EN
  • EN
  • RU
  • FR
  • DE
  • CN
  • JP
EN
  • EN
  • RU
  • FR
  • DE
  • CN
  • JP

  • 24.05.2016

    Mobile arts hub launches with London Clown Festival

    • Description

       

      Henry Maynard, founder of the London Clown Festival

      by Georgia Snow - May 19, 2016

      A new mobile arts hub in north London will launch next month, with a clown festival described as the first of its kind in the capital.

      The Omnitorium in Manor House will host the first London Clown Festival, a new annual event celebrating the influence of clowning on contemporary theatre and comedy.

      The Omnitorium takes the form of a tented venue, with a seated capacity of 100 that rises to 300 for more informal events. The tent is attached to a double decker bus, which serves as the green room and bar, but also allows the venue to be mobile – it will host shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe later this year.

      Founder Henry Maynard said the creation of the space was born both out of a frustration with the process of staging work, but also from a desire to create a community hub for artists.

      "There was a little bit of frustration in regards to programming – being able to put on my work when I wanted to and how I wanted to, that was a big drive. Also in Edinburgh, it was kind of a frustration that we would go to Edinburgh and sell out a show and walk out having lost money. We needed to think of a better model," he told The Stage.

      When in London – the venue is located in a disused car park – Maynard said the space would be a "community platform", where artists can use the space to rehearse free of charge, paying only the cost of electricity.

      He added that tickets for performance at the space would be kept cheap to encourage people to try out new and different types of shows.

      "We have kept the tickets for the clown festival at £5 or £6 in the hope that people can come and see two or three different shows and not feel like they are breaking the bank,” he said.

      The space was soft launched last year but its first piece of major programming will be the inaugural London Clown Festival, which takes between June 10 and 19.

      It is described as a "festival of physical comedy" and showcases artists from theatre and comedy, celebrating the influence of clowning practitioners such as Lecoq and Gaulier on contemporary performance.

      Headliners include comedian Spencer Jones and theatremakers Lucy Hopkins and Jamie Wood, whose show Oh No! will run as part of the festival.

      The event is a collaboration between Maynard's company Flabbergast and physical comedian Dan Lees.

      Maynard said he hoped the festival could become "a home for contemporary clowning in London" and would showcase work that was clown-influenced but that audiences may not associate with the genre.

      "We're trying to bring it back to an adult audience and celebrate it for its integrity rather than having it thought of in a way that doesn't really reflect the kind of clowning we do," he added.