Clowning Glory

Say 'Red Nose Clowning Technique' and an image pops out of one's mind. An image of a funny man wearing pantomime shoes,baggy , polka dotted pants,a loose,multi-hued shirt,loud make-up complete with a big red nose.

Say ‘Red Nose Clowning Technique’ and an image pops out of one’s mind. An image of a funny man wearing pantomime shoes,baggy ,polka dotted pants,a loose,multi-hued shirt,loud make-up complete with a big red nose. Stop right there. This is not about a circus clown,engrossed in funny antics to spread laughs. Instead,it is a theatre technique that has trickled into the city’s stage fraternity.

Actors Kader Khan and Ranvir Shorey are two names associated with the Red Nose Clowning technique. They have practised it and used it in their individual acting methods. With the current workshop being conducted in the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune,many more young actors will be joining them in using this technique to unmask emotions and display one’s vulnerability without any inhibitions. Ashwath Bhatt,visiting faculty at the FTII,says that clowning has been a tool employed by western actors to bring realism into their performances,connect with themselves and showcase this connection to audiences. In fact,it is not even close to an idea of a circus clown, he says,adding,The method has been woefully under-utilised. It is something that all serious actors should work on.

Red nose clowning is like a small mask. But behind this mask,a person is free to explore himself or herself uninhibited. It is about portraying emotions that range from being moody to being fragile and sensitive. To show aspects that lie deep within us,that we usually feel afraid of sharing or even talking about. And if the idea of the technique borders more on the metaphysical,then it wouldn’t be very wrong,says Carla Johnnson,another teacher who practises this technique. We all have clowns within us, she says. The real clown in us comes out when we stop being pretentious about ourselves,and start to open up and widen our imagination. The trick is to find our own clown. The method is perhaps the purest form of acting as it involves connecting with the self as well as the audience, she explains.

The clown in the actor can be serious or funny. Or even emotional. He can throw tantrums. He can stand outside the man-made societal barriers and poke fun and pass comments on the hollow and shallow beliefs of society. That perhaps is the beauty of the technique. It removes the childishness that most adults are often influenced by in their day-to-day lives,and replaces it with child-like innocence that is a necessary ingredient for living a happy life, says Bhatt,who also practises this technique with his experimental project called ‘The Theatre Garage Project’.

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Ranvir Shorey

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