Welcome to the official site for Alan Clay's writing and his latest book, Angels can Fly a Modern Clown User Guide.
Alan Clay
Alan was born in 1954 in New Zealand, he attended a Clown School in Sweden in 1977, and has since taught and performed extensively in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.Alan lived in Sydney from 1992 to 2006, where he ran Playspace Studio, a physical theatre training centre in Newtown, which gained international recognition for a uniquely irreverent Australian approach to clown.
Alan runs a retreat centre in Wanganui, New Zealand, where he teaches clown retreats in addition to regular Sydney workshops and touring. Check out the Summer Clown Retreat.
Angels can Fly
Alan Clay's book on clown, Angels can Fly, was previewed at the Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Conference in March 2005, and launched at the Brisbane Writers Festival and at events in libraries in New Zealand and Australia later that year.
"Clown is a fascinating, diverse, complex and exciting art form, which has existed around the planet for thousands of years. Like any art form it has to evolve to stay relevant to the culture nurturing it, and at the same time, and by its very nature, clown teases and turns upside down the cultural patterns and boundaries around us.
"Angels Can Fly is an attempt to chart the growth of modern clown, and to promote that process by providing, not only practical exercises for individuals and groups, but also reference points for thinking. The book includes a mix of fiction which follows the adventures of ten clown characters, some personal clown anecdotes from clowns from around the world, a total of 50 practical clown exercises, and some theory on the nature of modern clown."
Buy this book on Amazon Here are some of the reviews of the book which have been posted on Amazon:
thru, helpfull, inspiring,
April 23, 2008 I just got the book one day ago. It pulled me through. although i work in the field of clown for quite a while it is a great book to learn, remember and to remind you. thanks a lot for putting a the stuff together. Great job, Daniel.
By Fritz "DM-Fritz" (germany)
October 31, 2005 This is a terrific book, and should be read and used frequently. The stories about the real clowns are inspiring and the exercises are practical and important, especially if you are serious about exploring the clown in you.
By Michael C. Getlan "caring clown" (New Rochelle, NY)
August 2, 2005 This unusual book has a lot of good character development, audience interaction exercises. It is also a novel about street performers and includes several entertainers biographies all mixed together. For a very enjoyable educational read. Julie "Jewls" Wright
By Julie A. Wright "Jewls" Some of the anecdotes and exercises from the book have been posted on this site, and you can check them out on the Angels Can Fly Blog. And on this site you can also sign up to receive a free eBook version of Angels can Fly.
You might also like to check out our ePublishing links or information on the Artmedia Newsletters, or the Artmedia Publishing Services.
Also check out Alan Clay's clown film, Moontan, staring Annette Devick from Canada and Mark Hudson from Australia (pictured above) which was shot in New Zealand in October 2006.
Over the past two years many excerpts from the book have been posted on the Angels Can Fly blog. These have been listed below.
On this site you can find the following resources and excerpts from the book:
Other Books by Alan Clay
Moontan
Alan's first novel, Moontan, is the story of a couple of clowns, set against the occupation of a theatre by a collective of artists in Auckland. It was
well received at its launch at the Wellington Fringe Festival in New Zealand, and in Australia at the Warrana Writers Festival in Brisbane in 1994.
"Moontan, which describes the occupation of the Civic Theatre in Auckland by a collective of artists, is simple but well-told. The novel is enjoyable, the characters are convincingly portrayed, and the city of Auckland is sketched in with a deft touch." Otago Daily Times
Alan's first novel, Moontan is available in paperback from the Australian online Bookshop
Dance Sisters
Alan's second novel Dance Sisters is set in Sydney and tells the story of a female song and dance trio which threatens to self-destruct on the brink of fame, when its leader becomes involved with a manipulative cult, touting sex, astrology and virtual dreaming. It was launched at the Melbourne Writers Festival in 1997.
Dance Sisters gained particular attention when it was released in May 2000 as an eBook in a format which was packaged to enhance the reading experience on a computer with sound and visuals. See link below.
The State Library of NSW recently purchased the manuscripts and associated papers to both Dance Sisters and Moontan, to be held in the Mitchell Reference Library, together` with a set of 12 archive videos from the work at Playspace Studio.
Believers in Love
In Alan's third novel, Believers in Love, a father and daughter team of sand-sculptors embark on a crazy adventure which takes them from Sydney's Bondi Beach, to a magic mountain in New Zealand, in which they explore the transient nature of art and life, and discover that dreams are real.
American reviews of 'Believers in Love' were so good, that Alan toured literary festivals in the USA and Canada during 2003.
"Believers in Love is a powerfully creative work, with prose that sings like poetry. Beautifully told and evocatively rendered, Believers in Love comes very highly recommended."
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Last updated 30th September 2008
