Not All Clowns are Bozos

January 15-17, 2009

Theatre Off Jackson

In January 2009, Ear to the Ground assembled several of the Northwest's funniest, sweetest, and stupidest clowns for a night of laughs.

These physically comedic performers brought us into the delightful world of kooky clown logic. Portland clown Sarah Liane Foster shared with us her views on the end of the world via trombone and on the dangers of talking in Bicycle language with your loved ones. Another Portland clown, Jack StockLynn, brought us Spaceman Jack, who struggled with getting to the space museum let alone going beyond. Also on the bill were Jenna Bean Veatch, who truly believe she could fly, and Linda Severt, whose Maestro could do almost anything but actually play the ukelele. Ear to the Ground's own Cecelia Frye had an existential clown crisis and Valerie Moseley's Betty Ann had trouble keeping random objects from falling out from under her skirt while giving the performance of her life. Whitney Lawless and Brynna Jourden taught the class about the evolution of the hammer with a not-so-little hammer accident along the way. Ear to the Ground's long-standing duo, Chickee and Boom-Boom, also made an appearance with a couple of their classic quirky dances.

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Performer Bios

• Valerie Moseley has been seen on many Seattle stages as an actor and musical director, and has received rave reviews for her work as a tap dancer and pianist. She has performed with many Seattle companies; California credits include the Dell'Arte Players Company and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Valerie attended the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre in California and has trained with other physical theatre greats such as Ping Chong and Gennadi Bogdanov. Valerie is Artistic Director of Ear to the Ground.
• Linda Severt has spent the past 20 years performing original solo shows of music, juggling, and clowning for audiences of all ages. In addition to her touring, Linda works for New York's Big Apple Circus Clown CareĻ at Seattle's Children's Hospital. She has also performed with Teatro Zinzanni in A Suitecase Named Desire, and created music for and performed with UMO in their hit buffoon piece, El Dorado. Linda is also a musician with several albums; she headlines at venues and festivals throughout the US and Canada. lindasevert.com
• Jenna Bean Veatch Dancer, choreographer, performance artist, writer, songwriter, singer, uke strummer, style maven... "multi-talented" barely does Jenna Bean Veatch justice. She's been accused of creating "pure, unadulterated, heart-stopping whimsy." In the dance world, she has taken on the roles of a magical fairy, a dancing doll, an anti-war dance demonstration organizer, and a Marshmallow Peep. In addition to performing her own solo work, she also currently dances with Alysa Haas as The Tumbleweed Bandit, for Ricki Mason as one of the Launchettes, and works with Lucia Neare as a performer and choreographer. myspace.com/jennabeanveatch
• Collection of Geniuses CoG has been producing art on and off the street corner for four years now. They just finished their first full length show Denial of Self, at the IFCC, in Portland. Other projects include Jack Castle, PhD explains Evolution at CoCA, Chalk Activity in Jameson Park, Confession is for the Birds, Toys vs Commuters (installation and video project), and Blooming Flower (video collaboration with Willow Fox). CoG also ran 321 Clubhouse Gallery and Insurgency Open Mic from 2004-2006 in Seattle. Next month, CoG will open its new space in Portland, the CoG Factory, with a group show of the next year's line up of visual and performance artists. thecog.vox.com    cogpdx at google
• Sarah Liane Foster graduated with honors in creative writing from Brown University, after which she studied physical theatre at the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre in northern California. Since then she has been creating, performing, and teaching movement theatre in Portland, around the United States, and internationally. She is co-artistic director of the Nomadic Theatre Co in Portland, and periodically leaves town to go on expeditions with Clowns Without Borders in areas of the world in great need of laughter. Around Portland you might see Sarah walking on stilts, eating ice cream, and biking furiously up big hills. nomadictheatre.org
• Cecelia Frye has performed locally at On the Boards, Annex, Open Circle, Consolidated Works, ACT, and Seattle Public Theatre, and has worked as an award-winning director/performance coach with companies locally and nationally. She has trained in New York with Ted Forlow (of The Actor's Studio), at Freehold Theatre-lab Studio and at Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre. She was a founding member of Ardeo Theatre Project and is a member of Big Apple Circus Clown Care at Children's Hospital in Seattle. Cecelia is Artistic Associate with Ear to the Ground.
• Up High! Productions Brynna Jourden has an MFA in Physical Theatre from the London International School of Performing Arts/Naropa University. In addition to her clown training, Brynna holds extensive certifications in stage combat. Brynna has recently worked with such Seattle companies as Nebunele Theatre and Memory War Theater Project. Whitney Lawless received her clown training at the Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lacoq in Paris. She has also studied with Antonio Fava in Italy, is a long-time yoga devotee and recent Butoh enthusiast. She has performed across North America and in France with various theatre companies.

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