Class clowns make good theater
For Eli Simon, drama department chair and professor of acting, clowning is high art.
Each stroke of white makeup transforms a face. Rather than conceal, it reveals. The arch of a painted eyebrow, the exaggerated smile or frown, say more than a monologue. And the metamorphosis isn’t limited to the actor; it’s in the audience’s mind as well. Enter Eli Simon’s world, where clowning is an art.
“Clowning is about the human experience: transformational moments, heartfelt discoveries. That’s what good theater is made of,” says Simon, drama department chair and professor of acting at UC Irvine.
Simon should know. He’s directed classics from Miller to Shakespeare, earning numerous awards and acclaim.
But his heart is with the clowns he teaches. For the past 15 of his 21 years at UCI, Simon has been helping students find their “inner clown.”
“Clowning is a critical component of their training as artists,” he explains. “Their impulses are brought to the fore. Their creative imagination is on fire.”
“We all have a clown living somewhere inside us,” Simon writes in his new book, The Art of Clowning, in which he details his signature clowning techniques.
Visit his clowning class to see the techniques in action, and it’s clear why Simon was twice named Outstanding Teacher in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts (1994 and 2001). The mutual respect is palpable, and the process is collaborative — from the first revelation of a clown’s whiteface to improvisational routines with simple objects or expressive dancing.
“Eli has taught us to be available to the audience — open and vulnerable,” says Mikkei Fritz, graduate student in acting.
“We’re researching the core of comic play,” Simon explains. “It’s not about scripted wit but rather what’s compelling about the human condition.”
He acknowledges it can be a tough sell to audiences. “Most people have a certain degree of clown phobia. But they’ll start off with a chuckle, then laugh at the clowns. Eventually, they laugh with them.”
“When people laugh, their defenses are down, which leads to deep emotion and action,” says Simon. “I try to laugh people into submission.”
He became interested in clowns while researching masking techniques for his first book, Masking Unmasked: Four Approaches to Basic Acting.
Simon identified two fundamental types: in-clowns (confident, talented, popular) and out-clowns (born losers).
This observation inspired his critically acclaimed production “Clownzilla: A Love Story,” which follows two out-clowns and their struggles to find happiness. Simon’s troupe — composed of current and former UCI students — has performed nationally and internationally.
“Because my clowns are silent, they’re universal,” says Simon. “And the play is like the cycle of life. Whether you belong to a group or you’re an outcast, you can find your way — and people who love you.”
He’s proof of that. Raised in a musical family, Simon was first a pianist and percussionist. In college, he played drums in orchestras, as well as jazz and rock bands. “But I kept wanting to put the musicians in nurse uniforms,” he recalls. “So I got kicked out of a lot of bands. I was a musical out-clown.”
“I was thinking theatrically, and I found my place in plays,” Simon says. After earning a bachelor’s in drama at UC Davis and a master’s in acting at Brandeis University, he began directing and teaching. “That was really my calling,” he says. “I have an inherent vision of the big picture.”
He cites Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Emmett Kelly as influences but adds: “The clowns I work with every day inspire me. It’s a process of discovery — of ‘birthing’ each actor’s inner clown.”
To accomplish this, Simon takes a philosophical approach. “The essential ingredient for improv is a willingness to try,” he says. “You always have to say yes to what happens. The moment you say no, you close off possibilities.”
- Kagiso Paynter laughs at the antics of a fellow clown during class. Michelle S. Kim / University Communications
- “We approach clowning very seriously, and we have a lot of fun,” says Eli Simon, drama department chair and professor of acting. Here, Alison Plott lip-syncs to a tune during a performance by the clowns in studio. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Alison Plott enlists audience members’ help in getting dressed. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Clowns are in the moment, not reporting on the moment, says Eli Simon. Shown: Mikkei Fritz chewing multiple strands of bubble gum. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Graduate students Jesse Easley, front, and Erika Haaland, back, celebrate the individuality of their ”inner” clowns. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Teaching theater is a wonderful way to enhance a person’s creativity … they’re going to become a more expressive person, says Eli Simon, center. Shown: From left, Erika Haaland, Rob Salas and Tracy Hazas. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- The class is one of deep discovery and revelation from beginning to end, Eli Simon says. Shown: graduate student Nicholas Law. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- I’ve never seen the same clown twice. Each group of clowns is unique, and each clown in the group is a clown unto him or herself,” says Eli Simon. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Eli Simon, center, wraps up a class by applauding his graduate students’ efforts. From left: Tracy Hazas, Eli Simon, Jesse Easley and Ryan Imhoff. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- The clown nose reveals the actors because a lot of the actor’s face is still available to the audience, says Eli Simon. Shown: Tracy Hazas. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Menacing clown Ryan Imhoff chases photographer and UCI student Michelle Kim during Eli Simon’s (left) class. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- The attitude and knowledge that Eli brings is very important for us as graduate students,says Mikkei Fritz. believe in him. Shown: Eli Simon. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Tracy Hazas shows off her new platform shoes, which later become earrings in her clown performance. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Helping people to tap their creative artistry and their ability to be expressive and to become good storytellers thats very important, says Eli Simon. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- What the actors are able to do is find a way to free themselves through the technique of clowning, says Eli Simon. Shown: Tracy Hazas, left, and Nicholas Kauffman. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- When clowns go into white-face, they’re really deepening their clown essence, says Eli Simon. It’s a ritualistic moment. Shown: graduate student Rob Salas. Steve Zylius/University Communications
- Graduate student Nicholas Kauffman meets his clown face for the first time. Eli Simon says, ”It’s a deeply personal experience.” Steve Zylius/University Communications