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WINTER GOOF WORKSHOPS
JANUARY 29-31, 2010 IN DALLAS
FEBRUARY 19-21, 2010 IN NEW YORK CITY

Join us for an exciting weekend of clowning in Dallas!
Along with our Director, Dick Monday, we are thrilled to welcome special guest:



AVNER THE ECCENTRIC
Avner Eisenberg is probably best known for his endearing portrayal of The Jewel, the scene-stealing holy man, in The Jewel of the Nile, co-starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. He was also featured in the film Brenda Starr and the television series Webster and Mathnet.

Avner’s one-man show, Avner the Eccentric, was a hit of the 1984–1985 Broadway season. He co-starred in Lincoln Center’s production of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, and returned to Broadway in 1989 in a principal role in Ghetto. In regional theatre Avner has played both Estragon and Vladimir in Waiting For Godot, played the title role in R. Crumb Comix, and co-starred with his wife, Julie Goell, in the world premier of Zoo of Tranquility.

Avner’s new show, Exceptions to Gravity, defies the barriers of language and culture and has toured extensively all over the US and abroad. Avner has often played on subscription at regional theaters including Arena Stage, Trinity Rep, Actor’s Theater of Louisville, The Empty Space, Indiana Rep, The Goodman Theater, Portland Stage, Merrimack Rep, Virginia Stage Company, Dallas Theater Center, Seacoast Rep, and San Jose Rep.

Avner is often a featured performer at comedy, magic and theatre festivals, which in past years have included The Edinburgh Festival, where he won the New Faces of 1991 Award, and was a finalist for the Perrier Award, the Israel Festival, the Montreal International Comedy Festival. He has also appeared at the London International Mime Festival, the Festival of American Mime, the New York Clown Theatre Festival, the Fool’s Festival, the New York Magic Symposium, the Hudson Clearwater Revival, and the International Movement Theatre Festival. Avner has won special jury awards at The International Festival du Cirque in Monte Carlo, Arosa International Humor Festival, Barcelona International Clown Festival, Leipzig Lach Messe, St Gervais International Theater Festival where he won both the public and the jury awards. Avner was recently inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame.

Avner is regularly featured on television specials throughout the world. He has been seen on the Paul Daniels Show and Packing Them In in Great Britain, on the NTV 35th Anniversary Special as well as numerous appearances on NHK in Japan, Sebastian C’est Fou, Le Plus Grande Cabaret du Monde, and Cabaret Sauvage in France, Un Dos Tres and the Juan Tamariz Special in Spain, Martes 13 in Chile, Ritmo de la Noche in Argentina, UNICEF Comedy Special in Italy, the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival on Showtime, and many more.

In addition to a busy performance schedule, Avner has taught master classes in clowning and Eccentric Performing in the United States, France, Germany, Finland, Belgium, Japan and Spain. He has developed silent theatre skills as a therapeutic tool and also teaches workshops for students and professionals in health care, education and counseling, as well as theatre. He lives on an island off the coast of Maine and would really rather be sailing. Avner has been a devoted practitioner of Aikido for many years.


and DICK MONDAY

Dick was the Director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College for the last three years of its existence. He created and directed the clowning for the Greatest Show on Earth during this period. Dick and his partner Tiffany founded the New York Goofs in 1998, a theatrical clown troupe committed to producing clown theatre for and adult and family audiences. The NY Goofs have produced four off-off Broadway shows and been featured in every major festival in the NY/DC area. In 2004, Dick created "Slappy's Playhouse", a family theatre in Dallas, TX presenting European-style marionette shows, Variety Shows, and Magic shows. Dick currently writes and produces all the shows for that theatre, as well as shows for circuses, festivals and corporate events. He continues to clown with partner Tiffany in circuses and theaters world-wide including The Big Apple Circus, Circus Sarasota, and Circo Atayde in Mexico. Dick was recently one of the subjects of the acclaimed book, "Guiding Lights", about great mentors and teachers. He also started the Ultimate Clown School, which was recently named Best Clown School by the
 Village Voice, and is now in its ninth year. Dick's film and television credits include Into the Night with Rick Dees, Brain Donors, My Life, Love and Greed, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Rosie O'Donnell Show and Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown.

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