In the fall of 1999, Jeanie Lindheim began offering training in hospital clowning. About 20 eager future hospital clowns gathered for many weekends, for full days of training that consisted of character development, clowning, and improvisation exercises. The teaching was geared toward preparing us to bring our skills into the pediatric wards of Boston area hospitals. The trainings took place in a church in Brookline, Massachusetts.
This work was a perfect fit for me from the very first moment of the training. As a musician, acupuncturist and improvisation artist, I found that hospital clowning combined all my skills, leveraging elements of both the healing arts and performing arts. I was immediately comfortable in the hospital setting using my skills to empower children. My love for doing this work, as a staple and commitment in my life, has endured for two decades.
There is much about our Troupe that has grown and changed over the years. One excellent development was the hiring of Kenny Raskin as Artistic Director. Kenny helps to mentor our Troupe clowns and, several times a year, he brings professionals from the clowning world to give day-long workshops to foster growth in our skills and our learning.
I have had the privilege of traveling overseas to three different international clown conferences, where hundreds of professional clowns gather from almost every country in the world. Each time I have been opened up to what is happening in this field in the world at large. Those of us who attend from our Troupe are able to bring back new ideas and perspectives to Hearts & Noses.
Over the years, I have trained and mentored clowns who have joined the Troupe. We offer a medical clowning workshop each year and are offering it again this November. I personally love to introduce the power of empowering children with play and improvisation, as well as working on simple clown character development. Teaching this work and its application to caring for and bringing joy to children is a deep pleasure, whether students join the Troupe or are simply enhanced by the experience.