About the program
Play the Fool Festival’s Rookie Cabaret Mentorship Program is for emerging physical comedy artists and students of any age. Artists may be creating their very first piece outside of the classroom, or they might be experienced performing artists new to clowning or physical comedy.
This FREE program trains emerging artists on the process of developing a new work through intensive, individualized coaching from award-winning clown educators and specialists. The Rookie Program provides artists with key educational experiences as part of the development of their process for creating work. Over several weeks, participants work with program director Christine Lesiak and other clown experts to take their idea from concept to stage. Artists create and rehearse an original short work, which is performed at Play the Fool in the The Rookie Cabaret show, always a festival highlight!
Questions? WE LOVE QUESTIONS! Contact: christine.lesiak@gmail.com
ADOPT-A-ROOKIE
Do you love the Rookie Cabaret? Why not Adopt-A-Rookie today!
The Rookie Cabaret supports emerging physical comedy artists in the creation of an original piece for the festival.
A $100 “Adopt-a-Rookie” sponsorship gets you two free tickets to the Rookie Cabaret and our thanks for supporting the program.
Interested? Go to our support page to sponsor a Rookie and add the “Adopt-a-Rookie” into the message section.
As a rookie artist, getting my first original piece onstage helped build the confidence to create more. I would recommend participation to any emerging artist developing a clown or physical comedy bit.
Heather Cornick
Christine is an experienced and intuitive director who had a strong hand in helping my team create a turn in an area that was new to us, and she made the process feel smooth and easy! Whether you’re looking to dip your toes in the water, or experiment in uncharted territories the Rookie Cabaret is a fantastic place to get your most basic of ideas off of the ground!
Skinny McLeod
The Rookie Cabaret has become a cornerstone of learning for our clown duo and I would recommend any young comedian to pursue the cabaret to bring the most professionalism, sincerity, and joy to their careers.
Emily Smith
THANK YOU to the Rookie Cabaret Mentorship Program Supporters
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.