ClownFest:
Funny Bones - Everyday Clown
Funny Bones – Everyday Clown
Hosted By Sascha Blocker
Sept. 15, 2024 @ 7:30 PM
In everyday life we are clowns, or at least we have moments where we enter the world of clown:
- The moment you were too nervous to dance with a crush
- The moment you awkwardly tried to chit-chat with a ghost
- The moment you had a near meltdown when your 5-year-old niece asked if she could have your 1980s barbie collection
Funny Bones is a live storytelling event inspired by these everyday moments. Storytellers will share a true story that highlights elements of clown in their everyday life. Come be delighted in these uniquely relatable stories.
Storytellers: Bui, Betsy Cross, Isaac Lamb, Frayn Masters, October Moore, & Beth Summers.
About the Creative Team
Sascha Lynn Blocker is a performer, director, and creator of original work. She earned an MFA in Lecoq Based Actor Created Theater from the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) in conjunction with Naropa University. Local credits include: Hand2Mouth, CoHo, Imago, Third Rail, Post 5, Liminal Performance Group, and the Portland Actors Conservatory. Sascha was an associate artist for Drammy award winning theater company Push Leg and is currently a member of the CoHo Clown Cohort. Sascha also works as an adjunct faculty member and teaches classes in Communication Studies and Theater. Theater teaching includes movement, improvisation, devising theater, and clowning.
Sascha approaches storytelling through her experience teaching public speaking for 14+ years as an adjunct faculty member at Clark College, PSU, and PCC, attending an amazing workshop from B. Frayn Masters @ Backfence Storytelling, and from growing up in a large family – family meals meant family stories told from multiple perspectives with lots of energy.
Bui is intense like the Bronx (his hometown), whimsical like Portland (his current city), and unexpected (like his future). Bui’s eclectic style has been shaped by his background in standup, improv, storytelling, and clowning. Bui has performed improv at Del Close Marathon (NYC), Westside Comedy Festival (Los Angeles), and Downtown Las Vegas Festival (Vegas, obvi), and was a Portland’s Funniest Person standup semifinalist. He has told stories at The Moth, TellTalePDX, and BYO Story. He is also a regular performer at Kickstand Comedy, Curious Comedy and PlayBackPDX. He is a proud owner of his own belly button.
Frayn Masters decided at 5 that writing and performing was her thing. Masters convinced childhood friends to perform with her in a variety show. Those first shows took place at the base of the railroad tie steps/stadium seating of the neighbors house and tickets were available for purchase via a red wagon she pulled around the neighborhood. More currently, she is the Artistic Director, Producer, and Host of BACKFENCE Storytelling — and was also a producer and host for Portland’s Moth GrandSLAMs.
She’s a speaker, story and performance producer/director, writer, teacher, and voice over artist. Film is her first love and she’s excited to be using her skills to work on more documentary style projects. Samples of her literary leanings can be found in Hobart, McSweeney’s, and Little Engines. She’s a plant enthusiast that’s really into learning how to best steward friendships, heavy hooping, jump roping, and pickleball. Thank you for having me in the show, Sascha!
Isaac Lamb is an award winning actor, director, and educator. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and a proud company member of Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Select Local credits: The Aliens, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Belleville, The Flick (Third Rail); Every Brilliant Thing, The 25th Annual…Spelling Bee, A Small Fire, Gem of the Ocean, Sweeney Todd (PCS); Assassins, Playboy of the Western World (ART); Sound of Music, The Addams Family, Ripper (Broadway Rose); Mr. Burns: a post electric play, Peter and the Starcatcher, Scarlet (Portland Playhouse); The Three Sisters (PETE); How to Make an American Son (Profile). National Tour: Defending the Caveman,Broadway’s longest running one-person show. Select Regional: Timeless: Barbara Streisand (Staples Center), Sweet Charity (Red Mountain), One Sunday in Mississippi (Bannister). Film: Lean on Pete (Film4), North Starr (Sundance). TV: The Rehearsal (HBO), American Vandal (Netflix), Portlandia (IFC). Proud member AEA, SAG/AFTRA. isaaclamb.com
To Betsy Cross, stories are everything. She’s the founder and designer of Portland jewelry & retail brand, Betsy & Iya, where inspiration for her jewelry designs arises from the people, places, and experiences of her own life and those of her custom clients, who share their stories with Betsy as she begins the process to bring a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry to life.
Betsy is a Virginia native who moved west in 2006 to direct, teach, and create in the Portland theatre scene after nearly a decade learning, performing and teaching in cities throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Betsy danced and monologued her way through programs at Virginia Tech, completed a small acting program at Harvard, and finished with a red nose and an MFA in Physical and Ensemble Theatre from Dell’Arte International in northern California.
Somewhere along the way, she learned that stages for sharing stories come in many shapes and sizes, some small enough to wrap around your finger. Her love of adornments and the stories they hold led Betsy to found Betsy & Iya in 2008, over the years designing a line of cuff bracelets inspired by the bridges that connect Portland, collections of fine & fashion jewelry inspired by women’s strength, the sum greater than the parts of two people in a relationship, and the feeling of closing your eyes, holding hands, and jumping together.
In 2023, Betsy & Iya opened their second shop, Fiina, which is dedicated to her line of wedding and other fine jewelry. Their first shop features her line of fashion jewelry along with gifts, clothing, home goods, & more. Sitting just between the two stores is their jewelry production studio, where they offer tours which share the stories of the jewelry’s inspiration and fabrication.
At age 25, with no prior acting experience, Beth Summers decided it was her life’s goal to be in a Harry Potter movie. Thinking the next logical step was to take an acting class so she could learn how to cry on demand, Beth enrolled at The Actor’s Conservatory. There she learned that acting was not the ability to shed fake tears but so much more. She fell in love with the art of telling stories and has continued to explore different ways of creating experiences for audience members. Locally, she has worked with Action/Adventure Theatre, Shaking the Tree Theatre, Lakewood Theatre, FUSE Theatre Ensemble and others. Beth was one of the original devisers and performers in Push Leg’s The Intimacy Project. Most recently, she performed in the COHO Clown Cohort’s production of Twister. Beth has collaborated with Anonymous Theatre Company for the past nine years in a variety of roles supporting stage management, props, and costumes. She has come a long way since her belief that fake crying equaled good acting. She is proud of her growth, not only as a performer, but also as a person. Thus, she is willing to admit that as the stressors of life have increased and the opportunities to be in a Harry Potter movie have passed, the ability to stop real crying on demand would be a much more useful skill for her.
October Moore is an actor and voice actor, known for her work in the film Pig, the Netflix show Trinkets, and FX’s Baskets. She likes to work with fancy actors. Her voice over credits include Super Smash Bros, as the OG Wii Fit lady, as well as a lot of truck commercials.
She was born in March to a mother born in October, whose maiden name was Martin which she then changed to Martyn. The important things are that her son is funny, and she’s figured out that laughing ‘til our inevitable demise is the key to this whole living thing. She’s happy to be here with all these wonderful, interesting, and fancy people. www.octobermoore.com
Kayla Kelly is so excited to be working with Funny Bones. Kayla Kelly is from Houston, TX, and holds a Bachelor of Arts. Maybe you have seen her on stage at your local theatre. She enjoys dabbling in stand-up comedy, writing, and finding creation in everyday life. Thank you to everyone who has made this opportunity possible.