Blog

Featured Artist: Güray Dinçol

Introducing Güray Dinçol Güray Dinçol has led Clowns Without Borders’ tours in his home country of Turkey. Güray received physical theater and clown training from Giovanni Fusetti at the Rosefarden Theater in Norway after his master’s degree in theater. In … Continue reading

Darina Robles demonstrates payasearía como hermosa humanidad

Payasería Como Hermosa Humanidad 

CWB – USA artist and Llaven nü founder Darina Robles shares her experience of hermosa humanidad, clowning for the Rarámuri people in Chihuahua, Mexico. This blog post as-told-to CWB Communications Director Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone and is edited for length and clarity.  Character … Continue reading

Two clowns perform outside, in front of an audience gathered in the shade of a tree.

Rarámuri Resilience: Audience Feedback

Qualitative Data CWB artists constantly gather qualitative data about their work on tour. Is the audience laughing, or are they unimpressed? Are certain games more engaging? Do community members want to participate, or mostly watch? This kind of information combines … Continue reading

A beach in Puerto Rico, shortly after Category 5 Hurricane Maria made landfall

Climate Emergency and Displacement

What makes something a crisis? Is it the scale? Or the severity? Or maybe it’s the duration? Climate crisis includes all three of these factors: It affects billions of people and every ecosystem on the planet, and a forthcoming Intergovernmental … Continue reading

Little boy holds lots of hats

Human Rights Day 2020

December 10th is Human Rights Day, commemorating the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark United Nations document specifies that all people have the same inalienable rights, regardless of background, origin, or other difference. This year’s theme, “Recover … Continue reading

Ecuador 2019

First of May Part 3: Josie Mae, Leora Sapon-Shevin, and Eric Rubin

Hear from artists Josie Mae, Leora Sapon-Shevin, and (new board member!) Eric Rubin as they reflect on their First of May experiences—in this case, their first CWB tours! This interview is part of our Clowns In Conversation series, which lives on … Continue reading

All the clowns say "Ta-Da!"

First of May Part 2: Dustin Allen, Melissa Aston, and Ania Upstill

In the American circus, “first of May” refers to someone who is in their first season with the circus. In that spirit, we interviewed three artists about their respective first CWB – USA tour. This is the second in a four-part … Continue reading

Poki balances on Ania's shoulders, in front of a large outdoor audience

First of May Part 1: Dustin Allen, Melissa Aston, and Ania Upstill

CWB – USA Executive Director Naomi Shafer interviewed Dustin Allen, Melissa Aston, and Ania Upstill on May 1 2020. In American circus, “First of May” is a nickname for somebody who is in the circus for the first time. These … Continue reading

Woman in yellow speaks and looks toward the camera

World Humanitarian Day 2020

World Humanitarian Day Today is World Humanitarian Day, commemorating aid workers who are killed or injured in the course of their work, and those who continue to serve others despite the odds. Humanitarian aid is intended to save lives and … Continue reading

Darina chases children in her chicken costume

UNICEF Helps Girls Share Their COVID-19 Stories

What does resilience look like these days? UNICEF’s “Coping With COVID-19” video series highlights sixteen girls from nine different countries, as they document their daily life during COVID. CWB – USA envisions a future in which children are free to exercise … Continue reading

Parents and children laugh during a show in Mexico

When Children Take the Lead: New UN Report

The United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children recently published a report titled “When children take the lead: 10 child participation approaches to tackle violence.” This report draws parallels between the development … Continue reading