Abstract
Laughter, joy, community, and connection; these are the things we need most after COVID-19 devastatingly swept across the nations. Mark Branner, professor and head of the Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, responded to this need by recruiting nine graduate students and a professional musician to devise a thirty-five minute clown show that would travel across the island of O‘ahu in a short bus titled the JoyMobile. But what does it look like to create a public service centered around joy at the expense of the performers involved? My research explores the pertinence and benefits of clowning and live theatre during a pandemic, as well as the challenges of burnout and the tolls this responsibility has on actors.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Burnout, Mental Health, Boundaries, Joy, Clowning, Performance, Community, Pandemic, Balance
