Real clowns in town as festival gets underway
Quick, send in the clowns. Don’t bother, they’re here. No, not those clowns on the election campaign trail or those other clowns making a mess of our roads. And definitely not who Stephen Sondheim had in mind when he composed his iconic Send in the Clowns back in 1973.
We’re talking professional clowns here. They have descended on the city en masse for the third annual Festival des clowns de Montréal, starting Wednesday and running until Sunday at the Mainline Theatre.
It’s probably not an accident that its organizers have proclaimed that their fest is “located in the clown capital of Canada.” The circus capital as well.
“It’s perfect timing to have this festival take place at the same time as the election campaign and all the other madness taking place around town,” festival codirector Vanessa Rigaux says.
Save for politicians, this festival features the gamut of clowns: old-schoolers with the red rubber noses, outrageous makeup and attire, and edgy up-and-comers with the red rubber noses, outrageous makeup and attire. Leading the way are seasoned Cirque du Soleil vet FrançoisGuillaume Leblanc, the feminist bouffon act Les Zoubliettes, and the country’s most heralded clown-sister duo, Morro and Jasp — who will be doing a spin on the John Steinbeck classic with Of Mice and Morro and Jasp.
Troupers, anglos and francos from 11 companies, hail from as near as here, Quebec City and Toronto and as far away as Santiago, Chile.
The goals of festival organizers Rigaux and Kendall Savage are to provide a space for clowns to experiment in addition to educating the public on the fine art of clowning. These are not your tired birthday-party clowns who can leave the kids in a state of tedium or in tears.
“There will be no normal clowns here. No Sparky or Bubbles the clown,” Rigaux pledges. “It will range from the bouffons, like Les Zoubliettes, who are political and nasty and a little bit grotesque, to the more nice, all-Canadian clowns like Morro and Jasp.
“But all the shows are pretty family-friendly, and there will be a little nuance for everybody. This is the answer to the question: Send in the clowns, and let’s see what they have to say?”
The festival also offers a few free events: the opening-night gala, a veritable soupçon of what is to come, hosted by Mme. Zazou (Wednesday at 8 p.m.); a panel discussion on women in clowning (Thursday at 9:30 p.m.); and the talent contest, Le Grand imbécile (Friday at 9 p.m.). The winner of the latter competition gets a trophy and a spot at next year’s event.
Rigaux is a clown herself, having studied in Paris with the acclaimed, red rubber-nosed master Philippe Godier. She also got guidance from John Turner. No, not the politician. Rather, the Canadian clown, of Mump & Smoot fame, at the helm of the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance in northern Ontario.
There are clown festivals in Toronto, now in its 13th year, and Edmonton, marking its third year. But Rigaux and Savage felt Montreal was much in need of one as well.
“(Savage), also a clown, and I actually met by accident in a very clown-like moment, but we decided to pursue the idea of a festival together, even though it’s tough to rope clowns together,” Rigaux says.
Given the indomitable, individual nature of clowns, it is somewhat akin to herding cats.
“We both felt clowns often get shunted aside here. They’re often not taken as seriously as other circus performers. So we felt they needed a home here, where they could meet, talk, exchange and trust. Clowns really need to try things in front of an audience. Without an audience, clowns have no idea if something is going to work.”
Still, Rigaux acknowledges that audiences young and old are often fearful of clowns.
“Part of it is that we hear of these random, violent attacks by people in masks. Frankly, it’s also terrible clown performers at children’s birthday parties. And that’s really scary. But people should not be scared of what we’re doing here.”
Not surprisingly, there won’t
be an event at this fest to see how many clowns can be stuffed inside a Volkswagen.
“But we are doing a Crowdfunding campaign: for a donation of between $20 and $50, you can send a clown to clown college,” Rigaux says. “Yes, you, too, can save a clown and his family from living in their car for a year.”