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Church of Clown

One Workshop, Please!

LXCL:Get that worm! By August 30th specifically!

Early Bird 

What happens when you stop worrying about doing it &quot;right&quot; and start letting the intelligence of your body play? This 3 hour masterclass explores the physics of play&mdash;the nuts and bolts of physical presence, attention, and playfulness - and how to use it to create aliveness in a room. Rooted in the principles of clown and physical comedy, you&#39;ll learn the foundational mechanics of comedy: physical authenticity, beginning comedic timing, structures for stage-play, and how the clown&#39;s relational awareness&mdash;connecting to scene partner, audience, space, and self&mdash;generates authentic comedy and compelling performance.Through structured exercises and playful exploration, you&#39;ll get a chance to feel how physical comedy works: the rhythm of a comedic beat, the delight of contrast and the power of being present. You&#39;ll practice the core skills of the clown&mdash;presence, vulnerability, and the courage to fail beautifully&mdash;while building confidence to take risks and let go of perfection. Whether you&#39;re a seasoned performer crafting your next act, an artist looking to unlock more freedom on stage, or simply someone curious about what happens when you let go and lean into the moment, this workshop creates a space to learn fundamental physical skills, and have fun! You&#39;ll explore:The fundamentals of clown: presence, relational awareness, and vulnerability as techniqueThe building blocks of a joke: timing, contrast and statusUsing your body as an instrument: how to get out of the mind, and into the body (and trust it)The courage to fail beautifully&mdash;and why failure is the clown&#39;s greatest tool Summer Shapiro is a physical comedian, actor, and director whose work blurs the lines between comedy, movement, and pathos. She began her career creating comedic physical theater in San Francisco and New York, collaborating with artists such as John Gilkey of Cirque du Soleil and Peter Musante of Blue Man Group. During a decade of touring her clown-theater productions, she shaped an expressive, body-centered approach to performance that remains heavily focused on audience play.&nbsp;Her collaborations with musicians have appeared on screen in Sara Bareilles&#39; iconic Brave music video (directed by Rashida Jones) and Jeff Desom&#39;s The Key (shot in Luxembourg for composer Hauschka). Across mediums&mdash;stage, screen, and classrooms&mdash;Summer aims to uplift, disarm, and reconnect us to the profound mystery and humor of being alive. Quotes on Summer&rsquo;s clown work:&ldquo;This masterful, sweetly-scathing performer conspired to make the entire audience fall at her feet.&rdquo; -Chloe Veltman, lies like truth&ldquo;Deft physical comedy.&rdquo;-San Francisco Bay Guardian&ldquo;A relentlessly charming, overwhelmingly beautiful piece of art.&rdquo;&nbsp;-That Sounds Cool, NY&quot;A brilliant translation of the details of conversant life.&quot;&nbsp;-San Francisco Bay Times&quot;a kinetic poem&quot;-Cultural Capitol, NY Physics of Play (1 Day Workshop)&nbsp;Taught by Summer ShapiroSunday, September 27&nbsp;11-2pm

Hi &nbsp;<span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="color: rgb(42, 42, 196); overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; box-sizing: inherit;">First name , You&#39;re registered for Physics of Play (1 Day Workshop) and we&#39;re so glad!&nbsp; 📅 Mark your calendar for Sunday September 27th from 11am to 2pm!&nbsp; ____________________________________________________________________________________ Want more Physics of Play?&nbsp;Sign up for our 3 week series Oct 17-31! Use discount code SummerOfSummer&nbsp;for 10% off!&nbsp;_____________________________________________________________________________________ 🤡 Get Involved! 🤡&nbsp;Take a <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.churchofclown.org/adult-classes" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">class or workshop with us,</a> join us for <a fr-original-style="" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gAvTlgOcouC4DBIdnT_vjk4yqeveGY4cwhoOPQsREm8/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Clown Drawing</a>, come to <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.churchofclown.org/events/clownjam" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Clown Jam</a>, and please <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.churchofclown.org/events" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">come see more shows</a>. The world needs more clowns!! If you would like to volunteer at the Church please <a fr-original-style="" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXAHo5RSVuHxvakYJHU8iQV3wqKMrE8nV8f6XKTMooNATGiA/viewform?usp=header" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">fill out this form</a>. If you have questions about anything please contact Sierra at <a fr-original-style="" href="mailto:programs@churchofclown.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">programs@churchofclown.org</a>. ‼️BUT WAIT!! ‼️Before you go....Follow us on <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/churchofclown" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, &quot;like&quot; and &quot;follow&quot; our <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.facebook.com/churchofclown/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a>, and check out our <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.churchofclown.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">website</a> so you don&#39;t miss our next event! With Joy &amp; Laughter,&nbsp;Your Friends at Church of Clown

What happens when you stop worrying about doing it "right" and start letting the intelligence of your body play? This 3 hour masterclass explores the physics of play—the nuts and bolts of physical presence, attention, and playfulness - and how to use it to create aliveness in a room. Rooted in the principles of clown and physical comedy, you'll learn the foundational mechanics of comedy: physical authenticity, beginning comedic timing, structures for stage-play, and how the clown's relational awareness—connecting to scene partner, audience, space, and self—generates authentic comedy and compelling performance.Through structured exercises and playful exploration, you'll get a chance to feel how physical comedy works: the rhythm of a comedic beat, the delight of contrast and the power of being present. You'll practice the core skills of the clown—presence, vulnerability, and the courage to fail beautifully—while building confidence to take risks and let go of perfection. Whether you're a seasoned performer crafting your next act, an artist looking to unlock more freedom on stage, or simply someone curious about what happens when you let go and lean into the moment, this workshop creates a space to learn fundamental physical skills, and have fun! You'll explore:The fundamentals of clown: presence, relational awareness, and vulnerability as techniqueThe building blocks of a joke: timing, contrast and statusUsing your body as an instrument: how to get out of the mind, and into the body (and trust it)The courage to fail beautifully—and why failure is the clown's greatest tool Summer Shapiro is a physical comedian, actor, and director whose work blurs the lines between comedy, movement, and pathos. She began her career creating comedic physical theater in San Francisco and New York, collaborating with artists such as John Gilkey of Cirque du Soleil and Peter Musante of Blue Man Group. During a decade of touring her clown-theater productions, she shaped an expressive, body-centered approach to performance that remains heavily focused on audience play. Her collaborations with musicians have appeared on screen in Sara Bareilles' iconic Brave music video (directed by Rashida Jones) and Jeff Desom's The Key (shot in Luxembourg for composer Hauschka). Across mediums—stage, screen, and classrooms—Summer aims to uplift, disarm, and reconnect us to the profound mystery and humor of being alive. Quotes on Summer’s clown work:“This masterful, sweetly-scathing performer conspired to make the entire audience fall at her feet.” -Chloe Veltman, lies like truth“Deft physical comedy.”-San Francisco Bay Guardian“A relentlessly charming, overwhelmingly beautiful piece of art.” -That Sounds Cool, NY"A brilliant translation of the details of conversant life." -San Francisco Bay Times"a kinetic poem"-Cultural Capitol, NY Physics of Play (1 Day Workshop) Taught by Summer ShapiroSunday, September 27 11-2pm

Church of Clown

Physics of Play / 1 Day Workshop / Fall 2026

2400 Bayshore Blvd

One Workshop, Please!

$125

Early Bird

$100

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