The Clown Core 

Instructor: Michelle Matlock


Dates
Clown Core Group A:   June 10–14, 2024
Clown Core Group B:    June 17–21, 2024

Schedule
35 Hours of Instruction time, plus a few hours for rehearsal outside of class. A sample day runs from 9am–6pm with a 90 minute lunch.

The Workshop
The Clown Core is an exploration into the essential tools used to discover the unique clown that is already inside of each participant. Michelle will lead the group through a series of exercises and games that will reignite your impulse to play, find your pleasure of being present and expressing emotion, while taking clown action. Acting exercises, improv games and clowning techniques, will be used to identify when the pleasure is gone, celebrate debacles &  triumphs, accept your own ridiculous stupidity,  develop connection with the audience and sharpen your ability to embrace the unknown in order to create something new. 

This intensive is designed to meet participants wherever they are in their clowning journey. New and experienced players are welcomed.

Clowns with Michelle Matlock 2022

Michelle Matlock 

 Adjunct Faculty - Clown

A performing artist, producer, teacher, director and creative coach. Michelle has been a part of the entertainment industry for over 25 years and had the honor of being the first African American person to create a main clown character for Cirque du Soleil. Michelle toured with Cirque's big top show OVO for close to 10 years. Currently Michelle resides in Washington State and is the founder of Circle Up Productions, a live entertainment and performing arts education company, a creative team member of Puget Sound Revels and recently directed Seattle’s Intiman Theater’s Starfish Project. Prior to Cirque du Soleil, Michelle spent 15 years living and working in New York City. During that time, she toured their critically acclaimed solo show The Mammy Project across North and South America and had the pleasure of working in the downtown NYC theater and circus scene, playing with Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit, Circus Amok and The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. Michelle grew up in Tacoma, WA., studied theater for 3 years at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. and is a Graduate of the National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York City.

PAYMENT & LOGISTICS

Tuition & Fees: $600          
Early Bird Discount (by  April 2): $485

A full payment will be required to secure your spot in the intensive. Links for all payments will be emailed to you after you’ve completed our admission survey.

Some partial scholarships are available for students of the global majority. You indicate your intention to apply for one in the admission survey.

Payment plans are negotiated on a case by case basis. Full tuition must be paid by May 6.

Please email our School Coordinator, Tawny, at tawny@dellarte.com if you have further questions before proceeding.

REFUND POLICY

Your full tuition for the Clown Core can be refunded (minus a $25.00 processing fee) before May 6. A cancellation occurring after May 6 will only be eligible for a 25% refund of the tuition cost. 

No refunds are made after the intensive begins.

Begin Your Application

FAQs 

For information regarding appropriate attire, school policies, and other logistics, see our frequently asked questions PDF.

Still have questions? Contact the School Coordinator Tawny Foskett at Tawny@dellarte.com or by phone at +1 707-502-2276.

HOUSING

Dell’Arte does not have a campus with student housing. Upon request, the School Administrator can connect you to a list of local landlords and housing resources to help you find my housing for the duration of your training. We also recommend searching on Airbnb or similar sites for housing.

Students will have the option to join a private Facebook group where they can connect with other students regarding  the sharing and coordination of housing and transportation. 

TRAVEL INFO

Location

This intensive takes place at our campus in Blue Lake, California. We are situated in beautiful Humboldt County, approximately 5 hours north of San Francisco by car.

Our physical address is 131 H. Street, Blue Lake, CA, 95525
Our mailing address is:  PO Box 816, Blue Lake, CA 95535

Flights and Airports:

Direct flights to the Arcata-Eureka Airport (ACV) are served by several major cities:

San Francisco, California (SFO)
Denver, Colorado (DEN)
Las Vegas, Nevada (LAS)
Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Phoenix, Arizona (PHX)
Burbank, California (BUR)

ACV is located in McKinleyville, about a 20-minute drive away from Blue Lake. The airlines that serve the airport are United and Avelo.

Ground Transportation from Airports

From Arcata/Eureka airport (ACV)
We are in a rural area, and popular rideshare apps like
Lyft and Uber do not have reliable coverage hereYou can take a shuttle service called Door-to-Door Airporter at 707-839-4186. You’ll want to arrange it ahead of time, once you have your flight information.  Prices for 2024 are $28.00 if you are a Dell’Arte Student,or $30.00 regular- so be sure to mention that you are a student when you book.

From San Francisco (SFO) or Oakland (OAK)
You can take the Greyhound Bus to Arcata. To reach the Greyhound bus station from the airport, use the local transit called BART (the schedule for the BART trains is here: http://www.bart.gov/). 

The Greyhound bus station in San Francisco is located at 200 Folsom St. Bus tickets can be purchased online or at the station. Be sure to take the bus to Arcata, CA. The bus doesn’t run every day, so look into Greyhound ahead of time if planning this route.