Festival offers 4 days of talks, contests and workshops
MTL Clown Festival takes up residence for four days of fun
Given Montreal’s status as both the festival and circus capital of the world, it’s surprising that the city’s clowns haven’t put aside their anarchic tendencies to create their own festival. Until now. The MTL Clown Festival/ Le Festival de clowns de Montréal takes up residence for four days this week — from Thursday to Sunday — under the direction of president and “Head Clown” Kendall Savage. As well as eight shows featuring everybody from relative newcomers to Cirque du Soleil veterans, there are workshops, talks, contests and schmoozes. The Montreal Gazette lined up a few clown misconceptions for Savage to knock down with some wellaimed custard pies.
CLOWNS ARE SCARY
Oh yeah. I get this one all the time. I personally don’t fear them and am not threatened by them. But I think what people are really afraid of is — excuse my language — assholes in masks with knives. It’s a shame people associate us with all that because we’re such hard-working artists and we pound the pavement for something we love. On the other hand, I love Pennywise (from Stephen King’s It). I personally love the idea of horror clowns. I also have a theory. The job of the clown is to hold the mirror up to society, and in a sense this fixation on horror clowns right now is because things are pretty screwed up.
CLOWNS ARE JUST COMIC RELIEF BETWEEN CIRCUS ACTS
Well I’m gonna say yes and no to that one. I think there was a point in time when clowns were just there to move things along and keep the energy up. They haven’t been in the limelight as much as they should be, and that’s where I think clowns have moved from the circus ring to the stage. Old circuses are dying and the clowns know when to jump ship.
CLOWNS ARE JUST KIDS’ STUFF
I believe clowning was never made for children. If you look at the history of it, it’s incredibly violent. That being said, child entertainers and party clowns are wonderful people and there’s absolutely a need for them in the clown community. Some of the shows are kid-friendly — for instance, The Rigolo Show, with Pinocchio (Friday, 7 p.m., in English; Saturday, 3:30 p.m., in French). And maybe Les Bunheads and Friends ... oh no, wait, there’s nudity in that one (bilingual shows Friday, 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, 6 p.m.). Also, don’t bring the kids to see Mona Monaé (in English Saturday, 6 p.m. and Sunday, 7:30 p.m.). The last time I saw her onstage, she had an orgasm on stage and ... (Savage continues with some details not suitable to be printed here). Her boundaries are definitely out there.
ALL CLOWNS ARE CRYING ON THE INSIDE
Well, clichés come from somewhere, right? One of our jobs is to be honest and to move the audience and sometimes there’s that raw emotion in the belly that yearns to come out in clowns. I work on Pochinko clowns (named after Canadian clown trainer Richard Pochinko), where you have to deal with your demons or you’ll never be able to deal with that emotional honesty. A good clown will never lie about how they feel. Thomas Monahan, who has a show in the festival, his clowning tends to be a healthy dose of emotional turmoil/comedy, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he went in the direction you’re talking about (Nothing, Something, Anything: bilingual, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday 9:30 p.m.).
A CLOWN FESTIVAL IS GOING TO BE HILARIOUSLY DISORGANIZED
It’s definitely been a learning
experience. I have a core group of volunteers, and a vice-president, Vanessa Rigaux, who is amazing. We’re like Laurel and Hardy, we really complement each other. One huge challenge is having patience when working with clowns.
They’re all just so darn excited. It’s sometimes like herding wild cattle.
I’m hoping this will be an annual festival. I have big plans for it. Montreal is the circus capital of Canada, and we house the largest community of clowns. They all come for the circuses then hang around afterward because it’s such a beautiful city. But there’s no work for them. So we’re hoping to create this hub of clown activity.