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STRAIGHT
JAN 10 - JAN 17, 2002
Clownin' Around
Having fun is serious business for clown
By Wes Lafortune
Calgary, AB
Clowning is a serious business; at least it is for Izzy (a.k.a. Shannan Calcutt). Calcutt, 26, from Indian Head, Sask. or as she puts it "where the road divides," returns to Lunchbox Theatre after last year's run of Burnt Tongue. This season, Calcutt presents the second part of the Izzy trilogy in - It's Me, Only Better!
Arriving at the appointed time to speak with Calcutt, this interviewer finds Izzy onstage at Lunchbox obligingly performing a segment of - It's Me, Only Better! - time after time for a local television entertainment program. Each time the scene is performed, Izzy stops being merely a clown and becomes a character with something important to say. Calcutt has been performing the role for years and Izzy has become an integral part of her life and a fixture in Canadian theatres.
Calcutt's determination to become a performer who could make an impact led her to pursue theatre arts at the University of Victoria. From there, she decided to concentrate solely on clowning around. What she found, however, was a lack of opportunity. "You can get a masters degree in magic in Canada, but not clowning," Calcutt says incredulously.
Undaunted, Calcutt followed her dream to California, where she studied clowning at Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre. It was at that famed school she met her mentor, Sue Morrison, a Canadian, who was a guest instructor. Morrison, who is also a well-known clown performer, teacher and director, helped create the trilogy that Izzy performs: Burnt Tongue, It's Me, Only Better! and Out of My Skin.
Bursting to get on the road after graduating, Calcutt set off across the country, bringing Izzy to life at fringe festivals and theatres. Calcutt's Izzy is a clown who struggles with life's big questions and who is often at odds when it comes to the intricacies of love and romance. For some members of the audience, Calcutt's characterization is so compelling that the divide between fantasy and reality melts away.
"In 1999, in Winnipeg, a couple waited 20 minutes after the show to meet me," Calcutt said. "They had been married 60 years and wanted to tell Izzy that it would all work out for her."
Izzy's vulnerability comes naturally to Calcutt. With a boyfriend who's also an actor on the road, in another part of the country, Calcutt understands what it means to be alone and struggling to find solace.
"I've been on the road for two and a half years. It would be nice to be in one place for a while," sighs Calcutt. "But I'd keep performing."
With empathy for the lonely and fragile, Calcutt transforms Izzy into a clown-hero for those who have been wounded by life. Yes, Izzy can be vulnerable, but she is also a survivor who can laugh at herself and the absurdity of the world. Calcutt knows it's that complex mixture of emotions that has the audiences laughing, crying and learning lessons from a clown.
As Izzy says, "It's good to know what most people do and then you don't do that."
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