"a
genious clown who is like Buster Keaton, holding that beautiful balance between
complete and utter fragility and complete power.”
Due South Magazine
Angela
de Castro has
been performing since she was 17 years old, beginning in her native Brasil
where she was a well known actress in theatre, film and television, and director
of her own theatre company. She was a member of the original cast of the groundbreaking
show ‘Macunaima’ (1978-1980), which changed the face of Brazilian
theatre and played to an audience of over _ million in Brasil, as well as
touring internationally for over two years.
In
1986 Angela
de Castro
moved to London to pursue her dream to study, perform and reclaim theatre
clowning as a modern art form. As well as touring the UK and internationally
with the major contemporary physical theatre companies, she is also well known
as a teacher of her clowning master class ‘How To Be A Stupid’.
Angela de Castro is
a leading clown practitioner and actor, teacher and speaker. She is one of
the six first Dream Time Fellows at Nesta (the National Endowment for Science,
Technology and the Arts) and award winner with the Arts Foundation. She was
a member of the circus advisory forum at the Arts Council England and a juror
for the Jerwood Circus Awards. She is a charismatic and respected speaker,
appearing regularly for discussion panels in Britain (Total Theatre circus
conference panellist, London International Mime Festival panellist) and Australia
(Australia International Workshop Festival, Chaos and Synergy: Circus and
Physical Theatre Conference). She has taught and directed many theatre and
circus companies in the UK, Australia and Brasil, and has on-going relationships
with the National Theatre Studio, The Performing Arts Labs, Circus Oz and
drama schools in the UK and Europe. Her research into the state of clowning
has led to profoundly transformative work within theatre, business and education.
Angela de Castro is
the founder of The Why Not Institute in London, a new and unique organisation,
dedicated to bringing together performance, teaching, professional development,
events and resources connected to contemporary clowning. The Institute’s
workshop seasons have included ‘Who Said Women Can’t Clown?!’,
‘Rolling in the Aisles’ and ‘Love to Laugh’’.
Angela de Castro has
performed and toured extensively with some of the most well-known groundbreaking
physical theatre companies, such as The Right Size (1994), Ra Ra Zoo (1991-2),
Mummerandada (1987-1990), The Clod Ensemble (2000), in Slava’s Snowshow
(1995-1999), where she created and performed the character of Rough, the Green
Clown and, more recently, in Inoesco’s ‘The New Tenant’
and Brecht’s ‘The Exception and the Rule’ at the Young Vic.
She has performed at many international festivals in the UK (including Edinburgh
Festival and London International Mime Festival), in Europe (including in
Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain and France) and in South America
(including in Brasil and Colombia) and has toured in over 25 countries.
She
also creates and tours her own shows for Contemporary Clowning Projects. The
latest show, only fools (no horses), directed by John Wright and written by
Sarah Woods, opens in January 2006. Other shows include ’The Gift, ‘My
Life Is Like A Yo Yo’ (written by Bryony Lavery and directed by Gail
Kelly) and Stagehands. She is also developing a major new show, ‘Alleluia:
the clown opera’.
Angela de Castro doesn’t
stop working. She is completely dedicated and committed to her work. She is
always working on shows, developing her clowns’ personas and learning
how to play the ukulele. When she has some free time, she can be seen browsing
around street markets and feeding the ducks in the park near her house.
Performing credits include:
2005/6
only fools (no horses)
a play by Sarah Woods from an original idea by Angela de Castro, Dir: John Wright
2004
‘The New Tenant’ Ionesco
‘The Exception and the Rule’ Brecht
Young Vic2003
‘Only Fools, No Horses’
work-in-progress
Angela de Castro, Writer: Sarah Woods, Dir: John Wright
Opening ceremony
International Festival do Pallases, Andorra
2002
‘My Life Is Like A Yo Yo’
Angela de Castro. Writer:Bryony Lavery. Dir. Gail Kelly. UK tour.
2001
‘My Life Is Like A Yo Yo’
Angela de Castro. Scratch nights, Battersea Arts Centre.
‘Oh Carols!’ by the HaHarmonics
Clown choir, dir. Angela de Castro. The Globe, Covent Garden Plaza, Brixton Town Centre Christmas lights opening ceremony, Phoenix Arts centre Leicester, Theatre Royal Winchester.
‘Stagehands’
Angela de Castro & Bim Mason. WOMAD festival, England.
‘O Riso da Terra’
International Clown Convention. Paraiba, Brasil.
2000
‘Stagehands’
Angela de Castro & Bim Mason. Anjos do Picadeiro, Clowns Festival,
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
‘Stagehands’
Angela de Castro, Sue Broadway & Hilary Ramsden. Festival du Pallases,
Andorra.
Opening Ceremony of Anjos do Picadeiro
Clown Festival. Teatro Glauce Rocha , Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
‘Body’
The Clod Ensemble. Battersea Arts Centre, London, UK.
‘Souza’
‘Xuxu Convida’. Circo Voador, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
1996-99
‘Snowshow’ Slava Pluming Company
Tour; Canada, USA, Piccadilly Theatre, West End London, Saddler’s Wells, London, Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, Glasgow Mayfest, King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Cork Theatre Festival, Ireland, The Old Vic Theatre, London, The Edinburgh Festival Assembly Rooms, Tour in England
1998
‘The Gift’ Solo Show
The Barbican Centre, London, The Oxford Playhouse, Oxford
1995-96
‘Snowshow’
UK Tour, including: Hackney Empire Theatre. International Tour: Dublin, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Colombia.
1991-95
‘The Gift'
Solo clown show devised and directed by Angela de Castro. A work in progress, premiered in 1991 and developed over UK and International Tours.
Angela
de Castro performed
and toured extensively with The Right Size (1994), Ra Ra Zoo (1991-2) and
Mummerandada (1987-1990). She has performed at many international festivals
in the UK (including Edinburgh Festival and London Mime Festival), in Europe
(including in Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain and France) and
in South America (including in Brasil and Colombia). She has toured over 25
countries.
In
addition to directing and producing work for her own company in Brasil and
her own work in Britain, Angela
de Castro
works as director and clown consultant for individuals and companies including:
The National Theatre, Circus Oz, Theatre Sans Frontiére, Jack Drum,
Standing Waves Performance Company, CAMAD, Swamp Circus Co-op, Skin &
Blisters Theatre Company, Momo Theatre, Splott Brothers, Lynn Carrol &
Co and she directed the shows of No Fit State Circus in Wales, for four years.
De Castro is a lead teacher and director at the international women clowns
festival in Andorra (2001 & 2003).
‘How
To Be A Stupid’ is Angela
de Castro’s
master class in the development of clown personas and performance. Including
a variety of contemporaries and traditional clown techniques, the workshop
enables existing performers and others enter the process of discovery that
precedes the development of specific clowning techniques. She has taught her
master class extensively, including for:
- Royal National Theatre Studio, London, Edinburgh & Belfast, UK
- Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon-Avon, England
- Central School of Speech and Drama, London, England
- The Actors Centre, London, England
- Hackney Empire Theatre, London, England
- Fool Time Circus School, Bristol, England
- ArtsEd, Acting School, London, England
- Hochschule ‘Ernst Busch’ in Berlin
- FolkwangHochschule, Essen
- Studio ST&M, Amsterdam
- Circus Oz, Rock’n Roll Circus, Women’s Circus and Bizircus Circus, Australia
- Australia International Workshop Festival, Melbourne
- Chaos & Synergy – Circus and Physical Theatre Conference, Australia
- London International Mime Festival, London, England
- The Temenos Project, Dublin, Ireland
- Anjos do Picadeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Performance Arts Labs, England
- Hogschool, University of Amsterdam
- Royal Holloway New College, University of London
- Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh
- Queen Mary & Westfield College, London
