Bio
Moshe Cohen is an internationally acclaimed performer
and teacher, who has played over 2000 performances in 40 countries
in the 30 years since his beginnings in 1981. He
plays in theaters, international theater festivals, circus and varieté stages
all over the world; to audiences in small intimate spaces and to audiences
numbering in the thousands.
Moshe teaches internationally focusing on the human
landscape of clown, integrating aspects of physical theater, butoh dance,
personal humor and mindfulness. He teaches in professional settings, in trainings
for Clown Doctor programs, and he offers workshops for the general
public, sometimes teaching with Zen masters.
As the founder of Clowns Without Borders-USA, he is involved in bringing
performances and workshops to refugee camps and conflict zones worldwide.
His latest projects have taken him to Sudan, Haiti, and Burma/Myanmar.
A few of the places Moshe has appeared
(scroll down the page for more bio info)
| Belgium Teatre Op De Markt, St Truiden Fete des Artistes, Chassepierre Brazil Anjos Do Picadeiro: Rio de Janeiro, Rio Preto, Sao Paolo (1998, 2000, 2006) FILO 99, Int. Theatre Festival, Londrina Teatro De Anonimo, Rio de Janeiro Burma/Myanmar Clowns Without Borders Tour Canada Festival d’Eté, Quebec City Quebec City's 400th Birthday Folk Festivals: Winnipeg, Toronto, Edmonton Children’s Festivals: Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg.... Winnipeg Storytelling Festival Montreal Jazz Festival Festival du Voyageur, Winnipeg Croatia Clowns Sans Frontières Tour, Zagreb France Les Accroches Coeurs, Angers Eclat d’Aurillac Jeudis du Port, Brest Chalons dans la Rue Coup de Chauffe a Cognac Furies Festival, Chalons Festival de Ramonville Vivacité, Sotteville-les-Rouen England Stockton Riverside International Festival Bradford Intl. Juggling Festival Guatemala Teatro National, Guatemala City Payasos Sin Fronteras Tour Germany Saarbrucken SommerSzene Essen Festival Comedy Arts Festival, Moers Varieté, Berlin Theatre am Liebnitz Platz, Bremen Holland Limburg Straattheater Festival Oerol Festival, Terschelling Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Den Boss Street on Stage, Amsterdam De Klein Komedie, Amsterdam Israel Jerusalem Festival |
Haiti |
A brief timeline (in reverse)
2010
April 3 Clown Refresh
April 4 Playing with Koan, w/ Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakai
Zen Center Los Angeles
April 16-18
ClownZen Workshop
Interlaken, Switzerland
Villa Unspunnen
April 20-23
Brussels, Belgium
Directing Clown Duo, private
May 1-2
Open Workshop
Leuven, Belgium
May 3-5
Personal Clown Work. Moshe Directing (groups of 3)
Leuven, Belgium
May 6-9
Butoh Clown Workshop
Hannover Germany.
TuT
May 10-12
Dirccting Clown solo show
Münster, Germany
June 15-20
Camp Winnarainbow Adult Session
Laytonville, CA, USA
June 24-25
Clown training for an NGO staff & Board
of Directors. Private
Upper New York, USA
July 18-19
Mr.. YooWho performs
Kijimuna Festa 2010
Okinawa, Japan
July 22-30
Workshops, Hospital& Institutional Visits
Tokyo, Japan
August 5-6
Mr.. YooWho performs
Theater Op De Markt
Hasselt, Belgium
August 16-21
Clown plus Zen plus OD street Training
With Zen Sensei Heinz Jürgen Metzger
Herzogenrath, Germany
Nell Breuning Haus
2009
December-January 2010: Mr. YooWho’s Holiday, NOHspace,
San Francisco
New Creation with Jubilith Moore performing role of Koken (Stage
Assistant)
August-November. Several European tours workshops including
Austria. St Virgil Bildungshaus
Germany. Clown is Poem, TUT.Hannover; ClownZen w/HJ. Metzger, Herzogenrath
Poland. Dr Clown program Krakow, Katowice
Spain. Escola de Clown Barcelona
May. Chairs the International Clowns Without Borders meeting
in Brussels.
April-May. 5 week European tour. Workshops and performances
Austria, England, Belgium, Germany.
March. Japan. 10 days of workshops in 6 cities . Humor expression
and ClownZen. Train the Zenzen Caring Clown Unit
ClownZen Institute. Workshops in San Francisco.
Jan. Feb. Myanmar. - Clowns Without Borders joint project
(Fr/Sw/B/US). 20 shows, 6 workshops with children. 3 days training activity
leaders, educators in releasing trauma through expression with humor
Directing.
Nathan Holguin and Michelle Musser. San Francisco
Clown Fidelio, Wolfgang Konerding, Muenster, Germany
The Amazing Bubbleman, Louis Pearl and Jetty, San Francisco
2008
New creation for the street theater world: 'Ploufff', premier in Luxembourg and Angers (Fr).
New creation for the stage working with Polish director Marek Psieczny in Krakow. Premier at Loch Camelot.
Develops the piece further with Theater of Yugen, 9 performances of 'Mr. YooWho's Holiday' Dec 12-28.
Resigns the position of executive director of CWB-USA to devote more time and energy to performing and teaching.
2000-2007
Places greater focus on teaching. Begins to teach more extensively in Europe. Begins teaching 'Clown your Zen' workshops with Roshi Bernie Glassman. Begins offering training intensives for Clown Doctors
Coins terms such as Sacred Mischief, Butohclown, ClownZen
Continues performing in international festivals (Brazil, Japan, Europe) and locally in the San Francisco area.
Continues work with Clowns Without Borders, executive director for the US and Ambassador for Clowns Without Borders, International.
In San Francisco:
-Creation with Derique McGee and Wendy Parkman: Cirque do Somethin'
-Local Collaborations with A Traveling Jewish Theater, Theater of Yugen
1994-2000
-Develops Mr. YooWho, who exists in the sphere of European butoh contemporary postmodern clowning.
-Plays indoor one man show in festivals in Europe.
-Creation for European street theater with Michael Farkas: Minkowitz Brothers.
in San Francisco:
-Creates/directs Clown Conspiracy. (1995-present) ensemble clowning for 3 to 7 performers. creations for festivals, events, concerts, parades and protest marches.
-Clowns without Borders. !st expedition with CSF-France to Croatia. Establishes group in the US (95), becomes very active in the CWB movement, with expeditions to Guatemala, Chiapas, Nepal (Tibetan, Bhutanese refugees), Kosovo, Sudan, Haiti.
-Collaborations with: A Traveling Jewish Theater, Harupin Ha
Teaches first clown workshops at Pickle Family Circus School, San Francisco
Continues Butoh Dance Training with Kazuo Ohno
1991-1993
Moves back to California. Continues to perform in European festivals. Takes one man show to Canadian fringe festivals.
1987-1991
Moves to Europe. Lives in Amsterdam, then Toulouse. Many street theater festivals, develops/performs show for the stage.
3 months fellowship in Japan; training Kyogen (Kaoru Matsumoto,Juro Zenchiku), Kabuki, and Butoh dance with Kazuo&Yoshito Ohno.
Continues voice training.
1985-1987
Moshe Cohen. amuseur publique. Develops street theater performance playing festivals across Europe, Canada and US.
First refugee camp shows, 1987, for Guatemalan communities in Chiapas, Mexico.
Performs with:
Pyramid op de Punt (B)
lesser mortals (SF)
Trains at Antwerpen Mime School. Voice with Roy Hart Theater
1981-1984
1981. First street shows in Europe.
1983. Quits job with Merrill Lynch and travels to Montreal to street perform. 1984. develops show as Moshe le Nuage
1984. First professional contracts with Winnipeg Children's and Folk festivals
Training with Richard Pochinko, Sigfrido Aguilar, Phillipe Gaulier, Monica Pagneux, Ctibor Turba
