CLOWNS WITH GOWNS

Heidi Rider

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Heidi is an actor, visual artist, clown and a lover of life! She is a 2008 graduate of the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre's Professional Training Program where she studied with Ronlin Foreman, one of the world's foremost clowns and with professional mask maker, Bruce Marrs. After graduation, she worked as an assistant and mask making intern with Bruce, then traveled across the world to Bali where she studied traditional Balinese mask carving. Heidi's masks have most recently been seen up and down the coast of California in "The Monkey King: A Circus Adventure" directed by Jeff Raz of San Francisco's Clown Conservatory in conjunction with The Circus Center. In late August,  Heidi returned to her beloved New York City where she was seen onstage with her clown partner Adriana Chavez in TinyDangerousFun! at the Sycamore Bar in Ditmas Park Brooklyn. They will be performing new, original clown plays in the 2010 New York Clown Theater Festival at the Brick Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn! Heidi plans to continue moving forward with mask making and mask performance, teaching theatre and performing  in New York City and across the world!

Photos: Carol Eckstein. 2010

Adriana Chavez

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Adriana Chavez is an actor/creator, dancer, teacher,  and soccer coach!  She comes from a HUGE Mexican/American family whose members either became public school teachers, or went into business for themselves by opening Mexican restaurants around the Southern California area.  She is inspired by the work of clown because of the simplicity, innocence, specificity and freedom it cultivates in an actor.   A clown is the greatest actor and reflects the joy in humanity, inviting an audience  to laugh at one's foibles and failures but reminding one to be resilient and alive!  Through the work of clown, Adriana explores her own humor, joy, delight and wonder and wishes to express this to her audience.   She studied at Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre in the Master of Fine Arts Program.   Before attending Dell'Arte International, she spent a number of years performing, teaching and living life in New York City.  In 2004 she received a New York City Teaching Fellowship, followed by a Master of Science in Education from Mercy College and for two years taught theatre at P.79 in East Harlem. She is  a founding member of Brooklyn-based  Collective Opera Company where she has performed in collaborations with Ryan Tracy,  Jonah Bokaer, Elke Rindfleisch and Marisela La Grave .   Adriana is bi-coastal!  During the summer of 2009, she co-created and performed in the inaugural production of SHAME!, with San Francisco-based Naked Empire Bouffon Company.  In the summer of 2010, Adriana moved back to glorious New York City where she performed an original clown piece in TinyDangerousFun! She has also been seen at the Brick Theater performing in the The New York Clown Theater Festival with clown partner, Heidi Rider.  Together, they plan on creating and performing clown, commmedia del'Arte, and mask performance  pieces anywhere and everywhere around the city and eventually the world!