By Bryony Vander Wilp
Counternotes Theatre Group takes clowning around seriously. At least that’s what Zachary Smith and Dan Layng say before they start laughing.
Smith and Layng are part of a five-member troupe of professional actors based in Centretown who specialize in clown theatre.
Physical theatre, such as clowning, is based on the movements of the characters rather than on their emotions.
The troupe develops their productions together. Most plays are created through improvisation rather than written scripts. The performances are accompanied by music soundtracks.
Counternotes, while focusing on clowning, also works with masks and puppets. The most recent production, Waiting for Uncle Eddie, was Counternotes second full-length clown show since its founding in 1997.
Smith describes clowning as seeing something for the first time every time and “realizing how ridiculous you really are.”
Layng says you have to be like a child. “You have to see a fire extinguisher and not see a fire extinguisher but a rocket ship, you know.”
Both actors agree the key to clowning is being honest with yourself and with the audience.
“As a clown you live in the moment and you have to be having fun or it doesn’t work,” explains Smith.
As much fun as Counternotes has being clowns, Caroline Orrbine, the group’s general manager, says the members do take their craft seriously.
“This is what we all want to do with our lives,” she says.
Four of the actors attended Canterbury High School, a local arts school, before forming Counternotes. Orrbine says the first two years were mostly a continuation of the troupe’s education. Smith and another member, Andrew Morphew, attended Delle’arte School of Physical Theatre in Blue Lake, California. The actors also participated in workshops headed by various theatre company teachers from across North America.
The troupe got their first break early in 1997 with a $100,000 grant from Human Resources Development Canada. The money funded a production entitled Podium.
Smith says he would like to see Counternotes become like the Cirque du Soleil, traveling and sharing its craft.
In 1998, the Ottawa Fringe Festival gave the troupe a chance to promote their skills, experiment with their craft and reach a bigger audience.
The festival helped raise the community’s awareness of non-traditional theatre.
Orrbine says Counternotes appeals to the younger generation. She believes people who don’t regularly attend the theatre are drawn in by the group’s offbeat style.
However, audiences are sometimes wary of Counternotes’ style of physical comedy. Theatregoers hear the word clowns and turn away, but Layng says once people see them in action their attitude changes.
“People are hooked,” says Layng, stressing each word, “People should come see us because it’s a clown farm and it’s fun.”