Each class is limited to 14 students.

An 8 hour weekend workshop in presence, play, and physical creation

“There are three masks:
the one we think we are,
the one we really are,
and the one we have in common.”
– Jacques Lecoq

So What is a neutral mask and what does it have to do with comedy / clown  or physical theater?

The neutral mask is a theatrical teaching tool developed by famed theater teacher Jacque Lecoq and sculptor Sartori.  By connecting to space, rhythm and sensation, we open our presence and availability, helping us to develop our own creative voices.

For clowns the neutral mask can expose physical patterns which reveal your idiosyncratic clown states.

In this two-day workshop, we will discover the fundamentals of Neutral Mask through movement exercises, improvisation, ensemble work, and play.

The neutral teaches:
* Physical awareness
* How to project your presence
* How to strip away unconscious and non essential “parasitic” movements.   (Movements that steal focus from what the actor wants to convey.)

The mask is a foundational reference before character from which all character begins. 

No previous mask experience required. Come ready to move.

This work is ideal for actors, improvisers, clowns, physical theater artists, comedians, devisers, directors, dancers, teachers, and anyone interested in expanding their physical awareness and stage presence.

Where: The BCC Pig Pen Theater (144 Boerum Street, Brooklyn)

Drop-in Class:

Wednesday, June 24th. 6:00PM - 10:00 PM

Thursday, June 25th. 6:00PM - 10:00 PM

• May end at 9:30PM Depending on number of enrollments.

Teacher: Eric Davis

Bio:

Eric Davis and Lia Tamborra are theater makers specializing in bouffon, clown, and Lecoq-based training. Their work combines rigorous movement technique with improvisation and ensemble creation. They received their certificates in Physical Theater Pedagogy from Helikos, under Giovanni Fusetti.

They are currently the artists in residence for 2026 at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton, CA, where they will be teaching and developing a new show to be premiered in October 2026.

Eric Davis is an award winning performer, director, and Cirque du Soleil clown. His aim is to meet an audience in a playground, guide them (and sometimes be guided by them) in a journey of fun, vitality and meaning. Eric's critically-acclaimed creation, Red Bastard, won awards for Best Theater, Most Outrageous Show, and Commitment to Community alongside copious international Best of Fests, and was named Top 5 shows at the world’s largest performance festival: Edinburgh Fringe.  As a clown, he was on the creation team of 2 Cirque Du Soleil shows, ALEGRIA and IRIS and he is celebrated in several books including the Rutledge Companion to Jacque Lecoq, Clown Through Mask, and Super Serious. He is the co-founder of the NY Clown Theater Festival. (2006-2018)

As a Director, Eric’s Bouffon Glass Menajoree was nominated for Outstanding Production, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Ensemble, & Outstanding Original Script by the NY Innovative Theater Awards. While receiving a Theater BFA from the University of Kansas, he was employed as a professional improvisor.

Mr. Davis appears in the feature films, Urge & I’d Kill For You.  For reviews, info about shows, workshops, direction and consulting:  redbastard.com. Instagram: redbastardnyc

Lia Barcellona Tamborra is an award-winning performer, writer, and educator whose work moves between satire and sincerity. She has a background in musical theater, physical theater, and improv.  She studied at NYU and trained at Helikos and Embodied Poetics and is currently pursuing her MFA in Theater Pedagogy. Her work has been presented in theaters, museums and cultural institutions worldwide.
She has developed theater projects with displaced communities and educational institutions. She’s written and taught for performers, educators, and historians. Original works include: Hypatia and the Heathens (an interactive musical about the Library of Alexandria), Dangersparkle and the Lion (a musical time-traveling two-hander), Atlantis – The Final Hours (an operetta about last moments of the fabled continent), and D’Illusion – The Houdini Musical (on legacy, and the American dream) and more. For info, check out liatamborra.com

Testimonials:

Eric put people with a variety of experience levels and creative backgrounds at ease while challenging us to push the boundaries of our comfort zones and find pleasure in expressing some of the darker and more complicated aspects of our bodies and psyches.

Eric Davis will politely stretch your clown brain. Seek his tutelage now.

Eric Davis offers a unique and imaginative approach to clown, movement, and play, that helped move the class very quickly into generating new characters and possibilities. Make sure you take advantage of his talents and experience when you get the chance!

Eric is so so so SMART and offered incredible insight into workshopping what did and didn’t “work” as we created characters in a really supportive and safe environment. He taught concrete concepts to create a toolbox of movements and emotions that I’ll use in all aspects of performance going forward

If this class is sold out, sign-up for the wait list here.