Gammes de clown - 2026-2027
About this event
***The trial class is full! To register on the waiting list, please contact me at: [email protected] . If places become available, I will offer a second trial class on Tuesday, October 6. ***
Actress, clown and director Michelle Cajolet-Couture (Cie La Rocket) offers a complete three-term cycle to strengthen your clowning practice. Weekly training to develop your physical performance technique, your foolishness and your creativity in depth. All levels of experience welcome!
- Tuesdays, 6:30–9:30 p.m., from September 29, 2026 to June 15, 2027
PROGRAM: The 3 terms
• THE FUNDAMENTALS: September 29 to December 15 *no class on October 20, November 3 and December 8
First, we lay the technical foundations: physical performance, rhythm, space, mechanics of physical comedy... We will work from improvisations and clowning performance frameworks. We will also seek to identify each person’s individual qualities: where your strengths, clumsiness, performance reflexes, sense of humor and natural rhythm lie—in short, your palette of colors!
Clowning is a technical discipline that also involves a unique exploration for each person. It requires commitment, a desire to get to know yourself and to laugh at your flaws.
- PLAYING WITH PARTNERS: January 5 to March 30 *no class on February 23 and March 2
For the second term, we will focus on the dynamics of playing with partners and the relationship with the audience. We will explore the duo, trio, chorus work, how to share focus, the archetypes of the Whiteface and Auguste clowns, counterpoint, performance pretexts, clarity of intentions...
- WRITING: April 20 to June 15 *no class on April 6 and 13
Finally, we move on to writing. This is the time to explore what you want to tell, what drives you, makes you angry or makes you laugh until you cry... Each participant will take part in writing a solo, a duo and/or a group performance. We will wrap up this final term with a public, convivial presentation, to share your freshly created numbers with your loved ones.
THE APPROACH:
I offer work that is both demanding and enjoyable. We will work hard and have a lot of fun too. My background includes clowning, theater, mime, contemporary dance and singing. I approach performance first through the mechanics of movement. In teaching clowning, I do not seek to champion any particular aesthetic. We will work with and without noses, with and without costumes, with and (especially) without words… My aim is to provide you with concrete tools to activate your foolishness and take your physical comedy technique further.
I base a large part of my work on the performance and creativity method “The Four Articulations” by Australian clown and director Ira Seidenstein. It is a “non-dogmatic” approach to performance that has accompanied me for several years now, on stage and in everyday life. The approach of Francine Côté’s École de clown et comédie (in Montreal) is also part of the techniques I continue to draw on in my practice and teaching of clowning.
WHO IS IT FOR…
Actors, clowns, improvisers, dancers and circus artists of all experience levels. Beginners welcome! Whether this is your first step on stage or you are a veteran of the boards, we will work from where you are, with your individual challenges and goals. Each of you will have material to develop your performance and creativity.
FEES
To go deeply into the work and create a group dynamic, I offer registration for the full year only. The trial class has a single rate, after which I offer 3 annual rates:
• Trial class (September 29): €25
Annual registration, starting October 6 (3 terms, 28 workshops, 84 hours):
• Reduced: €660 (€220 / term)
• Regular: €840 (€280 / term)
• Supporter: €930 (€310 / term)
Payment can be made for the full year, by term or monthly.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Schedule: Tuesdays, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., from September 29, 2026 to June 15, 2027
Location: Le Non-Lieu, 67 rue de la Palud, 13006, Marseille
Number of participants: minimum 6 / maximum 10
FIND OUT MORE about my background and Cie La Rocket: Facebook, Instagram, website
Please feel free to contact me for more information!
[email protected] / 06 95 48 22 03
See you soon :)
Michelle Cajolet-Couture
© MichaK, show "All Aboard (on va bien s'amuser) ! ", Tournée Mosaïque, in Bargemon
Organization: LA ROCKET
LA ROCKET is a performing arts company led by Quebec actress, clown, author and director Michelle Cajolet-Couture. The company is based in Marseille (France) and has been active since the 2020 space-time rift.
ITS FIELD OF ACTION: creating and presenting theater and clown shows and cabarets. It also shares its physical performance techniques through courses and workshops for all audiences.
ITS TRAJECTORY: La Rocket performs in theaters, on the street and in non-dedicated venues. It draws its fuel from the rift, navigates from the tragic to the comic, uses self-deprecation and seeks to shift our perceptions of reality.
ITS MISSION: to bring a touch of fantasy to everyday life, a playful perspective on the things that affect us.
THE CREW:
• Michelle Cajolet-Couture – Artistic director
• Marie Desbonnet – President
• Mélissa Ottaviano – Treasurer
Several artists and technicians join La Rocket depending on the projects underway, including:
• Pablo Hassani - Lighting designer and general stage manager
• Pauline Parneix - Composer and sound stage manager
• Guillaume Ohrel - Sound stage manager
• Ramiro Erburu, Léa Leprêtre & Philippe Payraud - artists in the new creation MANDARINE CITY
https://www.helloasso.com/associations/la-rocket
