Darien DeVries

Last Wednesday was the first audition I’ve done in a long time that required me to have a monologue. I auditioned for the Kaiser Permanente Educational School Tour. I was rather hoping to get this opportunity because it tours locally for ten months and would give me a touring experience I’ve not yet had. Not to mention it pays well and provides benefits! They were looking for people who could play characters between the ages of 8 and 18. The school shows cover a variety of topics from healthy eating to dealing with puberty and conflict resolution. I remember these sorts of shows coming to my school growing up and even though they are a little campy, I absolutely loved them and would be thrilled to perform them. Another interesting thing about this opportunity is that we would be put in a role of peer counselor for the students in the audience. Talk about a learning experience!

I liked the audition process – KP was very strict on the auditionees keeping their monologues to one minute or less. While in some ways this felt like we were being rushed along like cattle, it also meant that no one’s time got wasted. Yes, not even our time got wasted, which I very much appreciated. We were in and out of there in about an hour and could still get lots of other tasks accomplished in the daylight.

I’m pleased with the monologue I chose. I had, in fact, looked at some adolescent monologues I found online. Since I did not have as much time to prepare as I would have liked, I decided, rather than to learn a new monologue, to adapt my story for the upcoming clown show into a monologue.I think it went over well. Although once I finished my monologue, the panel was so nice and polite that it was really hard to tell if they liked me or not. I suppose that’s not too bad of a problem to have.

Needless to say, I didn’t get a callback. Neither did my two classmates who also auditioned. Listening to the names listed on the callback recording, it seemed to us that they were seeking a more culturally diverse cast for the current shows. That’s fine – I recognize that there are plenty of 20-something Caucasian females to go around at any audition – although I think we would have preferred the type being advertised in the casting call. Perhaps they felt because they were under the umbrella of a corporate entity, that they could not put such a thing in the casting call, as it would be perceived as discriminatory. The audition definitely have the feel of something more corporate so those organizing the school tours must need to tread a fine line between the industry norms of corporate office and theater.

Friday evening was our Clown Conservatory show – Fools Come Early or as it is on the fantastic flier my classmate created: Fools! Fools! Fools! I performed my story piece from the first show and I’m rather happy with how it turned out. I wish we were able to do this show over and over for an audience so I could really get the rhythm of it. The audience also liked the coat switch routine with my classmate. Oddly enough, they didn’t seem to care as much about the payoff (after the tussle, I end up with the coat while my partner celebrates her wrestling victory. Then once I scuttle offstage, she claims my tiny hat, which fell off my head, unbeknownst to me.) but applauded for the wrestling itself. While I’m thrilled they appreciated the technique, I hope they were entertained!

I feel that our duck mime piece – Fowl Revenge – went over quite well and that we hit our marks. There were a few last-minute things we’d added that very day that were forgotten in the adrenaline-frenzy of the show, but we received a positive response. Can’t ask for more than that!

Today, I watched part of the video from our show and once again, I need to remember to slow down and really allow moments to happen. It’s never until I see videos of myself that I realize I’m moving too fast through a piece. When I’m onstage, it always feels like I am moving more slowly than I am.

A note on performing for an audience of strangers vs an audience of fellow performers. I don’t like testing a piece out on my fellow performers. It’s not that I dislike them or don’t trust their judgment or anything like that. The problem is that we, as performers, look at artistic pieces with a critical eye. It’s not out of malice – on the contrary, we are often  looking for ways to help our classmates improve. However, we are judging because of that. And knowing that your audience is judging you changes the energy of your piece, just as being nervous when singing tightens up the throat and changes the performance.  When I am in front of an audience that’s there to be entertained, they are hoping I do well. They want me to succeed (because nothing is more embarrassing to an audience member than watching a performer obviously flounder on stage) and are channeling positive energy to that end. But they also have no expectations of me. I can feel myself and ready to go in front of that audience.

Southern Faire is coming around again. I look forward to having lots of audience again. And to singing with the Merry Wives. Hope to see you there!

So this past weekend was full of performing, which makes me very very happy.

Saturday – Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt! Very fun event organized by sftreasurehunts.com  This event has a lot of devoted return attendees who go the extra mile to come up with a really creative name for their treasure hunt team (there is a contest for the best team name) as well as a theme for their team (for which there is also a contest – Scooby Who totally took the prize on this one!).

At first, we Clown Conservatory folks helped set up tables, cones, and signs to direct the participants to the box office, will-call, and information tents.  Then we got dressed in our makeup and costumes and headed out to entertain the finely clad treasure hunters.  We also collected the door prize tickets. Arleth was highly visible on her stilts, making her the most obvious candidate for collecting these. Two of my other classmates were highly amusing doing a close walk – one person walking very closely behind another, mimicking their gait exactly. I kept myself busy being pedantic with the people in line for the box office, instructing them to keep the line perfectly straight as it was more geometrically pleasing to me.  After a nice break wherein the organizers provided us tasty sandwiches, we broke down the signs and tables for the box office and will-call, and prepared to greet the teams as they excitedly returned with their completed treasure hunt sheet. There was less room for character work at this junction as we had to hurriedly shout instructions to the returning teams so they wouldn’t simply mob the return table.

All in all, a fun day. Very tiring since I walked on concrete all day but I

must admit I really enjoyed keeping my makeup and costume on while traveling home on the BART. Clowns in unusual places, especially those wearing teeny tiny hat, make strangers smile.

A teeny tiny hat is very important.

Monday, I once again performed at the Clown Cabaret at the Climate Theater at 9th and Folsom in San Francisco. This was the All Women Clown Cabaret.  Several of my classmates and I performed some of our entrees we’d prepared for our school show a few weeks back. I really liked having a new audience to perform in front of – clowns really need to be in front of an audience as much as possible and I miss the renaissance faire for this reason, among others. One classmate also performed a brilliant monologue that she’d written, and was lauded for her words as well as the performance – she constantly impresses me. We were also very fortunate to have in the lineup the beautiful ladies of Pi – the physical comedy troupe, Pino the Clown – former Cirque du Soleil and Pickle Family Circus clown, and Michelle Matlock – a clown currently in the Cirque du Soleil touring show, Ovo. Pi performed a clown version of a quick-change act, Pino did an act with her dogs, and Michelle performed a hilarious monologue.

Best of all, we sold out both shows!

Thanks to those very talented ladies whom I’m proud to call my peers.

Well today is all about getting things done and I should really start with a VERY long overdue blog post.

I make a vow right now to post something at least every week, even if it’s short and sweet. Now to catch you up…

Synopsis:

The first term at the Clown Conservatory was fun and trying. There’s the physical challenge, of course, (although I wake up much less sore these days – oh noes, I need more training!) but the emotional impact is pretty significant as well. It is not as easy as you might think to open up, say YES to everything, and to be vulnerable. Vulnerable in the character you present as a clown, but also full of knowledge that what you experiment in your performing work may FAIL utterly in front of an audience. Or that it may only slightly not work and you only have one show in front of an audience so you don’t quite know what didn’t work or how to fix it and isn’t that frustrating?!

Ahem.

While I’ve seen a bit of Commedia Del’Arte and have a basic understanding of the archetypes, we explored it in more depth and I would like more time to study it still. Commedia was rather challenging for me. Mask work in general was very challenging for me. While I feel connected to my body (now, more than ever, that’s for sure!) I still never felt while working with the masks that I was fully able to communicate all I could without use of my face. I played Arlecchino and while I am fairly certain I mastered the walk and overall movement of Arlecchino,  I never felt like I  quite achieved the full character in order to verbally inhabit Arlecchino completely.

Accomplishments:

• My juggling skills have increased 50 fold. I can juggle two balls in one hand and can do several 3 ball tricks. On to clubs!
• I can balance a pool cue on my chin, nose, and forehead for about 30 seconds consistently. Working on shorter dowels.
• Ballet has given me much better balance. I can stand on one foot easily, and can hold in fifth position releve quite well. My posture has improved and I feel that my overall stance is stronger.
• My tumbling has vastly improved – shoulder rolls come easily, cartwheels are stronger – and I can do them on my non-dominant side, I’m on my way to doing a handspring, my arch is more flexible, and I’m only 1 1/2-2 inches from the floor in front/back splits and 3 in a straddle split.
• My ability to open up and improvise has increased, and I feel comfortable once again doing improv acting.

Since the beginning of the year, we have had one show, featuring clown entrees. These are scenes between two or more clowns, although sometimes they are solo with the clown partnering with the audience, that use a general framework for story and outcome, but allow the individual clowns to decide the dialogue, blocking, etc. Entrees challenged me quite a bit and I was concerned that I would not be able to make the two I participated in work for me. I wanted it to be engaging and funny – but most of all, something that connected with the audience. Finally, it clicked for me, leading me to the following revelation:

I don’t have to throw out my former career to be a clown.

I was so happy to escape a life in an office, turning people into numbers that I forgot that that sort of position or status is *exactly* the type of person my clown character could be! The day before our clown entree performance, I worked with my partner to re-envision our entree, Little Bee, with me as a *Career Placement Advisor* !!  (yes, you folks from my CDS past, I DID use the word ‘placement’! I thumb my red nose at your industry taboo word!) This new look at my clown character also helped me put together some fun walk-around business for pre-show, interviewing audience members for ridiculous jobs, mostly animals.

“ah, I see you are here for the wasp position. exactly what is the measurement of your stinger?”

=D

Clown Projects on the Horizon:

• Juggling to music for Core Clowning class
• Circus skills routine for Circus Skills class (if the juggling to music works out, I may use this for both)
• Duck vs Hunter partner routine for Mime class
• Monday, March 1st, Perform clown entree, Dollar Bill, at the Climate Theater in the ALL WOMEN CLOWN CABARET

Now for the official plug:

ALL WOMEN CLOWN CABARET!

Come to the Climate Theater at 285 9th Street at Folsom in San Francisco – Monday March 1st at 7 or at 9!
Get your ticket in advance for only $10  or $15 at the door if they aren’t sold out already!

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/98829

So my posts are way behind. But this is a good thing as I’ve been kept extremely busy with Circus Center.
I shall quickly recap. School began about 5 weeks ago on September 8th. As it turns out, clowns need to have a lot of skills for their craft. It’s not just all about big shoes, red noses, and cramming ourselves into tiny cars.

Here is my class schedule:

Tuesday-
9:00-10:30 Dance (Ballet this term)
10:30-12:00 Acrobatics
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-4:00 Core Clowning
4:00-6:00 Individual skills practice

Thursday-
9:00-11:00 Circus Skills
11:00-12:00 Body Awareness
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-4:00 Core Clowning
4:00-6:00 Individual skills practice

Friday-
9:00-10:30 Mime
10:30-12:00 Acrobatics
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-4:00 Core Clowning Modular Class (guest instructor)
4:00-6:00 Individual skills practice / Informal Friday performance

So that’s 18 hours of class a week. We also have to read at *least* a chapter each week, meet with our reading groups to discuss the readings, and every few weeks create a performance piece based on the readings. We also have routines to rehearse outside of class.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the classes, although they can be very trying. Acrobatics leaves me feeling like I was hit by a truck the following morning but at the same time, feeling very strong. Although gaining muscle has made me lose flexibility, I feel like a more powerful being. Plus, I can stand on my head now and am working on walking on my hands. Circus Skills is an exciting class because I feel like I can do anything there – Judy Finelli, my instructor, has a way about her and suddenly I am successful in all that I put my mind to there. It’s amazing. Body Awareness and Mime have really helped me be specific in the ways that I use my body, adding new dimensions to each piece I perform. Core Clowning teaches us classic routines and challenges us to make them our own. I am constantly exhilarated and terrified there.

But… as I’ve been told, and learned myself, clowning is all about being vulnerable. And I am finding myself vulnerable doing some of the exercises and routines asked of me. Sometimes they just hit an emotional chord and other times it’s just a matter of doing something totally new and being ready to fail utterly. Failing is safe to do here at school and is actually encouraged because the trying is what’s important. But even so, it takes a certain level of vulnerability. This, of course, leads me to be vulnerable in other areas of my life. But having Arleth here has really helped keep me in balance and I am grateful for her presence.

Northern Faire has also been going on since school started, helping me with my homesickness for my friends/faire family. It also provided a great way for me to practice at least 5 hours a weekend juggling by working at the juggling school!! The past two weekends and this upcoming weekend was/is performing with the Merry Wives and it’s been so wonderful seeing the girls. I missed them so much!! What’s also really great is that I have been able to use what I’ve learned in school to improve my performance in the Wives’ show. For example, my teacher, Jeff Raz, was explaining how to invite an audience member on stage to participate and this proved quite effective for me this past weekend. I didn’t feel like I was dragging anyone on stage but rather that I was inviting them to something very special. I guess I should have always felt this way but it’s nice to have the reminder of purpose.

Our next big project at school is a research assignment. While this may be difficult to do the work on, I will actually be providing new secondary resources for the clown world in general. There is not much written about our field so each of our reports will be adding to the circus library as a whole. which frankly — is really freakin’ cool. I’m nervous about doing the legwork for the research but excited all the same. eeeeeee!!

Up next: CLOWN CONSERVATORY CLASS OF 2010’s FIRST PERFORMANCE!!
This Thursday, October 15 – yes, tomorrow! - at 2:30 pm at Circus Center

If you are in the Bay Area and have a Thursday afternoon free, please come on out and support us first year clowns. The theme of our performance is “Who Am I?”

Again, many thanks for your support, my friends. More updates on my adventures soon!

Not only great stage shows this weekend but Bogfest was a blast! Many thanks to the Poxy Boggards for letting me make not one, but two cameo appearances on their night. It was really cool getting to finally play the fiddle part on Drink Til I Die live with the band. And of course, there’s Nelly…

I have lots of fun playing Nelly the Mermaid. Now I must admit it’s fun to be appreciated while wearing a sexy mermaid costume that (thank goodness) I’m in good enough shape to pull off. But as anyone who knows me can attest, I really enjoy the juxtaposition of  pretty and sexy with ridiculous and awkward.  It is an interesting combination that I have been trying to make work for me for years. I used to think these were mutually exclusive ideas – that one trait would have to battle the other.

In my late teens, I sought to be a successful comedienne, appreciating physical comedy and sight gags. I worried that my newfound attractive appearance (which suddenly showed up after years of being an ugly duckling nerd with a speech impediment) would impede my success in comedy. The improv comedy training at the New York Renaissance Faire was thorough and I improved year by year in creating 3 dimensional characters and engaging the audience one-on-one as well as in scripted and improvisational stage shows. While I was young and cute, it did not occur to me that this would actually *add* to the funny. I could see the funny contrast of being in a beautiful court dress and falling down and showing my bloomers to the world, yet I interpreted this as comedy of class: the high-brow falling low. I saw little to do with my face.

Working with Marlowe’s Shadowe put it in my head that pretty can add to the funny, rather than just being a happenstance of a funny person. That particular troupe drove home the idea that cross-dressing is funny, whether it is the man or the woman in drag. And while the Shadowe boys looked darn ridiculous with a curly wig and fake boobs on, the cute blond or redhead with a mustache or beard was always an audience favorite. Marlowe’s Shadowe, and subsequently, the Lords of Laughter,emphasized that the ridiculous becomes extra so when paired with the pretty.

The reason is this: Pretty is supposed to be demure and graceful. To show no flaws. To upend this, to be awkward or a little gross while being pretty is humorous. Moreso than I would have thought in my younger years. And as I have worked with the Merry Wives of Windsor, how better to demonstrate this than have a beautiful blond scratching herself on stage? To screw up one’s lovely face screaming about yogurt? Or maybe running around like a nut making the audience do the wave? It is funny because it’s not the classic behavior of the iconic beauty. And what’s even better is that these concepts go hand in hand to the end that pretty not only adds to the comedy but the comedy adds to the pretty.

So Nelly is especially fun to play because I get to play with this dichotomy combining the pretty – shimmery fluke, purple seashells, bare midriff -with the awkward. (Lucky for me that the song depicts her as being caught with a fish hook and smelling bad!) Because catching a mermaid in your net or with a fishing rod is gonna be awkward, no matter how cute she is. And if you are gonna talk about her best attribute being her mouth, you might as well demonstrate it. Thank goodness the venue was selling corndogs because I was just fresh out of bananas. Soooo glad being a ludicrous freak is not only funny but has become sexy in its own right.

Thanks to my Nelly-bearer for helping with my ignominious entrance and exit. And thanks to Bill for corndogging me. I couldn’t have done it without you guys.

So the time has come to archive my journey towards making performing my one and only. Here, I’ll be creating updates on each step in the process as well as posting information on my performances.  I will also include the distractions and inanities along the way.

Right now, you can find me at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire – www.renfair.com/socal – at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale, CA. I will be on stage with the other amazing ladies of the Merry Wives of Windsor! www.mwow.net Don’t forget to pick up a copy of our brand new CD, Happy Endings!

You can also find me on the Maybower Stage for the Mayor’s show and Queen’s show and stilt-walking in the morning and evening. This year, I am again the brewmistress. This time Scottish – one of the MacHurley twins, Morangus. Ach!!

My current goal is auditioning for the clown conservatory in San Francisco. The audition involves creating a DVD. Argh. Darien not so tech savvy. Fortunately for our hero, she has wonderful friends who *are* tech savvy.

Thank you wonderful friends! (especially the genius who set up this lovely website)

So the step I’m on now is gathering materials for my DVD.  The wonderful friend who does film and video editing is totally doing his part to put this together for me. My current project is getting the writing done. Updating my resume, creating a letter of interest, and a letter stating why I am interested in the clown conservatory.

I’ll post those as they are completed.

Thanks for joining me on this journey!

Take care, friends.