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The Idiot Workshop, a Los Angeles based training program dedicated to supporting the performer as creator, was founded in 2012 by long-time Cirque Du Soleil performer, John Gilkey. The ideology of The Idiot has its roots in contemporary theatrical clown, improv and the trickster archetype. Our community consists of actors, comedians, improvisers, dancers, writers and musicians who seek to discover new creative territory and to collaborate with a wide range of talented artists who share a similar affinity for deep and ridiculous play.

We set ourselves apart from more traditional forms of comedy like improv, stand-up and sketch, by offering a style of performance that is open to broad interpretation. We encourage our students to break the rules of live performance, to find new levels of vulnerability and absurdity, and to forge a relationship with their audience that is engaging and provocative.

In addition to our core Idiot classes we offer classes that focus on writing, acting, movement, and devising. A vibrant community has grown from our classes with shows and events happening year round. Unfortunately, however, our community suffers from a lack of diversity. Our goal with this project is to remedy this.

We plan to go about this with two primary tracks.

First, we plan to offer invite-only workshops built around specific affinity groups. These events will be a way for people outside the community to come check out our work with the safety and support that an affinity space can provide. Our focus is on people of color and LGBTQ+ communities. With your help we can make these events free to students and make them a regular offering of The Idiot Workshop, with four to six events per year.

Secondly, we know from past experience that there are many people who wish to take our 6-week classes but cannot afford to. With financial help we will be able to offer classes at either a discounted rate or free of charge to POC and LGBTQ+ students whom we believe would thrive in our environment.