? Because it is. An irreverent, sneaky revolution of the heart. I dare you to be soft, to be vulnerable, to be simple. I double dare you to take up space! I dare you to playfully, mischievously resist and upset the socialized order of things, and to investigate and relish your own pleasure on your own terms. Follow where it may lead!
Consider me your comrade-in-arms for I have experienced first-hand the toxic horror of desperately trying to make art or solve the comic problem with my big clever brain and a synthetic "Made in Taiwan" sense of fun. Conversely, I have enjoyed creating and playing freely from the heart without filter. Let me tell you, while door number one feels like the safer, more tried and true option and door number two feels like risky business, if you are willing to take the leap, then my friend, you get to hop on board the fun train to Play Mountain. I promise that it is a sweet and exhilarating ride that feels 1,000 times better than a torturous trip to the toxic plastic fakey-fake horrorland that is your big, clever idea.
We're risk-takers, right? Then, let's meet each other on the mountaintop. We can have a tender, little party up there or make something beautiful together or rage and burn and turn over the furniture. In the meantime, Mountaineers, enjoy snooping around this site and from the words of my mentor, Mr. Christopher Bayes, the Jedi knight of funny who first showed me that sweet Play Mountain in the sky, open your arms real wide and repeat after me, "Heart Chakra! Open for Business!".
Now leave it open.
It ain't easy, folks. As an artist (and a human being), I am all too familiar with the need to resist uncertainty and to move away from chaos in order to neatly solve the problems of my life or current artistic pursuits. But, rather than looking for a formula or trying to "solve the comic problem" as my mentor likes to say, one must stand squarely in the mess -- proceeding from the place of not knowing how to proceed. This manifesto is for those who are willing to stand in the midst of the big mystery and say, Whoa! Or, even better, WOW! Or maybe, Yikes! In this moment of surrender to the unknown, we make room for discovery and surprise. From here, our pleasure, our imagination, our enthusiasm, ferocity, vulgarity, inappropriateness, vulnerability, our humanity - in all of its beautiful, messy glory - may spring forth. From here, we sparkle! Everything feels possible.
"Preach, sister!", did you say? Oh, yes, I have been to the mountain, people! To the Play Mountain, that is, and I am here to tell you that it is a beautiful place full of wonder and chaos, simplicity and delight. The Play Mountain is where your FUN is. Its where your CREATIVE SPARKLE burns brightest. You know what I am talking about. I know you remember your FUN. When you were six, perhaps and you played freely in your room for hours with nothing but a toilet paper roll, a piece of tin foil and a tube sock? Or, maybe last week when you made your friend laugh so hard they snarfed martini out of their nose? Everyday I work to find my way back to that sweet Play Mountain. It is not easy, good people. I won't lie to you. I would never lie to you. The socialized world is set up to systematically reduce our fun, to flatten our passion and to diminish our capacity for unbridled, unfiltered free expression. In art, we tend to prize the clever, the cool, the cunning and the charming over softness, openness, vulnerability and mess. The clever and cool might make art that is palatable, and even marketable, but its as tasty and original as a piece of dry toast. Its missing the secret ingredient: YOU, and your SWEET & SPICY FUN!
Okay, settle down now and gather in close to your screen. I'm going to tell you a secret...wait for it....that Play Mountain won't come to you. YOU have to go after IT! Put on your galoshes or your Swiss hiking boots or your flip-flops or your fancy high-heels or your cleats or shit-kickers or fuzzy slippers, take out your "fun compass" - and go after it. In fact, RUN!! Just run around in circles until you get there. Or, walk softly, if you prefer - maybe you have to creep up on your fun, so you don't spook it, like a deer in the forest. But, never fear! You'll find your pleasure soon because it is never ever far.
Have I confused you? Good! That's a great place to start. I told you this wasn't going to be easy. You didn't know you were joining a revolution when you clicked onto this page, did you? Because it is. An irreverent, sneaky revolution of the heart. I dare you to be soft, to be vulnerable, to be simple. I double dare you to take up space! I dare you to playfully, mischievously resist and upset the socialized order of things, and to investigate and relish your own pleasure on your own terms. Follow where it may lead!
Consider me your comrade-in-arms for I have experienced first-hand the toxic horror of desperately trying to make art or solve the comic problem with my big clever brain and a synthetic "Made in Taiwan" sense of fun. Conversely, I have enjoyed creating and playing freely from the heart without filter. Let me tell you, while door number one feels like the safer, more tried and true option and door number two feels like risky business, if you are willing to take the leap, then my friend, you get to hop on board the fun train to Play Mountain. I promise that it is a sweet and exhilarating ride that feels 1,000 times better than a torturous trip to the toxic plastic fakey-fake horrorland that is your big, clever idea.
We're risk-takers, right? Then, let's meet each other on the mountaintop. We can have a tender, little party up there or make something beautiful together or rage and burn and turn over the furniture. In the meantime, Mountaineers, enjoy snooping around this site and from the words of my mentor, Mr. Christopher Bayes, the Jedi knight of funny who first showed me that sweet Play Mountain in the sky, open your arms real wide and repeat after me, "Heart Chakra! Open for Business!".
Now leave it open.