Clown Congress 2025 - exploring the future of clowning

Name: Clown Congress 2025 - exploring the future of clowning
Start: 2025-04-05T09:30:00+01:00
End: 2025-04-06T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Wickham Theatre

Schedule

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025 at 09:30 am to Sun, 06 Apr, 2025 at 06:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Wickham Theatre | Bristol, EN

Calling all clowns! Come gather with us for 2-days of deep, meaningful, playful and irreverent exploration of the future of our beloved artform.
The Clown Congress is a space of inquiry; a place to collectively ask what does it mean to be a clown in this current era? In times of crisis and change, the old models of our artforms may need re-imagining to suit the times we are in. And as we face shifting and transitioning political power systems, climate breakdown and urgent issues of social injustice we are gathering to ask:
▪ What is the future of clowning in turbulent times?
▪ How can we use clowning to build community, empowerment, and resilience?
▪ How can we make clowning more relevant, accessible and inclusive?
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WHEN: Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th April 2025
TIMES: 9.30-6pm both days
WHERE: Wickham Theatre, Bristol University, Cantock's Cl, Bristol BS8 1UP
HOSTED BY: Holly Stoppit, Robyn Hambrook and Jan Wozniak

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WHO IS THIS EVENT FOR?
This event is for clowns, performers, activists, therapists, directors, teachers, students, clown doctors, humanitarian clowns, applied drama / improvisation practitioners, researchers, artists, dreamers and anyone who uses play in their work or personal practice.

WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN?
A bunch of clowns will be taking over Bristol University’s drama department for 2 whole days to discuss, play, dream and grapple with the question: what is the future of clowning?
We’ll be using Open Space technology; a clown-friendly organic conferencing method that allows you, the participants, to set the agenda.
Each morning, you’ll be greeted by your friendly hosts and gently and clearly orientated into the world of Open Space. You’ll all get a chance to raise a topic for exploration - but you don’t have to - it’s OK to just come along and see what you fancy getting involved with when you get there!
Sessions can take many forms including exploratory workshops, focused discussions, co-created play sessions, and sharing individual projects and personal artistic experiences.
We aim to create a welcoming environment where clowns from different backgrounds can meet, play, share, inspire, learn and grow together.

DAILY SCHEDULE:
9.30am - Arrival & registration
10am - 11.30am - Welcome, ice-breakers, introducing Open Space
11.30am - 12:00pm - Break - tea & coffee provided
12.00pm - 1.00pm - Open Space session one
1.00pm - 2.00pm - Lunch - provided for all participants
2.00 - 2.30pm - Re-gathering
2.30pm - 3.30pm - Open Space session two
3.30pm - 4.00pm - Break - tea & coffee provided
4.00pm - 5.00pm - Open Space session three
5.00pm - 6.00pm - Whole group gathering, sharing and closing

WHO IS THE CLOWN CONGRESS TEAM?
Your hosts are Robyn Hambrook (activist clown, performer, director), Holly Stoppit (clown therapist, teacher, facilitator) and Jan Wozniak (clown academic). We will be supported by a team of fantastic volunteers. More about the history of Clown Congress below.

INVESTMENT:
We are offering a sliding scale to suit your pocket:
1 day ticket (includes lunch & refreshments)
£90 (standard) / £75 (low earning) / £60 (in receipt of benefits / in full time education) per day
2 day ticket (includes lunch and refreshments)
£160 (standard) / £130 (low earning) / £100 (in receipt of benefits / in full time education) for 2 days
All tickets are available on Dandelion https://dandelion.events/e/p3i6q
Booking deadline for all tickets: 23rd March

CONGRESS COMRADES TICKET: 📣 🤓 ALL CONGRESS COMRADE SPACES ARE NOW FILLED !!! 🥳
We have 4 places for those who would like to attend the Congress, reduce costs and give something back.
A Congress Comrade place will give you free access to the 2 days of the Clown Congress in exchange for one day in a support role. Tasks could include meet and greet, supporting facilitators, setting up for lunch etc.
Congress Comrade places do not include the cost of the food so we will ask for a small fee of £15 per day.
Please get in touch directly if you would like to take one of these tickets: [email protected]
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WHAT IS A CLOWN CONGRESS:
The Clown Congress is a curated meeting place to:
* share practice;
* have conversations about issues big and small;
* explore developments of the art form;
* ask our key questions; and,
* challenge our thinking around the possibilities and power of clowning

CLOWN CONGRESS TIMELINE:
Clown Congress 2025 builds on previous events hosted by Robyn, Holly and other collaborators:
2020 - Clowns in Crisis Online Conference - How Can Clowning Help You and How Can Clowns Help Others In Times Of Crisis?
2021 - Clowning out of Chaos Online Conference - How can we clown with chaos? And how can clowning help us move beyond chaos and create the world we want to live in?
2022 - Clown Congress 1- Clowning and Protest, Clowning and Social Justice and the Clowning and the Climate Crisis.
2023 - Clown Congress 2 - Clowns & Identity - How are we changing the artform in ways that enable greater diversity and inclusion? How do we cultivate diverse approaches that emerge from our diverse identities?
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WHAT DOES A CLOWN CONGRESS LOOK LIKE:
Want to know what happens at a Clown Congress? You can read about our last event in 2023 here: https://www.robynhambrook.com/clowning--activism-blog/clown-congress-2023-we-meet-again
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ACCESS INFO
There is a section on the booking form to tell us about your access needs.
We welcome people of all abilities, people who are neurovergent and people with mild-moderate mental health issues.
There will be an access support / pastoral care member of our team on site and available at all times.
The venue is accessible for people who use wheelchairs or have restricted movement. There is a ramp to get in, accessible toilets and a lift to all areas of the event.
There will be a designated quiet space for those who need to rest.
There can also be a noisy room for those who need to make noise!
We wish we had the budget for sign language interpreters and audio-describers but we don’t this year. If you need your own interpreter or access worker to accompany you to this event, please get in touch with us and we’ll arrange a ticket.
COVID CARE
There are still people who are vulnerable to covid and we want everyone to feel as safe as possible in the space.
We can't guarantee a Covid-free environment, but we can do our best to minimise the risks for people with compromised immunity and/or those who are connected with immune-compromised people.
If you have any covid-like symptoms, please take a lat-flow test and please don't come if you have tested positive.
All exercises can work with social distancing, if that is what you need. Please make sure that physical proximity is consensual.
You are welcome to wear a mask if that makes you feel safer. We will not be asking people to wear masks.
Where possible we will be working with doors and windows open for ventilation, so please bring extra warm layers.
We will have an open discussion and make a group agreement on the first day to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable enough.
CANCELLATION POLICY
> If you need to cancel your place before the course begins, full refunds can only be given up until two weeks before the course starts.
> Should you need to cancel your place after this date, 50% of your payment will be retained, unless your place can be suitably filled.
> For drop-outs within 72 hours (3 days) of the start of the course, your full fee will be retained.
> If we needs to cancel this course for any reason, you will be offered alternative dates. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled dates, then we will offer a refund.