CLOWN TOWN wants to bring the art of Clowning to the People of Cape Town.
Step into the magical, meaningful world of clown with a rare, hands-on workshop led by a performer with over 50 years of experience. It's a backstage pass into the soul and skill of clowning—ideal for performers, creatives, educators, and anyone curious about using humour and vulnerability as creative tools.
Explore the sacred moment of transformation from ordinary to extra ordinary. We uncover the emotional core of the clown—resilience, humility, unpredictability and the assumption of brilliance. These core characteristics we manifest in costume and body centre. Practical exercises awaken curiosity, presence in the moment and joy in the cosmic importance of small things. Participants begin crafting their unique clown persona, using the tools of breath, mime, slapstick and the ceremony of preparation.
Develop a short clown act by using creative tools such as playful failure, tension, escalation and changing drivers.We stay with a problem and learn to question…what If?
Entering a stage with intention, creating rapport and performing from a place of true interest are all in the clowns tool box to help you to stay inspired and overcome creative blocks.
Discover how to shape the spaghetti of the material created using the Creation Tool box. We link the wow moments, optimise rehearsal time, and return to the stage with authenticity and polish. Supportive practical group feedback and group reflection on what the clown reveals—not just about art, but about ourselves.
This workshop blends play with real tools for performance. It's practical, poetic, and profoundly fun.
From a young age, Marc had the rare privilege of being immersed in the world of performance. Hischildhood was shaped by hours spent in the magic of cinema, the golden glow of theatre lights, and visits to see top varieté performers alongside his grandmother, who ran the box office at a theatre where Marlene Dietrich once performed and patrons stood in lines to collect tickets pre-booked over the bakelite telephones.
These early experiences sparked a lifelong passion for storytelling, spectacle, and the connection between performer and audience.
Marc’s formal training began at Cape Town’s Little Theatre and continued on the streets of Paris — romantic and raw! Paris offered not just technique, but a philosophy: the performer as poet, provocateur, and mirror of society.
In 1990, Marc co-founded Dream Circus — one of the first contemporary “new circuses” in the world, blending physical theatre, clowning, and poetic visuals. Dream Circus was born from a vision of merging old-school artistry with new ideas. His work has since been shaped by time spent between circus rings and varieté stages around the globe, drawing inspiration from classic cabaret, street theatre, and the power of wordless storytelling.
Returning to South Africa, he contributed to the creative team behind Madame Zingara Dinner Cirque, bringing theatrical flair and international polish to local audiences. Currently creating with Luxurious Marble Circus, a playground of spectacle, sound and splendour.
ABOUT CLOWN TOWN
After visiting the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the last 2 years, Sophie Joans had a dream: to make clowning as popular in South Africa as it is “up North”.
This unique style of comedy embraces the art of failure, and after hosting their first workshop in Dec 2024, Clown Town has grown into CPT’s unofficial weekly clown school, with over 80 members in their ever-growing whatsapp group.