A two-day Sydney workshop with international guest artist Jon Davison
10–11 October 2026
Sydney
The Clown Institute welcomes UK clown teacher, performer, writer and researcher Jon Davison to Sydney for a rare two-day workshop exploring the moment when prepared material meets a live audience.
How do you perform now what you planned earlier?
What happens when the audience laughs somewhere unexpected, or when the moment you thought would be funny receives silence?
That Was Supposed to Be Funny explores the gap between what you imagined would happen and what actually happens in the room.
Across two days, Jon will guide participants through practical work combining prepared clown material with real audience response. You will practice holding onto your plan without becoming rigid, responding to what is happening in the moment, and allowing the audience to influence the performance without losing its thread.
The workshop begins by grounding performers in the dynamics of clowning: presenting ourselves as ridiculous for one another’s amusement and noticing what happens when people laugh, hesitate or do not laugh.
From there, you will explore how to:
read audience behaviour honestly
notice how laughter, silence and unexpected reactions affect you
respond to shifts in the room
create performance structures that leave space for the audience
adjust planned material in real time
stay connected to your own particular stupidity, craziness and way of clowning
The aim is to perform prepared material in a way that remains alive to the people in front of you.
Workshop Details
Dates
Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026
Time
10am–5pm each day
Location
Sydney
Full venue details will be sent to booked participants.
Full price
$345
Early bird
$315 for the first six bookings or until Sunday 16 August, whichever comes first.
Use booking code JON315 at checkout.
Capacity
Maximum 18 participants.
Bookings cover the complete two-day workshop.
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How prepared material changes when it meets a real audience.
You will work with laughter, silence, unexpected responses and the gap between what you planned and what actually happens.
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reading the audience
responding without losing your plan
adjusting material in real time
staying with unexpected moments
keeping prepared work alive
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This workshop is for people who already have some experience of clowning.
You do not need to be a professional performer, but this should not be your first clown workshop.
It is particularly suited to:
clowns and performers wanting to develop material
actors and improvisers with clown training
theatre makers interested in audience response
people exploring how to keep prepared work alive in performance
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Jon Davison is a UK-based clown performer, teacher, director, writer and researcher with more than 40 years of experience.
He is the founder of London Clown School and the author of several books on clowning and clown performance. His teaching combines practical experimentation with a close investigation of laughter, failure, audience response and the relationship between planned material and live performance.
This Sydney intensive offers participants a rare opportunity to work directly with Jon and encounter his approach over two full days.
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Do I need to prepare anything?
No prep required. You will receive an email before the workshop explaining what to bring.
You do not need to arrive with a polished or finished performance.
Do I need previous clown training?
Yes, previous clown training is required.
The workshop is particularly suited to people with an interest in performance, theatre making, improvisation or developing live material.
Can I attend for only one day?
Bookings cover the full two-day workshop.
The work develops across both days, so participants need to attend the complete workshop.
The audience has entered the building
Your material may survive intact.
It may become something stranger.
Either way, we will find out what happens when the performance you planned encounters the people who are actually in the room.
10–11 October 2026
Sydney
$345
Early bird tickets are $315 for the first six bookings or until 16 August.