Principles of Eccentric Performance with Avner Eisenberg

Eccentric Performance is one of the most personal and paradoxical of theater forms: It can be ingenious or dim-witted, skillful or blundering. It can have sharp verbal wit or be completely silent. It can be extremely silly while also pointing out the failures of society. Above all, Eccentric Performing is funny!

This five-day introduction to the world of Eccentric Performance is open to performers of all experience levels. Avner will teach classes and be available for one-on-one coaching.

In this workshop you will learn how to:

• Create rapport with the audience
• Use your breath to increase your comfort and heighten the emotional impact of your performance
• Use problem-solving to create comedy out of ordinary activities
• Apply the training of Jacques Lecoq to clowning
• Turn any audience member into an exceptional volunteer
• And much more

Anyone participating in an in-person workshop at Celebration Barn must be fully vaccinated and have received at least one booster shot. For details regarding protocols and policies related to Covid-19 at the Barn please see our 2023 Health and Safety Guidelines. 

ABOUT AVNER EISENBERG

Hailed as one of the greatest clowns of all time, Avner Eisenberg is often a featured performer in comedy, magic, clown, and theater festivals. He studied with Jacques Lecoq from 1971 to 1974. Since then, he has developed a unique physical approach to comedy and acting that he teaches in workshops around the world.

He has been described by New York Magazine as “a clown for the thinking man.” His show Avner the Eccentric was a hit of the 1984–85 Broadway season. He appeared again on Broadway in Ghetto and The Comedy of Errors. Avner is widely known for his scene-stealing portrayal of the holy man in the Michael Douglas film The Jewel of the Nile.

Avner continues to tour his one-man show internationally and has won awards at the Edinburgh Festival, the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival, and the Festival Internacional de Pallassos in Barcelona. He won the “Snow Star” for comedy in Switzerland and the “Lachmesse” award in Germany.

During the pandemic Avner has taught over three hundred students from thirty-four countries in a series of online Principles of Eccentric Performance workshops.