Tony Award-winning La MaMa presents the all-women clown troupe Clowns Ex Machina in the world premiere of THE BAD'UNS: CLOWN ACTS OF CONTAGION, created and directed by Kendall Cornell in collaboration with the ensemble, running November 7 - 17, 2019 at La MaMa's Downstairs Theatre, located at 66 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery in New York City. Previews begin November 7 for a November 9 opening.
Clowns Ex Machina takes a darkly comic look at transgression, the corruption of dreams, and women in dangerously, dangerously bad moods. Inspired by legends of "the Bad-uns" - famous women criminals, outlaws and killers - the show examines notoriety, morality, defiance, and the social constraints of womanhood. Mischievous, startling, and sublimely ridiculous, this world premiere contains interwoven acts of song, dance, verbal wit, and wicked humor. Made for adults - and theater savvy kids.
The Clowns Ex Machina all-women clown troupe includes Carla T Bosnjak,
Kendall Cornell,
Lena Hudson,
Julie Kinkle,
Michaela Lind, Lucia Rich and Virginia Venk, with help from Maggie Tully and Rachel Weekley.
The production team includes
Sean Ryan (Mise-en-scene), Carla T Bosnjak (Lighting Design), Taylor Harrison (Costume Design) and Sheree V Campbell (Production Stage Manager).
Performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $25 and $20 for students and seniors (plus $1 facility fee). Purchase online at http://lamama.org or by calling 212-352-3101. Running time is approximately 90 minutes.
The physical, funny, bewitching, satirical work of Clowns Ex Machina is ripe for these days we live in.
Kendall Cornell and her troupe of all-women clowns use the ancient art of clowning to stir the pot of
The Collective Unconscious and shake our deepest assumptions loose. At times broadly madcap and at times poetically revelatory, the open-hearted work of this troupe of women clowns has been exciting audiences since their inception in 2006. Clowns Ex Machina puts our society in a dunk tank and innocently lands hit after hit with their unruly and unexpectedly heart-breaking clown-theatre. For info visit http://clownsexmachina.com.
The New York Times calls Clowns Ex Machina "A cast of seriously silly madcaps" and says "they are reminders that the greatest clowns try to make people laugh to help stave off existential horrors." "For
Kendall Cornell, clowning around is about more than laughs," remarks The Wall Street Journal, "her all-female clown troupe aims to carve out a bigger place in the profession for women, and to create humor with deeper meaning and a democratic spirit." Infinite Body describes the company's work as "kaleidoscopically-dizzying physical theater of the absurd with a wicked steel edge." Tony Award-winning clown and actor
Bill Irwin says, "The mystery of women clowning - different things are funny...
Kendall Cornell and her clowns are waist deep in all these questions - plumbing the mystery."
Kendall Cornell, leader of Clowns Ex Machina, has been creating and performing clown work since falling in love with it 20 years ago. Of her versatility and range as a performer,
David Shiner (Fool Moon,
Cirque du Soleil) says, "
Kendall Cornell's insightful, sensitive world fits perfectly into any clown hat she chooses to wear." She has brought her clown talents to a collaboration with flamenco artists (creating the clown-flamenco evening Oil of Olé: Flamenco Girl's Clown Tablao with internationally renowned singer Alfonso Cid); a commission by Canada's
Cirque du Soleil to create a special women clown extravaganza event in NYC; and her own dynamic solo clown pieces such as Flamenco Girl, Pink Salome, The Maneater, Glamourpuss, P.S. de la Resistance and The Wallflower, which have been presented at La MaMa, The New York Clown Theatre Festival, Six Figures' Artists of Tomorrow Festival, the International Festival de Pallasses and elsewhere in NYC and abroad. In 2007 Kendall was nominated for a Golden Nose Clown of the Year Award by the New York Downtown Clown Revue.
La MaMa is dedicated to the artist and all aspects of the theatre. La MaMa's 58th season celebrates the centennial of its founder,
Ellen Stewart, whose vision of nurturing new artists and new work remains as strong today as it was when she first opened the doors in 1961. La MaMa has presented more than 5,000 productions by 150,000 artists of all nations, cultures, races and identities. Cultural pluralism and ethnic diversity are inherent in the work created on their stages. Here, artists find a supportive environment for artistic exploration, and audiences are part of the development of an artist's work over time.
A recipient of the 2018 Regional Theater Tony Award, and more than 30 Obie Awards and dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie and Villager Awards, La MaMa has been a creative home for thousands of artists, many of whom have made lasting contributions to the arts, including Blue Man Group,
Ping Chong, André De Shields,
Adrienne Kennedy,
Harvey Fierstein,
Diane Lane,
Warren Leight,
Michael Mayer, Tadeusz Kantor,
Bette Midler,
Meredith Monk,
Peter Brook, David and
Amy Sedaris,
Julie Taymor, Kazuo Ohno,
Marc Shaiman and
Scott Wittman.
Photo Credit: Vanessa Lenz
