Completion of Fundamentals of/Intro to Physical Comedy OR teacher approval required.
Saturday & Sunday: 10am-5pm with a 1-hr lunch break (12 hours of learning time over two days)
Optional Performance Opportunity on December 16th!
Max students: 8
How do you turn a morsel of an idea into something performance-worthy?
How can you use play, improvisation and audience engagement to write new material for you?
In this weekend intensive, we will apply principles of devising, physical comedy and clowning to create new comedy material that is ready to be seen! You will learn improvisation and body-led techniques, the art of simplifying your ideas, and the beauty of letting the ensemble (or audience) guide your process and performance.
From pitch to product, Anne will help you hone in on the fundamental truth of your idea, develop it with the audience of your peers, and come away with a body-based creation process AND a performance-ready piece of material.
This process involves movement! You may work up a sweat, so wear what feels good to move in, and bring water. There are no street shoes allowed in the studio, and we will be working barefoot. If your access needs or preferences prevent this, please wear grippy socks or clean shoes you can move in.
This class is for performers who have worked with Anne before or can demonstrate enough performance experience to be able to jump in with unfamiliar principles. Solo performers, duos and trios welcome.
Why work with Anne?
Anne Zander is a “completely ridiculous… completely vulnerable” actor, clown, solo-character creator and physical comedy teacher who has been working in ensemble-based devised theatre for 15+ years and solo comedy devising for seven. She holds an MA in devised, physical theater (Theatre Lab) from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where her love of clowning was ignited. Zander’s “painfully funny” debut solo show — JUICEBOX — took Portland by storm in 2019 and was Official Selection 2020 at Chicago Sketchfest, Dallas Comedy Festival and HBO’s Women in Comedy Festival (Boston). Her brand new solo show Anne Zander is MOTHER was a hit at the 2023 CoHo Clownfest and is due to tour in 2024.
“[After my performance,] I got a bunch of feedback like 'I’ve never seen something like that before,' and 'The way you held the audience was amazing.' Thank you a million times for inspiring me and helping me unlock connection with others inside myself!”
- Alasdair Johnson, student and clown
"Anne will push you out of your comfort zone in this weekend intensive, and will also make you feel completely comfortable doing so."
-Katelyn Michelson, former student and sketch comedian
Mission Statement:
Le Why Not Productions embraces the intersection of the grotesque and the beautiful, the vulnerable and the powerful, the fringe and the familiar. Our mission is to dissolve barriers between audience and performers, shine laughter into the dark corners of the human experience, and create a space where these contrasts collide and harmonize through the art of comedy.
About:
Le Why Not specializes in live clown-character shows, where the absence of the fourth wall creates a unique, living audience experience. Our core principles - vulnerability, connection, precision and presence - are the cornerstones of our performances and classes, inviting our audiences and students to move from waves of laughter to profound recognition and back again.
Named after a quirky bar in a small French town with a dark but irreverent atmosphere, our company is inspired by the blending of cultures, the joy of crossing linguistic and artistic boundaries, and the ‘Why not?’ spirit that ignites playful complicity and laughter.
In addition to our live theater productions, we also offer classes in clowning and physical comedy. More than just a space to learn an art form, these classes will challenge your habits and inhibitions, push you to take risks, and create a space for self-discovery, play, discipline and liberation.
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