Coulrophobia

Nordland Visual Theatre described the production as follows:
"Pickled Image became bored with making pretty puppet productions and has gone back to its roots ... Dik Downey began clowning on the streets of Barcelona 28 years ago. On stage beside him is Adam Blake, who left a fledgling career as a biochemist to become a clown. Supervising them in this potential theatrical suicide is director John Nicholson, who has himself performed around the world as a clown with his company Peepolykus."

The performers were Dik Downey og Adam Blake.

Sources: Figurteatret i Nordland, www.figurteatret.no/produksjoner; sceneweb.no

Donated by Figurteatret i Nordland, 09.01.2023

In Coulrophobia the main character is a clown who was played by two actors. The most recognisable characteristics of a clown were grotesquely overdimensioned.

The face mask was probably formed of a solid material, possibly fibreglass. The red mouth stretched widely over the cheeks, and the lower lip and chin could be opened to form a wide gape. The clown had a red ball on his nose and sad eyes. The ears were especially large, and over each ear stiff tufts of hair stuck out to the side. These characteristics are clearly visible from the photographs. 

The costume had large dots in different colours on a light-coloured background. Three large red pompoms were attached to the front of the large, baggy costume. The clown also had a wide, orange ruffle collar around his neck. The photograph does not show the feet, but the clown presumably had enormous shoes; the author assumes that the hands were also large. The clown’s costume was probably made of cotton, and we assume that the body was padded out with cotton wool to create volume. 

The two actors’ costumes were, similarly to the clown, grotesque and overdimensioned, but very expressive. The clown and the actors are well suited to each other.

The above description is based on photographs. 

The clown had a handle on the back of his head that the actors could hold. The photograph shows that the back of the head is hollow. A mechanism inside the head allowed the mouth to be opened and closed. The figure had many other movable joints – in the neck, shoulders, elbows and wrists, as well as in the lower body and legs – allowing for movement in all directions and positions. 

This production was based on open acting and interaction between the figure and performers. The two performers were themselves clowns, and the hilarious production had a breakneck plot and stage action.

The above description is based on photographs and the author’s experience of the production.