Dear Friends and Family,
We’re deep into the winter holidays, a time when helpful friends and social pundits are warning us to avoid talking about politics or religion or anything else that might devolve into an argument. Good advice, perhaps, but only talking about safe topics is like only eating mashed potatoes – boring and ultimately unhealthy.
What if we could have respectful, exciting, joyful conversations about truly gnarly, nasty, stomach-knotting subjects?
Read more…
End of Year Sale!
You may have hit every sale last weekend or boycotted the whole “Black Friday” thing. In any case, you can still get signed copies both of my books, The Snow Clown and The Secret Life of Clowns, for only $10 each.
Order either of them at jeffraz.com and you will automatically get both books, both signed, for a total of $20, shipping included. This sale is on now and ends New Year’s Day, 2020.
Raz Happenings
ArtSmart Series for Tandy Beal & Co.
Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 at 11:00 AM
Veteran’s Hall, Santa Cruz, CA
Click here for more information and tickets!
Cara Vita, a wonderful clown show that I directed, is going on tour!
- San Francisco, CA – One night only Friday, January 10 at 8:00pm at the Circus Center, 755 Frederick St.
- Cara Vita will run on January 23 and 24 as part of Asheville, NC’s Fringe Festival
- London, UK – Five nights at London’s VAULT Festival, February 12 – 16!
Amaluna
My friend and former student Kelsey Custard is the lead clown in Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna. She’s wonderful, embodying many of the ideas I’ve been blogging about – in her costume, she is a bigger, braver version of herself; she is both a shining star and a joyful part of the ensemble; she is completely present and deeply human; she’s there to embrace the audience, not embarrass us.
Kelsey is our host, the first person we meet and the character we follow throughout the performance. She and her partner Thiago Andreuccetti have three clown acts, all of them about trying to get a kiss. They use classic clown structures like a quick quote of the “Mirror Routine”, an extended “Tit for Tat” and, in the end, a reconstructed version of “Dead & Alive.” Mostly, they keep it simple, heartfelt and funny.