Austinist Interviews the Creators of Not Clown

A: Did you work on the...what did you call them?

CT: Lazzi (pronounced laht-zee. -Ed.) -- it comes from a commedia dell'arte tradition and it's basically just a comic bit.

A: And you worked on the lazzi with the actors?

SM: Yeah, Carlos developed them with the actors. We started out with a few ideas that set the tone of over-the-top violence, and then in workshops Carlos and the actors came up with a bunch more. Once we had a stack of those that we liked, we started trying to build a story to tie them together -– and that ballooned into this whole political allegory about oppressed clowns.

A: So you've been working with this particular core of actors for a couple of years on this then?

CT: Most of them actually, yeah. Some people have had to come and go.

A: Because the clowning is really precise stuff, and it's obviously heavily rehearsed. It comes across as, "Wow, I'm watching real clowns here!" (Everyone laughs.) Which you don't often get to see.

CT: We were inspired by a couple of examples of real clowns. In fact, I think it started when we were watching Cirque du Soleil, and were just amazed at the precision of those clowns. That's what clowning is. Every movement is distilled to something that focuses the attention to one thing.

A: So you guys co-wrote...?

SM: Co-writing is kind of an altered phrase here because Carlos and the actors really wrote the lazzi. Even though they're almost wordless, there's a clear narrative build there. And I wrote all of the text for the realistic scenes.

A: So you wrote the story about the girl...?

CT: That was more like pure collaboration. So there are these two completely different styles in the play: the lazzi in the first half and then a set of more naturalistic scenes. And the story of the girl, Linda, is what forces the two styles up against each other.

SM: So the show sort of trips back and forth across this line that separates things that are funny from things that are really ominous or violent.

CT: But it’s not all about creepy clowns. It’s also about real, terrified clowns fleeing the country so they don’t get tortured.

SM: Which isn’t easy in those big shoes. (Austinist laughs.)

A: And Carlos is directing?

CT: Yes.

A: You shortened the script?

SM: Shortened and tried to make it funnier and scarier.

A: Is the story roughly the same?

SM: Definitely. There are just a few more nice curlicues on it.

A: Is the ending the same (laughs)?

SM: Yeah...Did you like the ending?

A: I did. I did a lot, actually. I thought it was a great ending. To me it's a show you can see more than once because as the narrative unfolds...you're sort of catching on as it goes. Like, "Oh, okay, I get what's going on now..." in a cool way. It's one of those plays you walk out of saying, "I could see this again during this run and still enjoy it because I'll be clued in to what's going on a little bit better."

CT: We’ve really tried to make it that kind of show. It’s a whole world, full of all kinds of history and detail. That stuff provides color and texture the first time around, and the second time around you can just piece together more of the world outside of the action. And also knowing where things are headed, you see how things are interweaving to make that happen.

A: And you know what those clowns are up to. Because it's a weird, sort of magical realism type of story. Though I don't know if that's the right genre to put it in. It's genre-less in a way. Is the cast the same?

CT: We've added one person -- Matt Hislope. He was part of the workshop, but didn't do the final production in 2004. We've given him the task of doing the foley for the lazzi, and he's also in one of the scenes. We've given him as much as we can because we love him so much.

A: Yes, he's fabulous! So let's talk about the run. It's in Austin for the next two weeks, then you pack it all up. Are you driving?

SM: Yeah, Carlos and I are driving up in a big truck with all the stuff. We'll arrive on a Tuesday and open on a Thursday. We have to get it all installed. The clowns will fly up on Monday & Tuesday. One of the reasons the set is different is 'cause we're trying to figure out how we can do it exactly the same in both spaces even though the spaces are completely different. So this blue tape on the outside here and over there (points to the stage perimeter) is the walls of the SoHo Rep. Nothing can happen outside of those lines here, or we'd have to restage it there.

CT: We'd have to rework all the backstage stuff. Everything. In two days.

A: Which would be mayhem.

SM: It's as precise backstage as it is onstage, with so many props, and scene changes happen so fast...

CT: And all the clowns.... So yeah, the design of the set had to change because of that.

A: What is your relationship with the people in New York?

SM: The artistic director there, Daniel Aukin, is an old friend of mine and actually was a founding member of Physical Plant, back in '94, and then moved away and started working there. He's probably been there for five or six years. And so we've always wanted to try to bring something up there. And so this is something that kind of came together...even though it's certainly our biggest cast. Eight performers, and Carlos and I, and then three more people going up there. So thirteen people.

A: Are the two weeks leading up to the New York run sort of fundraising, or is it just...?

SM: That, and there were a lot of people in 2004 who wanted to see it but didn’t get to.

CT: It would be great to have big houses this time, like last time. The tour is expensive and the more support we can get...if people want to give us more than $15 they're more than welcome to! (Austinist laughs.)

A: This show was nominated for a bunch of awards -- both Critics Table and B. Iden Payne. Is this the most recognized show you guys have done?

CT: I think so. In terms of nominations it certainly was.

SM: We got an award for "Kindermann Depiction" but so few people saw it because it the audience was only 20 people each night. And it was a fairly short run. But we got a nice award for the writing of that. Which is kind of ironic because there aren’t actually any words in the play.

A: You've got such a stellar cast.

CT: The cast is amazing. The performances last time were great, but they've improved another 50, 100% above that. They're so great. They put all of themselves into it, and it's such a thrill to be able to work with these people.

A: This seems like the kind of show you almost can't over-rehearse because of the clowning. Because it's like dance.

SM: And the live foley really emphasizes that precision. When all of these body gestures like cracking knuckles or looking sideways get bolstered by little sounds, it adds to the cartoon aspect of everything, but there’s this other pleasure for the audience of knowing that lots of attention and practice has gone into it. And it’s just fun.

A: It is fun. One of the things my friends and I talked a whole lot about is the foley, because you can see a lot of stuff here in town that has foley -- radio shows and other things, and they're fun -- but radio show foley isn't the same because it's accompanying and you're supposed to be able to close your eyes.

SM: And that’s amazing stuff, but we’re kind of doing the opposite. We want to make it feel like if you blink, you’ll miss something, some little chance to be delighted.
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We couldn't agree more! Not Clown runs March 2nd through 4th (Thursday - Saturday) and March 8th through 11th (Wednesday - Saturday).
All shows at 8pm at the Off Center, 2211-A Hidalgo Street.
Tickets: Call 275-6069.
Featuring: Robert Deike, Elizabeth Doss, Lee Eddy, Matt Hislope, Josh Meyer, Robert Pierson, Mark Stewart, and Rommel Sulit.
* Photo by Kenneth B. Gall Photography, courtesy of Physical Plant Theatre.