Clown CoHort Presents: The Tortoise, Hare and the Bear
The Tortoise, Hare and the Bear (a work in progress showing)
Presented By the CoHo Clown Cohort
April 06, 2025 @ 2:00 PM
The CoHo Clown Cohort is launching a new show and we need your help! We are raising funds to develop our next show with a work-in-progress performance that allows audience members to peek into the CoHo Clown Cohort process.
Our newest production is inspired by the children’s story, The Tortoise and the Hare. Unlike the classic story, our comedic version will have characters racing through the backcountry of the Pacific Northwest, with an ending that values collaboration. This feels relevant as our culture leans into retributive justice and winning at all costs. Our performance will add a third character, the bear, a catalyst for the Tortoise and Hare’s friendship.
After the performance, audience members will be invited to share feedback, which will directly inform our next stage of development – extended rehearsals culminating in 5 public performances at the 2025 CoHo Clown Festival.
Join us in developing this exciting new project! All ticket proceeds will go towards paying the artistic team for the full production of The Tortoise, Hare and the Bear in September 2025. If you would like to make an additional donation to the project, please do so here.
The Tortoise, Hare & the Bear is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and the Office of Arts & Culture.
The CoHo Clown CoHort was created by Philip Cuomo to cultivate an ensemble of clown performers and contextualize clowning in the modern theatre landscape. Since its inception in 2017, the Clown CoHort has relied on the CoHo Creative Pipeline to generate content and develop its unique style. Past shows include: Philip’s Glass Menagerie, Witch Hunt, Beethoven & Chopin (Monster Hunters) Meet the Bride of Frankenstein (A Romance) and Twister.
Sascha Blocker and Emily Newton currently serve as Co-Artistic Directors for the Clown CoHort.
Meet 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.
Emily June Newton is an international multi-skilled comedic performer specializing in the
areas of clown, physical comedy and character creation. Originating from Australia, she
now resides in Portland, Oregon. Emily has performed both nationally and internationally
with companies including Terrapin Puppet Theater (AUS), Oregon Children’s Theater
(OR, USA), The Children’s Art Theater of China (Shanghai, CHN) and Dell’Arte
International (CA, USA). She also writes, performs and tours solo interactive comedic
works throughout the USA including ‘Frank: to be Frank’ and ‘For the love of down under: an evening with Australia’. Emily holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Ensemble-Based Physical Theater from Dell’Arte International (CA, USA), and is a member of the Coho Clown Cohort (CoHo Productions PDX) and San Francisco’s premier burlesque clown troupe Fou Fou Ha (PDX chapter).
Jeff Desautels is a founding member of the award-winning clown troupe, Box of Clowns, with whom he has performed all over the world. Locally he has performed in Portland with CoHo Clown Cohort Theatre, Tears of Joy Theater, Sir Cupcake’s Queer Circus, and Fou Fou Ha. He also performs frequently as the drag queen persona, Mysteria.