Guest Trainer – Jeff Raz gives a lift to Hearts & Noses Executive Director – Cheryl Lekousi & Artistic Director – Kenny Raskin
In April, Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troupe had the good fortune to welcome Jeff Raz, who co-founded San Francisco’s Medical Clown Project and authored The Secret Life of Clowns, to lead an intensive two-day training workshop — one of two annual ‘Mandatory Summits’ for Troupe volunteers. At the training, Raz shared lessons from his experience as a hospital clown, actor, communications consultant, and circus performer.
Expanding Volunteer Clown Training
Kenny Raskin, Artistic Director for Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troupe who joined the Troupe last year, invited his old friend Jeff to conduct the training.
“Since I became Artistic Director of Hearts & Noses, I came in with just a couple of goals: To get the clowns more physical, and more ‘stupid’ in their approach to visiting the kids,” said Raskin. “I’m happy to say that the Troupe has opened their wonderful arms wide to me, and worked hard to incorporate these skills into their already seasoned abilities.”
“Jeff and I are like-minded in our approach to hospital clowning and I knew that the Troupe was ready for his training,” Raskin added . During 2016, some two dozen volunteers brightened days for over 3,000 hospitalized kids.
Following the workshop, veteran hospital clown Alan Cohen, aka “Fuddles”, said, “Jeff was extremely skilled at breaking down routines into steps, and helping me understand the importance of slowly moving through each. It was easy to imagine applying much of what we did to the hospital setting.”
Veteran clown Bonnie Greenberg, aka “Gabby, said, “This was one of the best clown workshops ever! Reading Jeff’s new book , The Secret Life of Clown, solidified many of the concepts he taught this weekend. Great workshop for improving individual skills and bonding with my clown family. If you haven’t guessed, I LOVED IT! Thanks to those who made this possible.”
Clowns Learn from Young Patients, Too
Raz, who serves as Board President of the Medical Clown Project, and Cirque du Soleil Casting Partner for the San Francisco. Bay Area, has performed nationally and internationally for decades in shows, such as the Pickle Family Circus, and such plays as Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors on Broadway. He is a graduate of Dell’Arte International, the author of 15 plays, and the director of dozens of circus and theater productions. He co-founded Vaudeville Nouveau in 1982, the San Francisco New Vaudeville Festival in 1985, The Clown Conservatory in 2000, and the Medical Clown Project in 2010. He writes, performs, directs, and teaches as a communications consultant.
Raz may look familiar despite his disguise. If you were one of the one million people who attended Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo, you were lucky enough to see Raz in the starring role, which he performed for 2,800 fans eight times a week for years.
But hospital clowning is closest to his heart – and he takes it quite seriously. “I’ve worked with all ages, from infants to 100 year-olds,” he says. “We’re not successful unless every human being we interact with lights up. You need to perform in all 360 degrees to make sure the environment is less stressful, more conducive to health.”
“Sometimes while we’re helping kids through tough times, they can teach us something,” he says with a smiles. “A mom called us into her 4 year-old’s hospital room. The girl screamed. So we left and visited all the other rooms on the pediatric floor. Each time I passed that girl’s room, I caught her eye and tipped my hat or something else to cheer her. An hour later I left, but a nurse called to tell me I left my hat upstairs. When I got there, the little girl, wearing my hat, ran and hugged me. I learned to give young patients time to warm up, to give them power over something in their lives.”
From his Medical Clown Project, Raz shares observations and insightful tips for hospital clowns to use with patients of any age (“Adults need clowns, too he says”): Finding the ‘play’ with a ‘non-responsive’ patient; bring a monologue to the patient; use canned music; try a beach ball; learn about the patient before the visit; don’t engage too soon; turn awkward moments into comfortable ones; determine if the room door should be open or closed.
Raz’s book, The Secret Life of Clowns launches nationally at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s Circus Arts exposition in Washington D.C. June 29 – July 9, 2017. Pre-launch copies are available at www.secretlifeofclowns.com .