A 2-day introduction to Spymonkey Clown work with joint artistic director Toby Park.

Specifically targeted at musicians, opera singers and musical theatre performers who want to explore music and Clown, and discover their unique comedic selves, we welcome musicians and performers of all disciplines, from opera singers and triple threat musical theatre perfomers to cabarettists, variety acts, concert violinists, dub poets and street musicians. And everything in between…

Music has always played a huge part in the Spymonkey creative process – we think early on in our writing about what the show might offer in the way of deliciously inappropriate original songs, musical theatre genres that we want to explore, unlikely cover versions of existing songs, speciality variety acts, original music in a range of genres and styles to inspire us to new choreographic heights, sound effects that establish their own theatrical conventions.

In this 2 day workshop we will explore how music and comedy co-exist, and how having a sense of both can lead us into new and totally original comedic and musical territory. We will explore Pleasure: the clown’s pleasure of being ridiculous on stage, the generous pleasure of playing with our friends, the pleasure of performing music together, the pleasure of pursuing grand ambitions, of unlikely choices, of aiming high, of making terrible mistakes and failing woefully!

And the pleasure of making an audience laugh their socks off.

How do you go about building a musical speciality act? How do you create a brilliant dance routine? How do you write a song that will make people piss their pants? How can music unite a disparate group of performers into one vibrantly harmonic unit? (And then have it all fall apart again catastrophically?)

Using the principles of clown that will be familiar to students of Spymonkey’s work – vulnerability, generosity, pleasure, optimism, complicity – we will explore all these things and more.

Toby says: ‘Music and Clown have always existed side by side for me, the one feeding the other. As we’ve started working intensively with musicians as part of our directing and teaching, we’ve realised how useful our work can be in opening up new ways of being on stage, new ways of being true to our comedic performing selves. This is the first time I’ve offered this workshop in New York. I’m excited to see what brilliant, mad, strange concoctions of music and theatre we come up with! How much of a musician or clown I leave in your court – you won’t need to know how to play or sing with any degree of proficiency to stretch your musical and comedic sensibilities and create new work unique to you.’

If you have an instrument we’ll ask you to bring it with you.

TESTIMONIALS

“The music and comedy workshop with Spymonkey is absolutely glorious! I can’t recommend it enough. I have been teaching Drama for 12 years and this is the best workshop I have done on both a personal and professional level. It changed my teaching and it changed my life. It may not change yours – but at least you’ll have a walloping good time!”

Jess Gill head of drama, St Mary’s School Hertfordshire

“As a writer, words are my ammunition. Without them and armed only with your face and physicality, it can feel strange – scary even – but under Toby Park’s magical guidance I began to push through the boundaries. With the use of funny improv exercises, discussions and musical instruments, a group of us performed songs and one man acts to a hell of a lot of laughter. I left the Toynbee studios feeling I’d shed 15 years of my life. If you ever get a chance to embark on a Spymonkey clowning workshop – be brave and jump at it – no red noses or big flappy feet required.”

Gemma Rogers UK, singer/songwriter & performer

VIDEO: Toby and Aitor interview on directing Orpheus for the Volksoper Vienna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsKEo2rlgtE&t=54s