Introduction to Clowning (2026-5)

Face your fears, bust a move, support your comrades, and let your clever self fall away as you tap into your inner fool. Learn to meet the audience where they are, respond more honestly to the world around you, and express yourself with emotional depth, openness, and abandon by practicing tools that build a more physical and visual performance style, making the leap into surreal, absurd, imaginative, unconventional storytelling, finding yourself deep in sh*t along the way. You'll fail big, win big, belly laugh a lot, and experience the pure joy of connection.

***This is an 8-week class***

INSTRUCTOR BIO:

Jamie Hultgren is a clown who uses absurdity, heart, and a dose of chaos to hit audiences right in the feels. An LA to Nashville transplant, Jamie started her career behind the scenes as a PA/Assistant Editor for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Her love for satire soon led her to explore the world of clown and physical comedy.

Jamie has since played a variety of comedic roles, including the faux reality contestant 'Chastity' on The Joe Schmo Show (TBS), ‘Fanny’ the ringleader of Spiegelworld's Empire North American circus tour, and originating the role of 'Isaac' in the silent play Abraham & Isaac at the Museum of Brazilian Sculpture in São Paulo, Brazil. Other stage credits include The Broad Stages, Guthrie, LA Opera, Asylum NYC, Annenberg Center, and UCB Franklin.

Jamie has devised a host of original work with clown troupes Four Clowns and The Innocents, and as part of her parody folk duo @heronandthehen. She and her @heronandthehen partner (Ryan Harrison) also appeared together in the indie film Faith Based, and recently released a Christian praise parody album Heaven’s Great’s Greatest Hits on Spotify. Jamie's play Halfwits won the Fringe Award for Best in Physical Theater at the LA Fringe.

Jamie studied at The Clown School, The Idiot Workshop, Groundlings, Wesley Balk Opera-Music Theater Institute, UCLA Graduate School for Theater, Film, and Television (TV Writing), and Lili Von Shtupp’s School for Wayward Girls (Burlesque). She loves paying forward the lessons she’s learned from her mentors to fresh clowns-in-training.