Life in a Clown House

Life in a Clown House

Life in a Clown House: A Manual and a Memoir is an invaluable resource for both professionals and aspiring clowns. The first part of the book, The Manual, presents the Eccentric Principles, the core of the pedagogy she and her husband, Avner Eisenberg have developed and refined in over 25 years of teaching together. It all begins with the breath, and quickly moves into entrance onto the stage and the creation of the world of the clown. This is not the clown of the circus, but rather the clown that finds problems to solve at every turn. Even entering the stage is a problem to be addressed. Armed with this new approach, the reader is guided into a careful study of relationships with partners, place, and props.

Having spent her formative years living and training in Italy, Julie brings a keen appreciation of the Commedia Dell Arte to her practice of clowning with exercises from both the historical literature of Commedia and from her vast experience as a performer.

The second part of the book, The Memoir, tells the stories of Julies days as the Clown of Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy, her extensive touring throughout Europe, and founding one of the first mime troupes in America.

Following these early stories is Julies account, told with poignancy, humor, and grit, of confronting and living with a debilitating neurodegenerative condition.