Angels can Fly - A Modern Clown User Guide
Angels can Fly includes a mix of fiction which follows the adventures of ten clown characters, 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. The book is available on order through bookshops and online stores in New Zealand, Australia, America and England.
On this page you will find excerpts from the book. Check back often for new excerpts from Angels can Fly.
And while you are here, why not check out Alan Clay's short clown film,
, staring Annette Devick from Canada and Mark Hudson from Australia which was shot in New Zealand in October 2006.
And also the new comming of age romantic comedy, Courting Chaos, shot in Los Angeles in 2013, in which a Beverly Hills girl falls for a Venice Beach street clown named Chaos and she must overcome her inhibitions and become a clown herself for the relationship to survive.
Chapter 18. Anecdote: The Imperial Trunk FoolsAlan Clay, New Zealand
The Imperial Trunk Fools Company Unlimited toured and performed in New Zealand in 1978. The group was composed of; Kerstin and Alan Clay, Jonathon Acorn, Peppe Olson, Bogdan Szyber, Monica Haar, and Suzie and Terry St George. The group formed in Sweden, and took on new members on arrival in New Zealand.
The highlight of the year was a tour of Northland, which Jonathon has documented in the anecdote in Chapter 10. The following article is from the Northern Advocate.
"Merriment and madness have infected the mid-north over the past few days through the first ever Kaikohe Festival of Fools organised by the itinerant Imperial Trunk Fools Company Unlimited."
"Living gipsy style, this group of young people are travelling the world, giving performances of clowning, juggling, nuclear physics, mime, fire-eating, storytelling and magic."
"The Trunk Fools are a happy-go-lucky and unpretentious group of people who have chosen theatre as their way of life and they do not perform to make money but merely to enjoy themselves and share their pleasure with others."
"At schools the fools were cheered on by hundreds of children from kindergarten to college. There is a fool in everybody, they say, and we want to help people find their fool, and see the funny side of life. And see the funny side people did!"
"Wednesday's programme, for instance, promised an evening of mime and madness, and the very talented musicians, mime artists, dancers, fire-eaters and altogether crazy entertainers gave their audience just that."
"The people who make up this company are an interesting mixture of talents, and an array of nationalities, who explain that their unique life-style enables them to turn their ideals into reality. We have chosen theatre as our way of life," they say. "We learn, create, and give through theatre, and we hope to share this experience with others."
"As in regular theatre, the Trunk Fools have a producer - known as captain - Captain Krook, a wildly enthusiastic character, devoted to the cause."
"The other company members are referred to as the family, and as well as magic-makers, puppeteers and fire-eaters, they include a resident philosopher, an astrologer and a masseur."
"The Trunk Fools will be heading off sometime this week, but they have left their mark of madness on the town and they won't be forgotten for the merriment they spread."
Angels can Fly is available on order through bookshops and online stores in New Zealand, Australia, America and England. Order your copy today. Find it on Amazon by following this link: http://tinyurl.com/9nrwj
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Last updated 01 November 2013
