Is This Bouffon? – Panel Discussion

What exactly is bouffon — and who gets to decide? Some say it’s in every clown show. Others insist it belongs only to those trained by Gaulier or Lecoq. For some, it’s grotesque provocation; for others, pure parody.

Join us for a lively panel with four of the form’s most exciting voices:

• Mick Barnfather – legendary bouffon teacher, long-time Complicité collaborator
• Peta Lily – pioneering physical theatre director and performer, specialist in bouffon and dark clown
• Elf Lyons – award-winning comedian and theatre-maker bringing bouffon to mainstream stages
• Elisabeth Gunawan – acclaimed international artist and current PhD researcher in bouffon

The Pen Theatre, Bermondsey

Recorded live for podcast

Expect provocation, disagreement, and a few uncomfortable laughs as these masters of mischief wrestle with the question: Is this bouffon?