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Also see Performance References
I teach International Baccalaureate Theatre Arts at Lester B Pearson College of The Pacific, in Victoria, British Columbia. In September I was lucky enough to have Shannan visit our campus as a guest artist. During her time at the college Shannan presented a series of clowning workshops for both my first and second year students, as well as performing her show: "It's Me, Only Better". Although the student's in her workshops came from a wide spectrum of cultural backgrounds, and had differing language and acting skills, Shannan made an immediate connection with all the participants. In their journals, one student wrote: "I had no idea there was so much to clowning… I learned so much about myself and what makes a good performance. I hope we can work with Shannan again… she is an awesome teacher." Another commented: "Clowning is a serious business..! Shannan made me feel very comfortable, and I had no problems letting loose."
Most noteworthy in Shannan's workshops was her ability to create a fun and safe environment for students to explore both the physical and emotional elements of clowning. She is able to combine her deep understanding of clowning with great passion, empathy and authority. A number of students commented, after her visit, that Shannan had completely changed their perspective on both acting and clowning. I can definitely vouch for this change, as after her workshops I found my students had not only bonded very closely as a group, but they had a far greater understanding of how to play extreme emotions; interact and maintain the attention of their audience; and share their vulnerability as actors with their peers and audience. Shannan's work was invaluable to my students - not only in their general understanding of the clowning art, but also in their development as actors. Shannan is both a master clown and teacher and has made an outstanding contribution to my Theatre Arts programme - I cannot recommend her too highly.
Tim Crofton
Theatre Arts Teacher
Lester B Pearson College of the Pacific
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