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The clown is not a character — it is a person, the most human of all human beings. The clown is not an actor, because an actor creates a character that may have nothing to do with their own personality. But the clown already exists within each of us; it is ourselves, multiplied by a thousand. Working with the clown means working with the heart.OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP:
To create a space where you can be a clown — to improvise, express, imagine, create, and play on stage. Without fear, enjoying failure, and enhancing your own qualities.
To learn to look with “clown eyes,” to convey our emotions and listen to the gazes of others.
To explore each person’s sense of humor — to discover your own unique and genuine way of making people laugh.
To develop a shared language where tenderness can be expressed freely through comedy, without fear of ridicule.
To observe oneself honestly — to see how you move, how you react, what “tics” you have, what makes you laugh, and what makes others laugh when you’re on stage — and to strengthen it.
Dates and working hours:
May 6 to May 8 2026
10 to 14 (with a short break in the middle)
Pepa Plana’s workshop on Zagreb Clown festival will be gender specific: FOR WOMEN ONLY.
In partnership with Contemporary Circus Artists Education Centre, Zagreb Clown festival will give free scholarship for attendance for three female clowns. The scholarship means the participants can attend the masterclass for free. All other expenses like travel, food and accommodation are not covered. If you are interested in applying for your free spot, please fill in the form:
https://forms.gle/3hqVTjhKGz6zxDZs7
The deadline for application is January 31st, three female clowns who are chosen will be informed latest by February 10th.
Those of you who want to apply and pay the fee, please send an e mail with your name, contact and cv to [email protected]
The participation fee is 250Euros. All the participants of the masterclass will get a free festival ticket.
ABOUT PEPA PLANA…
Pepa Plana is an actress and clown, born in Valls, Tarragona, on May 2nd 1965. Her talent, the distinct characteristic of her shows, and her individual contribution to promote the world of female clowning has made her a Catalan icon that stands out as one of the European figures of her genre.
Pepa Plana started her career as a theatre actress. Soon after graduating from the Institut del Teatre of Barcelona in 1989 she co-founded Preterit Perfecte, a theatre company that produced and toured three different plays. In 1998 she created her own company with the explicit intention of producing clown theatre for grown-up audiences, marking a major shift and step forward in her career. Since then Cia Pepa Plana has created and toured ten different productions: “De Pe a Pa” (1998), “Giulietta” (2000), “Hatzàrdia” (2004), ‘L’atzar” (2004), and “Penèlope” (2010). With “Èxode”(2011) she shares the stage for the first time with two other renowned clowns, Joan Montanyès ‘Monti’ and Joan Valentí ‘Nan’, producing a play that addresses the issue of mass migration and the hardships experienced by those that flee for political and economic reasons.
The next two years signify a new stage in Pepa Plana’s career when she moves to Quebec, Canada, to join the Cirque du Soleil for the creation and touring of the prestigious company’s new show ‘Amaluna” during 2012 and 2013.
In 2014 she moved back to Catalonia, and the year began with “Despistats”, a show specifically conceived for outdoor settings, street theatre as a way to open other windows to gaze over the world.
“Paradís Pintat (2016), premiered in that year’s Festival Grec of Barcelona, is the next solo production which insists on the daily drama of human mass migrations.
In 2017 she produced “Suite”, another venture into street theatre and summer festivals.
The latest production is “Veus que no veus”, a show that looks back at some of the classic clown gags. It was premiered in 2018 as a duo with Pepa Plana taking the role of the August clown and Noël Olivé as the White clown.
Her shows have also toured Europe and Latin America regularly. Along with public recognition she has also been awarded numerous prizes, such as the distinguished National Culture Award 2014 granted by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Pepa Plana’s professional journey has made her the most renowned Catalan female clown, and her new projects are always awaited with anticipation. Her trajectory has also contributed to open new markets in the theatre scene of Spain.
Alongside to her performing career, Pepa Plana was also appointed the artistic director of the International Female Clown Festival of Andorra, a biennial benchmark of the genre from its first edition in 2001 until the last one in 2009. In May 2018 the festival returned as an annual event with a slimmed down format, and Pepa Plana was re-appointed artistic director with the aim to revive the festival and open it up to new challenges.
links to Pepa's work: https://pepaplana.com/en/
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