It’s very serious,” said Katie Bowman, about the art of clowning.
Bowman has been a comedian for more than a decade, she started with sketch comedy and made her way into standup. Over the past five years or so she’s been exploring the world of clowning, dabbling in different clown pedagogies and developing her clown character: Bumpsy, an outspoken, unapologetic, red-nosed lady who Bowman will debut at this year’s Denver Fringe Festival, June 3-7.
“Bumpsy isn’t afraid to tell someone they suck, she isn’t afraid to be like, ‘this is about me!’” Bowman said. “Of course, it’s easier said than done. In real life I’m trying to be the person who doesn’t say sorry all the time.”
There are many ways to clown.
The acerbic French master Philippe Gaulier was known to shatter egos as a means of reaching the inner idiot. Gaulier, who died in February, studied under Jacques Lecoq, a renowned mime whose techniques relied on movement and physicality. The techniques of Richard Pochinko focus more on tapping into one’s insecurities and impulses, while the father of modern clowning, Joseph Grimaldi, combined daredevil stunts with a melancholic tenor, introducing the world to the image of the sad clown.
Bowman learned from Denver clowns Alice Gillette, Kii Clark and Madly Regular, during three courses that Bowman graduated from in January. That curriculum was a little less “do something funny” — Gaulier was known to tell his students to do something funny then bang on a drum when they failed — and a little more “let’s get in touch with our feelings,” Bowman said.
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