Towards Performance Show December 12th

Students on the new 'Towards Performance' course take to the stage in the first of 4 performances. The students will be given a number of new improvisational challenges by their host and facilitator Vivian Gladwell, so expect a light hearted evening of irreverence and silliness in true Nose to Nose style! Entry is free!

Venue is Eastbourne House Arts, Bullards Place, London E2 0PT and nearest tube is Bethnal Green. Doors open at 7.00pm. Saturday 12 December.For more info call Carol 02083411179

Wimbledon Show 13 &14 November

A group of graduates of the 2006 'towards performance' course now perform under the name 'The Fool Effect'. They have been presenting their shows ' The 9 o'clock Nose' and 'The Fool Story' for the last 2 years and have been seen at the Camden fringe, Inn on the green, The Glass House - Stourbridge as well as regular gigs in Forest Row and the south east. See the poster for further details of their Wimbledon shows. www.thefooleffect.com

To book you can call this now corrected number
0844 871 7627

Follow your Nose

Your nose awaits you. It invites you to show yourself. It is a mask that unmasks. It frees you from the idea of who you were just a second ago and what you thought you should do. And now that you face your moment upon the stage there is nothing to do but listen. No plan can save you. Only that which is calling you ....here and now ... in this moment. And when you have danced with uncertainty you will be left with nothing but a smile upon your face.

Photo by Carlos Alves: Emerson July 2009

The Artist and the Fool

To our delight and surprise this year Jacob Longcake (11 years) from Cumbria came along with his Dad to a summer week at Emerson college. One of the days Jacob popped in and while Dad played he sat quietly in the background and appeared to be doing his homework. Little did we know that Jacob was watching our every move, our flashes of inspiration and perspiration as we journeyed to the North Pole, made monster nests, cooked at the haunted house and sank with the Titanic. Only later did he reveal the treasures of his sketchbook, these intricate renditions of our folly. As you can see he is quite a talented guy.

Our thanks again to him and his sisters for their encouragement on our journey to finding our clown within.

Emerson College July 2009. 'The Courage to Be' with Carol Thompson and Paul Macdonald.

Live Inclusive Poetry.

Accompanying the launch of this fledgling October festival, LIP, was a delicious array of cakes and enough tea to wet any ones whistle. But if you could keep your eye off the cakes and your ear on the poetry there was plenty else in the offing. Hosted by Peredur Centre for the Arts in East Grinstead this pioneering event combined the arts of painting,writing, speaking and clowning with the creative word in celebration of National Poetry Day. Nose to Nose was there to run an afternoon workshop of clowning, where the fool was at liberty to splash in a spring of syllables. Created by Louise Coigley of LISnTell and her invited colleagues this event will be back with an even bigger bite next year.

Clowning at a medical conference

Carol Thompson and Vivian Gladwell were invited to appear in front of around 200 GPs, medical surgeons and specialist during the annual meeting of the West Kent Medico - Chirurgical Society on 10 October 08. The presidential address by Dr Wheeler was all about clowning and many reflected that the society had never seen the like in more than 150 years. Great interest and appreciation was expressed for our work.

Post-graduate training with GP - Oct 08

The article on Nose to Nose in the British Medical Journal - June 08, raised some interest amongst GP trainers and we were invited to give a three hour long workshop to around 20 post-graduate GP trainees. Much of our work offers essential insights into important inter-personal skills that GP need and also generated important discussions how how doctors cope with the stress and responsibilities of their profession.
It's a very promising area of research.