MetaPLATFORM 2025
THE CLOWN
(128h)
KEY WORDS
Long Clown Workshop, ending with public presentation, theatre clownery, personal clown, birth of a clown, art of failure, improvisation, directed building of the clown numbers, Clown Matinee.
TO WHOM
The workshop is aimed at performing arts professionals, students or amateurs who are interested in exploring their own ridiculousness in a group, working on their inner clown, wanting to create a clown number under guidance and to be part of the public presentation at the end. For some participants the workshop might be the first touch for the theatre clownery, for some it might be refreshment of the skills and awakening the creativity.
DESCRIPTION
MetaPLATFORM educational concept continues from what theater workshops usually lead to. Participants have the possibility not only to learn the basics but also to dive deeper into the subject. After the summer intensive start, we will continue to work together in the fall and develop summer’s improv material towards clown numbers and present it for the public in the Clown Matinee.
The director of the workshop and the midwife for the clowns is Soile Mäkelä (MA).
Take a look at the previous workshop:
MetaPLATFORM 2025 will dive into the core of theatre clownery, where the clown is born of the personal ridicule of the actor and where the stories are dealing with all the colours of life, also the dark ones. This long clown project will take the participant to the source of tragicomic humanity, where all the homo sapiensis, year after year, find themselves stupefied in front of the universal miracles of life.
The process of searching one’s personal clown is not only an individual trip, but always a very intensive group process. The clown does not exist without an audience. In MetaPLATFORM, the group is a test audience and great support for each other during the whole process.
From the point of view of developing as a clown (and human being), it’s interesting how our own idea of what is ridiculous in us is often very different from how others see us. The clown process is great fun, above all, but it also needs courage! Courage to face your imperfections, accept them, play with them and one day... perhaps love them a bit.
The purpose of the education is not to do therapy sessions with the red nose, but to develop our personal material and transform it to the universal level with acting techniques and meet the audience.
STRUCTURE
MetaPLATFORM starts with a two weeks intensive workshop during the summer. In the beginning we get to know the group and create a safe place to work together so our comical quality of being dares to be visible. We learn some basic physical theatre skills, research movement qualities of each other, practice to observate and give feedback in a constructive spirit. At the end of the first week everyone will give birth to their personal clown, with the guidance of an experienced midwife and a group of doulas.
In the second week we will get to know better our clowns by putting them in trouble in various improvisation moments. In the impros we research how the clowns could benefit your personal talents and stories.
Some tasks might be given for the clowns for the next meeting.
MetaPLATFORM will continue during the fall. We will start collectively to develop clown numbers to be performed for the public at the Clown Matinee.
All the numbers that will be performed at the Clown Matinee, will be developed from the improv materials created during the summer. The numbers will be done with 1-5 clowns and the length of the number will be max.15-20 min.
At the event MetaPLATFORM Clowns will share the stage with the choir of all choirs, MetaLAB: Clown Chorus.
LANGUAGE
Teaching will be in Finnish, except if some participants do not speak Finnish, then the teacher speaks Finglish, English, Italian, French or Onomatopoeia.
You can perform in any language you wish, even in silence.
TEACHER
Soile Mäkelä is a theatre teacher, performer and director, who has worked with masks since 1996. She works as a freelancer in various institutes or theatres in Finland, i.e. Teatteri Metamorfoosi, Helsinki Summer University and Turku Arts Academy. In addition she does artistic projects, teaches and leads the education and mask making departments in Teatteri Metamorfoosi which she co-founded in 2005.
Soile graduated from University of the Arts Helsinki, Theatre Academy from department of theatre pedagogy in 2008. She studied physical theatre in France and Italy based on pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq 1999-2002. Before that she graduated from Metropolia, Helsinki University of Applied Sciences/ Performing arts as a drama instructor 1999. In addition she has participated numerous mask and clown workshops around Europe ‘cause she likes to put herself in “trouble” and keep on learning all the time. The most significant teachers and inspirations during her clown trip have been Norman Taylor, Giovanni Fusetti, Mario Gonzalez Pierre Byland and Philippe Gaulier.
SCHEDULE 2025
Please read through the information and timetables well and check out that you can fully commit to the whole education project.
SUMMER (60h)
Daily working hours are 10-17, including one hour lunch break.
Week 30: Mon–Fri 21.–25.7. (30h)
Viikko 31: Mon–Fri 28.7–1.8. (30h)
AUTUMN (68h)
AUGUST
Sat–Sun 30.–31.8. (12h)
SEPTEMBER
Sat–Sun 27.–28.9. (12h)
OCTOBER
Sat-Wed 11.–15.10. (30h) Rehearsals and run throughs (10-17:00)
Thu 16.10. Day off
Fri 17.10. Technical run through with Clown Chorus (10-15:00) and GENERAL REHEARSAL (15:00–)
Sat 18.10. Preparations for the show (12-15) and THE SHOW at the Clown Matinee at 15:00–
(Estimated duration of the Clown Matinee will be 2-3h. To be confirmed later…After the show we will have a feedback session, party among the working group and cleaning))
PRICE
Early Birds 890€ (to be paid by 24th of May )
Regular price 960€
The workshop will be confirmed on 1st of July 2023.
Conditions of the workshop in case of cancellation:
Please note: Once the workshop is confirmed, If the participant must cancel his/her/ their participation (regardless of reason, including illness), the reimbursement is given only if there is someone in the waiting list who can take his/he/their place.
PARTICIPANTS
Minimum number of participants 8, maximum 12
VENUE
Workshop:
Teatteri Metamorfoosi/ Point Fixe
Suvilahdenkatu 10 a 4th floor
00500 Helsinki, Finland
Performance venue, where we will move at the last week, will be confirmed later.
(All the rights reserved for the changes for Teatteri Metamorfoosi)