Alyse the clown
Well! I am a classically trained clown who creates out of an insistent sense of curiosity and existential pondering, inspired by a deep desire to merge otherworldly cosmic clown etherealities with our everyday human failures. My collaborative theater making and community engagement informs my socially conscious art practice. My work spans clown, devised theater, children’s theater, original songs, plays, poetry, and improvisational comedy, often incorporating elements of the surreal and absurd.
I didn’t know what to expect except to be joyfully uncomfortable. And I was right. Alyse disarmed my defenses immediately with an eye-contact exercise that was equal parts giggly and grounding. The series of exercises they led us through helped me get into my body and play with the smallest building blocks of embodying a character. I ran around in terror, I flopped like an awkward middle schooler, someone was a litter box at one point. I never thought I could tell a whole joke just by walking into the room and staring at people. Alyse gave feedback that helped us find the laugh, and shared different strategies for polishing our acts. The group felt like a bonded troop by the end. I could have stayed playing for hours! I can’t wait to do this again!
Clown cuties come hither! I’m teaching a class!
Questions?
Who is this class for?
Anyone! Seasoned clowns, writers, musicians, dancers, lovers, haters, waiters etc.!
Do I need to have an arts background?
No! Whatever arts background you have will certainly help, but it’s not at all a requirement. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching many funny people who were not performers!
The Fine Print
Classes require a minimum of 5 participants to run (Cap: 15).
Equity Note:
Arts education should be accessible. If the cost is a barrier, please inquire about a partial scholarship in your booking message.
Teaching Experience
2025 Assistant Teacher to Giovanni Fulsetti Commedia dell’arte:
This course teaches students how to use their body in the theatrical space: movement analysis & movement technique and the dramatic urgencies of Commedia dell’Arte: animal states, human passions, emotional drives, and social roles. The body of the different commedia archetypes both the traditional and contemporary types.
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2025 Clown/Devised Theater Class Studio 34:
This course covered prompts for generating both clown and devised theater material. Exercises emphasized the importance of stage presence, breath, and the level of tension required for clown as well as teamwork while creating pieces collaboratively.
2025 Clown Class for Blue Stoop
3 hour clown workshop at Glen Foerd
Testimonial “Clown class at Glen Foerd with Alyse was a blast. It is a fun (but also serious) group class on clown methodology, including group exercises in acting, comedy, and team-building. It was a great experience to connect with your inner self and a group of friends in a different way, and for me it even felt like an exercise in life skills. Alyse was a great host and facilitator”
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2023 University of the Arts THEA 475 / Devised Performance, Fall Graduate Student Teacher’s Assistant
This course prompts students to create their own artistic material. It teaches participants how to be precise in their physicality, breath, and gaze as they create new characters and make vibrant, original performances. Movement and improvisation are at the heart of the course, as participants learn to write on their feet and discover their own artistic impulses that yield arresting moments of live performance.