In which Our Hero attempts to eff the ineffable.
For weeks I’ve been trying to reverse-engineer what we’re actually doing in clown school.
There are moments in class when something works—a laugh, a tiny eruption of joy—and the teacher says, “Yes, that.” And then there are moments when the entire room goes still and we all collectively realize the joy has petered out.
Our teachers keep highlighting the importance of the game. I kept wishing there were actual rules. Not to restrict play—but to name what’s already happening.
So I wrote them.
This document is the clearest articulation I’ve managed so far of how the “game” of clowning works in the Gaulier school of thought: the goal, the metrics, the tactics, the traps, the physics of pleasure, the difference between Major and Minor, how to avoid killing your own play, why dignity matters, why heaviness kills the audience, and the one rule that seems to underlie everything: maximize total pleasure without harming yourself.
If you’re in clown training, or theatre, or comedy, or anything requiring presence and sensitivity, you may find this helpful. Or validating. Or confusing in a way that becomes helpful later. That’s typically how this school works.
Here is the full writeup. Comments are enabled in case you’re curious or want to poke at any element:
It covers:
- What the “goal” of clowning actually is
- What makes someone an attractive player
- Why the audience’s pleasure outweighs your own
- How to find a “good game”
- How to play it without destroying it
- Tactics for impulse, aura, dignity, lightness
- The mechanics of Major/Minor
- How to play beautifully with partners
- How to avoid hurting yourself—physically, emotionally, professionally
If you’re not a clown and don’t plan to be one, it still might interest you. Clown logic rhymes with life logic more than we admit: be sensitive, be generous, be open, don’t force things, play the game that’s actually happening instead of the one in your head.
And share your pleasure. People open to you when you do.
Julian Wise 