Welcome to the Clown Cohort: a year long mentorship for aspiring clown teachers.

Born out of our Examining Clown Lab from fall 2021, and facilitated by Julia Proctor and Ania Upstill, this program provides an opportunity for a small cohort of clown teachers to observe, practice, debrief, and lead workshops over the course of a Clown Gym Season. 

This one-year (August – June) mentorship program is designed to support clown teachers with some experience who want to take their teaching to a higher level. Julia Proctor and Ania Upstill lead the program, in addition to support from the diverse roster of Clown Gym teachers. The goals of the mentorship program are to provide skills, coaching, and confidence to experienced and developing teachers, and to strengthen our community by growing and diversifying the roster of clown teachers.

The Cohort is a bi-annual program. The inaugural Cohort took place during Season 9. Applications for the 2nd Cohort will open in the spring of 2024.

Meet the 2022-2023 Cohort

Aya Tucker

Resident Teacher

Rachel Resnik

Production Manager and Resident Teacher

Jay Délise


Program Expectations:

  • Early September 3-hour Manhattan retreat with Mentorship Cohort to clarify expectations and goals
  • Tuesday night Clown Gym workshops (and additional programing as available)
  • Monthly one-hour check-ins with the Mentorship Team. Note: All teachers observed that month are invited (but not required) to attend
  • Informal check-ins with the cohort and teacher in the studio before/after each workshop
  • Lead at least 2 Tuesday night Clown Gyms in the spring and engage in feedback with the Mentorship Cohort
  • Late May/early June one-day Manhattan retreat to debrief

Program Benefits:

  • Free access to all Clown Gym programming from September through May, which includes:
    • Clown Gyms, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 in midtown
    • Clown Shows
    • Intensives and series
  • Opportunities to lead warmups/games/exercises and engage in feedback with the Mentorship Cohort
  • Stipend for each individual in the Mentorship Cohort is $500