Clown I is The Beginning. We’ll move through a series of large and small group, partner, and solo exercises, designed to build upon each other, get scarier and scarier, and lead you closer and closer to the discovery of your Little One/Clown. Extra special attention will be given to forging a cohesive ensemble–crucial for the Clown work to happen. The concept of complicite will be introduced–the perfect balance of cooperation and competition.

In Clown II, if you can believe it, s*&% gets even more real. We continue moving through group, partner, and solo exercises that have, by this point, become utterly terrifying, and at the same time, euphorically transformational for you as an actor/artist. You’ll arrive at the joyous, triumphant rediscovery of your Little One, and you’ll pledge that going forward, you’ll be letting him/her/them take the wheel. We’ll start to introduce more craft—you’ll start to create a bit of your own (stupid, silly) original work. And then–what all this ludicrousness has been leading up to–you’ll be handed a red nose–and we’ll meet your Clown.

Your Clown has a nose and a name, yes, but don’t you get cocky, now! We’ve still got some final solo exercises to experience–some say they’re the wildest ones yet. In Clown III you’ll work with and without a nose, continuing to expand as both an actor and a Clown. We work even more with craft, continuing to generate original material, as the Clown loves to do. By the end, we’ll piece things we’ve made into a glorious puzzle—and do an informal sharing of our work with those people we live to please–AN AUDIENCE!

You’re on an enormous high from the roar of the crowd–and all you want to do is SHOW AGAIN—AND BIGGER.

In Clown IV, that’s just what we’ll do. Clown IV is a full on devising process—the ensemble of Veteran Clowns working together in beautiful harmony to create a gorgeous stupid outrageous shocking hilarious daring magical gut-wrenching awesome Final Show. Your Clown will continue to inform what kind of material YOU want to devise—it’s all about what YOU LIKE (duh–as always)—what makes you curious? What questions do you want to ask the audience? How do you understand the world, and how do you want others to understand it? We’ll combine the Clown work with other improvisatory character-building processes, as well as the “Moment Work” devising process of the Tectonic Theater Project. We’ll create work you may be inspired to take beyond the class. Above all, Clown IV will be a celebration of your Clown Journey—how far you’ve come, and where you’ll go next.

In short, we seek students who enrich the diversity of the Studio and who are generous, curious, collaborative, passionate and committed to excellence. Excellence and quality matter to you. We hope your North Star is that you aspire to being the very best actor you can be, and you are unapologetically committed to achieving that excellence. In short: you’re all in. You understand that anything worth doing doesn’t come easy. This program is not designed to be a quick and dirty get-successful-quick program, but rather a comprehensive journey to mastering a craft. There are no shortcuts. We seek artists who are aspirational high-achievers, who come to their practice with grit, determination, a love of learning, and a hunger for growth, and who are ready to commit to themselves and to their careers. You are passionate about storytelling. You share our passionate love for storytelling and art-making, and the belief that art and stories are important. You’ve developed an interest in the Meisner technique specifically. This may not mean that you’ve taken a Meisner class, but rather that you’ve done some research and see the value and benefit that training in Meisner can do for your development as an actor of impeccable craft and skill. You are here to learn, not to get it right. Perfectionism is not going to help you. You enjoy being a part of a community and are looking to join a brave and diverse group of people.

Have questions? Book a one-on-one chat with our Director of Admissions and Enrollment. We’re here to help you determine if Terry Knickerbocker Studio is the right fit for you.