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Clown Workshop Fall Series #2, 2025Wednesday Evenings 6-9
Oct 29-Dec 3 (6 classes)
We’ll explore presence, play, vulnerability, and the joyful chaos of not knowing. This series is open to both newcomers and seasoned performers — everyone meets the training where they are. Classes are typically a great mix of experience levels, which keeps the work fresh and surprising.
Canada’s Theatre Museum at
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
189 Yonge Street, Toronto
(Yonge and Queen)
$400 +hst
20% discount for students, returning participants, union members.
To register pre-payment is required to secure your spot as space will be limited to 16 participants. Please send an email transfer to this address:
[email protected]
Final gathering:
Once again, we will be bringing students together from session #1 (which is now in progress) and session #2 for a combined class Dec 3rd. Both groups unite to play and show and have the benefit of a larger audience. There will be snacks and drinks after!
Cancelation Policy
Full refunds for cancellations one week prior to workshop. For cancellations after that point the workshop fee will be put toward any future workshop.
"With this work people have to find a way of being beautiful and surprising...and by beautiful I mean being in the grip of pleasure or freedom.” -Philippe Gaulier
John Beale is an actor, teacher and director based in Toronto, Ontario (and Nosara, Costa Rica) . He serves as the master teacher of Clown and Bouffon at Humber College’s Theatre Arts Performance Program and also teaches acting, mask, clown, improv and scene study at Seneca and Randolph Colleges, character study at George Brown College and Embodied Presence at Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory . He has led public performance workshops in clown and presence for over 20 years.
John has acted in television, film and theatre for over 30 years . His feature-film highlights include Cloudburst, Blackbird and I Am Lorena Bobbit . His TV credits include principal roles in series such as Suits, Designated Survivor, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Murdoch Mysteries and The Umbrella Academy, and he also had a recurring role as Dr. Peter Perkins in Tom Selleck’s Jesse Stone TV movies.
On stage, John originated the role of Kyle Best in Daniel MacIvor’s The Best Brothers (which premiered at the Stratford Festival and later toured nationally). He also originated the role of Nurk in MacIvor’s Bingo at Neptune Theatre (Halifax) and Factory Theatre (Toronto). He co-wrote The Peggy Show! with Graham Percy and performed the one man, two character, physical comedy extravaganza for five seasons at the Schoolhouse Theatre in Peggy’s Cove Nova Scotia. He earned a Merritt Award for his performance in The Crucible with Two Planks and a Passion Theatre Company . John is a graduate of Philippe Gaulier’s prestigious International Theatre School in Paris and also trained, performed and taught extensively with the acclaimed Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Testimonials
“Dear John, When you did study in my school in Paris I did recognize you as a great actor. When I saw your show I recognized a great writer, poet and actor. But I knew it already. Thanks for your show, your friend, Philippe Gaulier.”
“Mr Beale is a highly regarded acting teacher known for guiding actors to be more present, open, grounded and resilient.” — Anna Mackay-Smith, Head of Acting, George Brown College
“Your workshop knocked a lot of stuff loose for me in a good way. Very grateful.”
“John’s workshop and his delivery were brilliant. Being able to play spontaneously allowed me to be at my best creatively. It gave me the opportunity to be “present”, feel, let my ego go and unearth some amazing ideas.”
“John Beale is a skilled and engaging facilitator. His workshop gave me new confidence in myself. I was brought back to life and discovered a more creative me. I laughed often and harder than I have in a long time. It was a very rewarding experience.”
“Seemed as if whatever plug had fallen out inside my soul was reconnected.”
“Thanks for guiding me through one of the most terrifying and exhilarating moments in my adult life. I very much appreciated your guidance during the last two days, and have certainly found some new perspectives that I would want to pursue further.”
“What a stupendous weekend! I thoroughly enjoyed the work, managing to stay pretty loose (vulnerable) as we leapt from one challenging task to another. I do feel I made some real headway in discovering “who I am” i.e. my essence. I surprised myself! Again, thank you for a most exhilarating experience.”
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, 189 Yonge St,Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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