Clown

Clowning will help you battle your fears and identify and combat your inhibitions as an actor.
This in-person clown class in Brooklyn, NYC, is rooted in the pursuit of the Clown in all of us: you as the “little one,” the child who played with abandon and wasn’t yet socialized.
At Terry Knickerbocker Studio, our clown classes in NYC invite actors and artists to uncover the messy, the beautiful, the violent, the passionate, the mysterious, the vulnerable, and the funny, with intense curiosity, rigor, and play.

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Course Overview

At the heart of clowning lies the quest to reconnect with the innate “Clown” within each of us, the “little one,” the child who once played with unrestrained joy and curiosity. This clown class in NYC invites you to rediscover that sense of wonder, unearthing the messy, the beautiful, the chaotic, the passionate, the mysterious, and the vulnerable aspects of your being.

Through guided exercises, ensemble work, and sustained exploration, students embrace the funny and the absurd while building precision, presence, and courage. This theatrical clown training is designed for serious actors who want more freedom, range, and truth in their work.

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Key Facts

Location: In-person at Terry Knickerbocker Studio, Brooklyn, NYC (Industry City)
Format: In-studio clown training
Level: Beginner-friendly actor training (open to actors at all stages)
Focus: Ensemble work, vulnerability, play, precision
Schedule: See current class schedule
Class Size: Small group, conservatory-style training

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What Is Clown Training?

Clown training is a foundational acting practice that develops presence, listening, and emotional availability through play. In this clown class in NYC, students explore theatrical clown and clown acting as a way to strip away habits and reconnect with instinct.

Often associated with clown schools and physical theater traditions, clowning is not about jokes or comedy acting; it is about truth, vulnerability, and responding honestly in the moment. This approach to clowning helps actors build freedom, courage, and a deep relationship with the audience.

Who This Class Is For

This clown class experience in NYC is ideal for:

Actors seeking more freedom, play, and boldness in their work
Conservatory students looking to expand their range and physical storytelling
Artists working on vulnerability, presence, and listening
Performers interested in ensemble-based, process-driven training
Actors curious about clown workshops in NYC and foundational clowning practices

What You’ll Learn

Clown I is the beginning of a multi-level clown training journey at TKS. Across Clown I–IV, students develop a repeatable, rigorous process for clown exploration.

You will learn to:

Build freedom and boldness through play
Strengthen listening and presence in the moment
Expand physical and emotional expression
Practice ensemble, partner, and solo work
Develop confidence in responding truthfully to the audience
Integrate craft with spontaneity and precision
Create original clown material
Sustain vulnerability under pressure

These clowning classes in NYC are cumulative, deepening both technique and personal discovery.

What Happens in Class

Clown I introduces a progression of large- and small-group, partner, and solo exercises designed to become increasingly demanding, emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Special attention is given to building a cohesive ensemble, a crucial condition for clown work. Students are introduced to complicité: the balance of cooperation and competition.

In Clown II, the work intensifies. Exercises become more terrifying and more euphoric. Students rediscover their Little One and begin generating original work, eventually meeting their Clown through the red nose.

Clown III expands the craft further, working both with and without the nose, generating more original material and assembling it into an informal sharing with an audience.

Clown IV is a full devising process. Veteran Clowns collaborate to create a final show, combining clown training with improvisatory character work and the Moment Work process of the Tectonic Theater Project. The class culminates in a celebration of each student’s clown journey and what comes next.

TRANSFORM

Meet Your Instructor

Justin Cimino received his BFA in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, training at the Meisner Studio. He has also trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. As an actor, he has performed Off-Broadway and in numerous NYC productions.

With over 15 years of experience as a teaching artist, Justin brings clarity, rigor, and deep care to this clown class in Brooklyn, NYC, helping actors take real risks and discover lasting tools for their craft.

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What You’ll Learn

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.

TKS Student

Clown student

“Justin’s feedback is invaluable and spot on. This class pushed me to be more vulnerable in really big ways, and also showed me that vulnerability isn’t always a sweeping confession or deep soul-wrenching secret…
The way we worked on integrating craft with play and goofiness was really important, and something I imagine will positively impact my work.”

A gray-haired man in a white shirt sits on a table, gesturing animatedly like William Esper, as he talks to an engaged group of people around him. The group, consisting of both men and women, takes notes in the brightly lit room.

How to Enroll

Have questions about this clown class in NYC? Schedule a one-on-one conversation with our Director of Admissions and Enrollment. We’re here to help you determine if Terry Knickerbocker Studio is the right fit for your training.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a clown class in NYC or Brooklyn?

This is an in-person clown class located in Brooklyn, NYC, at Terry Knickerbocker Studio (Industry City).

Is this course beginner-friendly?

Yes. This clown class is beginner-friendly and designed for actors at all stages of training.

What’s the difference between clowning and comedy acting?

Clowning is not about jokes or punchlines. It focuses on truth, vulnerability, and presence, allowing humor to arise organically from honest behavior.

What will I learn in this clown class?

You’ll learn to listen deeply, take bold risks, build ensemble awareness, and develop a repeatable process for clown exploration.

Do I need prior training?

No prior Meisner, conservatory, or clown training is required.

Is this an in-person class?

Yes. All clowning classes are taught in person in Brooklyn, NYC.

How do I know if clown training is right for me?

If you’re curious about expanding your freedom, vulnerability, and presence as an actor, clown training is worth exploring.

How do I register for the next session?

Apply online or schedule a discovery call with our admissions team.