JoyBoy has left the theater...
For now... (can you tell I've been watching Love Island?! lol)!
Last month was the world premiere of Farewell My Fool: A JoyBoy da Clown Show at Triskelion Arts.
It was a RUSH of an experience to say the least. Putting on a one person show is no small feat. In this process, I managed to do the following and wore many hats:
Fundraised and crowdsourced this show effectively making me an Executive Producer
Created a character (more on this later…)
Wrote a script that communicates a story about how a young, hungry but naive, performer can be susceptible to the NYC entertainment industry’s exploitative and harmful production practices
Clearly communicated direction to my collaborators regarding lighting, costumes, and style
Managed my social media pages (I want to be better and more consistent with this still, especially this newsletter)
Researched the history of the American entertainment industry and coming to the conclusion that minstrelsy, while it was our country’s first foray into theater, it was it’s most popular… for a long time…
Communicated those findings to my followers on Instagram and TikTok
Reached out to press and presenters to witness the show for hopes of more opportunities
Became a student of clowning
Hosted two free clown workshops to my performing community
Spent about 150 hours in the studio developing the show by choreographing but mostly improvising… and figuring out what exactly is my method of movement
Made my first evening length (one hour) show
It was six months of complete focus. “Locking in” as the kids say! But even with all of this work, I could not have completed this show, the first thing I made that I am truly without a doubt proud of, without the help of my loved ones and collaborators.
Their names are: Christian Warner, Owen Laheen, Cleo Reed, Connor Sale, Juli and Alex Abene, Emily Harmse, Jay Delise, Alex Milan, Karsen Thompson, Jess Smith, Rachel Mckinstry, Miriam Rose, Anna Wotring, and many more. Including those of you who supported the work by gifting money to help fundraise the show. You’re donations paid for my collaborators fees, JoyBoy’s new website, and the establishment of this new brand.
The most incredible part of this entire process was being able to hear how much you all related to the show. Whether in person or text, I’ve been receiving messages from dancers who have been where JoyBoy has been. They have been in auditions where the artistic team did not respect them and their identity. They have been lured in by productions that offer financial consistency only to be tossed aside and swung back into the hustle circuit; productions often choosing someone else who is younger or more flexible (scheduling or otherwise) and they are left to feel disposable. In a time where art is quickly losing the little funding it had, shows are being shut down, theaters are not keeping their diversity , equity, and inclusion promises because it’s no longer profitable, cast and crews are not even given the courtesy of an explanation, livelihoods are at stake in the midst of unstable political and economic climate… I wanted to give dancers a show that made them feel seen.
I made JoyBoy and Farewell My Fool in a time where I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t affiliated with any show, company or theater. I had myself and pent up resentment towards the industry. I know (or my body knows) when an environment is not good for me, but I would actively ignore the signs of my body hating the environment I was in (nerve pain…headaches…more on that later) No longer wanting to be foolish, I decided to hold myself accountable for the ways in which I betrayed myself. I had to say farewell to the fool in me.
I made Farewell My Fool for myself.
The dancer, actors, musicians, artists.
The ones that have dreams of doing what they love for a living. Not crumbs.
So, that maybe you can reflect on the times you betrayed yourself too. And to let you know that we all do it. It’s not your fault. The system wasn’t designed with your heart in mind.
It seems like we need to know this. So, I will do everything I can to share it again.
Thank you all for being with me.
More soon…
Love,
JoyBoy
P.S. If you know any producers PLEASE let me know and share my work with them!
P.S.S I do not want to keep working in catering for annoying rich people to make ends meet and you do not want to see who I might become if I have to keep doing that :)