Philippe Gaulier's Contribution to Clown Theatre: Traces and Manifestations

This research investigates the influence of Philippe Gaulier, a renowned theatre teacher, on contemporary clown theatre. It explores how two specific productions, NIE’s *My Life With The Dogs* and Spymonkey’s *Moby Dick*, reflect aspects of Gaulier's teaching methods and theatrical principles. Drawing on Gaulier's writings and the author's own experience as his student, the thesis identifies key principles taught at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier and examines their manifestation in clown theatre. The study proposes that Gaulier's pedagogical approach, which involves a performative partnership with students akin to a whiteface clown, facilitates an embodied understanding of clowning. This approach, it is argued, influences clown theatre by framing storytelling as a partnership with the objective of creating comedy. The research aims to establish clown theatre's connection to Gaulier's school and suggest that contemporary clown performances exhibit tangible traces of his training.