The Art of Clowning: Transform Everyday Objects with Armando Batista
From Kennedy Center: Teaching Artists Present · 2020
8 min1st2nd3rd4th5thTheatre
Summary
Actor Armando Batista shares the art of clowning, using play and imagination to turn an everyday object into something brand new. Part of the Kennedy Center's Teaching Artists Present series — roll it and let students follow along in a cleared space, then try it themselves.
Viewer safety
All ages
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
This teaching-artist activity gets everyone acting and imagining together.
- What did you use to create your character or scene — your voice, your face, your body?
- Where did your ideas come from?
- How could you change it to surprise your audience?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: character, gesture, imagine, scene, audience.
Try it: Follow along with the teaching artist, then create a short moment of your own and perform it for a partner.