About us

Patrick van den Boom

Clowning is in my bloodstream. It was a wish to be a clown since I two years old. Sometimes it is clear from the start! I am very happy that I managed to make my profession out of my passion. It means a lot to me and I see it as a luxurious position. After a period of theater and dance I decided at the end of the nineties to go to a Dutch Clown School. This was the start of a lot of clowning! I started clowning in hospitals, elderly homes and also became a teacher/trainer.

In 2009 I moved from the Netherlands to Norway. There I started working at the Sykehusklovnene (hospital clowns) in Oslo. And I have started up the new group for clowning in elderly houses in Norway; Klokkeklovnene. Here we clown for people in dementia care.
And the Dutch Clownschool I had in the Netherlands, became Clownschool International! Now I give training and workshops all around Europe. To be honest, I feel like a lucky bastard to inspire others. It makes me very happy.

My approach to clowning
A basic principle of clowning is that the clown lives and exists in the ‘here and now’. The grandiosity of Nothing is the beginning of the magic. The presence of the clown is not-knowing anything, yet feeling at ease with that. I see many similarities between nature and the clown. Nature is of course always here and now.

The clown says ‘yes’ to every situation. He finds his way even when there is no way. He is honest and transparent. A clown is not funny by definition. The audience will be the judge of that! Contact with the audience is very important and one could say that you have to earn it time and time again. Because situations are always new, you are constantly exploring: Am I welcome? Do I get permission to take it a bit further? When playing in front of an audience I see the audience as the director of the meeting.

Our body is always honest and present. Mimics and body language speak for itself. Because it has been proven that more than 90% of all communication is non-verbal, I love to be speechless when I’m at work.

 

Clara van den Boom

Yes indeed, same last name! Patrick is my brother and its great fun to work together. Expertly because he lives in Norway and I live in the Netherlands.

I am the ‘background’ person of Clownschool International. So if you write an email, i mostly will be the one answering. I have participated a 2 year clown study of Patrick, and I understand the love for clowning. In the Netherlands I also work as an actor during courses for social workers. So acting and working with people is in our blood!