i hold a bachelor of fine arts in acting from the university of alberta, but my love for performance continues to develop beyond traditional plays. i have found a love for clown, physical theatre, and other performance styles. my background as a poet is a strong influence on my performance; i am fascinated with words, language, and the human voice as an instrument.
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i have been clowning for 2 years, mostly as one half of a duo with frequent collaborator gabi stachniak. together, we have performed at nextfest, off-the-cuff cabaret, peppermunt, and milezero dance.
left: that’s the spirit! with gabi stachniak (photo by tori kibblewhite)
right: wanna dog? with gabi stachniak
my clowning, as with all of my performance, is intrinsically tied to my trans identity and body. i am interested in exploring the absurdity and terror, as well as the ecstasy, of the trans experience.
“nothing to wear” (photos by max-tate forest)
i have also had the chance to explore clowning within the context of a larger show, such as the character of laurent in “tartuffe”. in this iteration, laurent acted as a silent clown along with flipote (played by tori kibblewhite), in a story of their own told through physical comedy underscored with music, a nod to the commedia dell’arte flavor of the script. the two of us worked together to make miniature ‘turns’ as interludes between acts within the script.
“tartuffe” by moliere, translated by christopher hampton – with tori kibblewhite (photos by brianne jang)
my fascination with physical theatre and dance stems from my amazement with the human body and how dance can act as a language beyond speech.
i took my first dance class when i was 21, as part of my university education. but i quickly learned how important this practice was to me, and the importance of constantly developing and investigating my relationship with my body and the spaces through which i move.
i am especially interested in contact improvisation, and i have had the chance to direct a contact improv piece as part of a dance show at the university of alberta, titled “hold, please” featuring travis edwards, tori kibblewhite, and abby krushel.
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