BRATTLEBORO — New England Youth Theatre will present Clown TV!, a play written and directed by NEYT alum Doran Hamm - aided by Amy Majer, Putnam Smith, and the young ensemble - on Nov. 1 and 8 at 7 p.m., and Nov. 2 and 9 at 2 and 7 p.m.
“My favorite part of the process is the collaboration with the kids. We had this concept of clown television, which is a rich field to plant in,” Hamm said in a news release. “We compiled a bunch of different ideas, we all voted, and democratically chose the top nine options to create scene work in.”
These 11 young actors learned from masters in clowning technique, experimenting with playing with sound, pantomime, and movement to physicalize the telling of a story.
Guest artists include NEYT founder and clown trainer Stephen Stearns; Nettie Lane, a circus arts expert; Shoshana Bass, NEYT alum and dance instructor; funnery master Peter Gould; and juggler Tom Yahner.
“Clown is just play. It's the act of trying to do many things and failing gloriously at all of them,” Hamm said. The production includes clown-coms, clown commercials, clown crime, clown soap operas, clown news, and clown sports, among other programming.
Tickets are $11 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $7 for children. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.neyt.org, in person at the NEYT Box Office from noon to 5 on Wednesdays, or by phone at 802-246-6398.