JBClownzilla

The critically acclaimed “Clownzilla: A Love Story” is coming to Solvang Festival Theater, June 16 for Family Day at the Theater.

Created and directed by Eli Simon of the University of California, Irvine, “Clownzilla” is a silent staged story about two “out clowns” and their journey through life. Set to music and a single narrator, the show follows the two clowns on their quest for true love as they make their way through the crowd of “in clowns.”

Removing dialogue from the show has opened a world of physical possibilities as verbal interaction takes a back seat to physical expression.

“The audience has been going crazy for this show and one of the things that I’ve heard they love about it is that the clowns are so physically expressive and emotionally engaged in the story of the show,” Simon said. “Clowning is very fundamental and basic and you can relate to it a lot more immediately than spoken words.”

Despite the show being accessible to all ages and written for no audience in particular, children have found an immediate connection to the performance because, “Kids understand action and are sometimes lost in dialogue,” Simon said.

Solvang Theaterfest Executive Director Diane Devine said in a written release to the press, “This will be a great way for children and their families to kick off the summer and have a good belly laugh together.”

Always looking to improve the show, Simon said the cast is continually experimenting with new ideas at rehearsals.

“Everything is rehearsed improvisationally, so in this way, anybody that has an idea is given a fair shot. And we decide by unanimous decision what stays and what goes,” he said. “That shapes the show a lot, what kind of laughs you get, what kinds of reactions there are. And that informs the group on what works and what direction to take it.”

The Festival Theater will be both the largest venue and the first daytime venue that the troupe has performed in. The challenges the crew will face include isolating clowns during focused comedic or dramatic moments. But Simon is confident the show will go well. “They’re gonna have to play large out there. But they’re very comfortable with performing this,” he said. “We’ve found that the clowns work wherever we are.”

For those averse to the clown aesthetic, Simon stressed that these clowns are not pranksters or scary clowns and that the style of clowning he developed seeks to emphasize the physicality of silent acting, not the cheap laughs of questionable material.

“All we ask is that people give it a try because this is really quite different. It’s worth giving it a shot,” Simon said.

The day begins at noon with a barbeque lunch, crafts and games before the performance. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children. Babies carried in arms are admitted free. To purchase tickets, call the Solvang Theaterfest office at 805-686-1789 before June 8.