STAND UP AND CLOWN

Chad Damiani

One of the architects of LA’s current modern clown scene, Chad Damiani (aka The Clown Boss) explores the mercurial nature of this work — and how it can be applied to everything from improv to stand-up to life in general. A mix of interviews with artists that embody clown spirit and solo episodes where Chad offer opinions, instruction and (hopefully) morsels of inspiration. STAND UP AND CLOWN is named after Chad’s monthly show at LA's Elysian Theater (last Mondays at 9:30pm), where he ruthlessly live directs stand-up comics through a grueling gauntlet of modern clown work.

  1. 2 days ago

    Zach Zucker Returns - Part Two

    STAND UP AND CLOWN is back THIS FRIDAY, October 30th at 10:30pm for a special late night Halloween Spooktacular! It’s the one time a year in LA the show doesn’t happen on a Monday night – and will be full of scary clown fun. PLUS: An amazing cast, featuring Alex Edelman (The Paper), Aaron Branch (Dysfunctional Friends), Demi Adejuyigbe (Dropout TV) and many more! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE! Follow The Clown Boss on INSTAGRAM  Check out his LINKTREE for classes and shows! Chad is back with part two of his interview with longtime friend and collaborator Zach Zucker! Zach plays Jack Tucker, the down-on-his-luck host of the international variety show Stamptown. He also runs the promotion – with longtime friends Dylan Woodley and Jonny Woolley. Chad and Zach met as improvisers nearly 15 years ago and followed parallel paths into clown… despite Zach being 20 years younger. If you haven’t already, consider listening to part one! This second half we go into more detail about the difficulty of running a show, Zach reflects on quotes he made earlier this year criticizing newer clowns and they discuss the importance of valuing friendships and relationships over one’s artistic goals.  SHOWS, CLASSES AND MORE! The Clown Boss is having his final busy season before taking a Hollywood break – with a bunch of performances taking place in LA. Besides STAND UP AND CLOWN, he is doing a WIP with his friend Ithamar Enriquez (INSIDE VOICES - A SILENT SHOW) and MAULED NIGHT - a UCB mainstage show that is a clown tribute to improv, sketch and character. ALSO - if you’re in Columbus, Cleveland or Pittsburgh, he’s headed your way in about a month! Check out his LINKTREE for more details! MORE ABOUT THE CLOWN BOSS! “The Father of Modern Clown in LA” - NPR CLOWN BOSS Chad Damiani is one of the architects of the contemporary clown scene in LA – a fearless exploration of joy, mischief, absurdity and audience interaction that embraces the spirit of clown work, without being limited to traditional conventions.

  2. 13 Oct

    Zach Zucker Returns - Part One

    STAND UP AND CLOWN is back on FRIDAY, October 30th at 10:30pm for a special late night Halloween Spooktacular! It’s the one time a year in LA the show doesn’t happen on a Monday night – and will be full of scary clown fun. PLUS: An amazing cast, featuring Alex Edelman (The Paper), Aaron Branch (Dysfunctional Friends), Demi Adejuyigbe (Dropout TV) and many more! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE! Follow The Clown Boss on INSTAGRAM  Check out his LINKTREE for classes and shows! Chad is starting a series of interviews – first up, his longtime friend and collaborator Zach Zucker! Zach plays Jack Tucker, the down-on-his-luck host of the international variety show Stamptown. He also runs the promotion – with longtime friends Dylan Woodley and Jonny Woolley. Chad and Zach met as improvisers nearly 15 years ago and followed parallel paths into clown… despite Zach being 20 years younger. The duo discusses a lot about their clown personas and approach to the work – especially when it comes to the games that happen off-stage to keep audiences engaged. They also address some controversies from earlier this year – where Zach was quoted in a LA Times video and a New York Magazine article being critical of LA Clown.  SHOWS, CLASSES AND MORE! The Clown Boss is having his final busy season before taking a holiday break – with a bunch of performances taking place in LA. Besides STAND UP AND CLOWN, he has two free jams (THE DROP and CLOWN BOSS), a new WIP with Ithamar Enriquez (INSIDE VOICES - A SILENT SHOW) and MAULED NIGHT - a UCB mainstage show that is a clown tribute to improv, sketch and character. ALSO - if you’re in Columbus, Cleveland or Pittsburgh, he’s headed your way in about a month! Check out his LINKTREE for more details! MORE ABOUT THE CLOWN BOSS! “The Father of Modern Clown in LA” - NPR CLOWN BOSS Chad Damiani is one of the architects of the contemporary clown scene in LA – a fearless exploration of joy, mischief, absurdity and audience interaction that embraces the spirit of clown work, without being limited to traditional conventions.

  3. 31 Aug

    Why do some clowns struggle with success/being loved?

    STAND UP AND CLOWN is back on Monday, August 31st! 930pm! (The day this podcast drops) This is the last LA show until Halloween!  It features an amazing cast. THE SKLAR BROTHERS! RAY LAU! BRANDON ROGERS (BRANDON BORED ON YOUTUBE) GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! ALSO, SUAC IS COMING TO NYC! Tuesday, September 8th, 930pm! The cast includes a mix of improvisers, clowns and stand-up comics -- including TALLIE MEDEL (Everything Everywhere All At Once), IKE UFOMADU (Stamptown) and CHLOE RADCLIFFE! COME TO THE FIRST-EVER NYC SHOW! Follow The Clown Boss on INSTAGRAM Check out his LINKTREE for classes and shows! TW: A brief discussion of grief/death takes place in the first 10 minutes of the podcast. The Clown Boss is on Netflix as part of the Stamptown special! He plays Alvert the janitor – who is a huge crowd favorite, despite doing very little to win them over. Chad discusses the difficulty some clowns feel when receiving positivity from an audience just for being onstage (as opposed to getting laughs for failing or making silly offers). Why are some kinds of positive reinforcement easier to process?  Remember, the best way to spread the word of modern clown is to tell a friend about this pod! ATTENTION, BETHLEHEM PA! Chad is teaching and doing a show on Sunday, September 13th!  MORE DETAILS HERE MORE ABOUT THE CLOWN BOSS! “The Father of Modern Clown in LA” - NPR CLOWN BOSS Chad Damiani is one of the architects of the contemporary clown scene in LA – a fearless exploration of joy, mischief, absurdity and audience interaction that embraces the spirit of clown work, without being limited to traditional conventions.

  4. 17 Aug

    Clown Wars

    STAND UP AND CLOWN is back on Monday, August 31st! 930pm! This is the last LA show until late fall – and features an amazing cast. THE SKLAR BROTHERS! RAY LAU! BRANDON ROGERS (BRANDON BORED ON YOUTUBE) GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! ALSO, SUAC IS COMING TO NYC! Tuesday, September 8th, 930pm! COME TO THE FIRST-EVER NYC SHOW! Follow The Clown Boss on INSTAGRAM Check out his LINKTREE for classes and shows! The Clown Boss talks about critics of the LA clown scene – many of which identify as clowns themselves. Chad addresses some of the most common gripes, while also discussing some of the elements that make LA clown so unique and challenging. PLUS: A discussion of clown shows that leave audiences unhappy – and the necessity of making terrible work, in the pursuit of finding new and fresh approaches. TAKE A CLASS! Check out Chad’s LINKTREE for classes in September and October. Also, Chad’s teaching in BETHLEHEM, PA on September 13th! MORE DETAILS HERE MORE ABOUT THE CLOWN BOSS! “The Father of Modern Clown in LA” - NPR CLOWN BOSS Chad Damiani is one of the architects of the contemporary clown scene in LA – a fearless exploration of joy, mischief, absurdity and audience interaction that embraces the spirit of clown work, without being limited to traditional conventions.

  5. 5 Aug

    High Status, Playing Anger (and other Clown Boss tricks)

    STAND UP AND CLOWN is back on Monday, August 31st!  This is the last LA show until late fall – and features an amazing cast. THE SKLAR BROTHERS! RAY LAU! BRANDON ROGERS (BRANDON BORED ON YOUTUBE) and many more surprises. GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! Also, SUAC is coming to NYC! Tuesday, September 8th! More details to come, but mark your calendars for an epic show. Follow The Clown Boss on INSTAGRAM Check out his LINKTREE for classes and shows! The Clown Boss makes some counterpoints to last week’s solo pod – discussing times where bigger isn’t always better. This blossoms into a deeper discussion of high status and playing the villain, including tactics Chad employs in both classes and shows. TAKE A CLASS! There are still a few spots left in Chad’s modern mask intensive at The Elysian, August 17-19th. This is not  traditional mask  – but a way to help performers connect more with their physical and emotional choices (for everything from clown to improv to stand-up) – ENROLL HERE MORE ABOUT THE CLOWN BOSS! “The Father of Modern Clown in LA” - NPR CLOWN BOSS Chad Damiani is one of the architects of the contemporary clown scene in LA – a fearless exploration of joy, mischief, absurdity and audience interaction that embraces the spirit of clown work, without being limited to traditional conventions.

  6. 20 Jul

    Circus Flora, Part Two

    STAND UP AND CLOWN is back next Monday in LA! July 31st! The cast includes Paul Scheer (How Did This Get Made), Anna Garcia (Dropout) and many more! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! Follow The Clown Boss on INSTAGRAM Check out his LINKTREE for classes and shows! The Clown Boss returns with part two of his thoughts on Circus Flora! The exploration leads to observations of Chad's time in pro wrestling and working for the circus company Spiegelworld – and how these experiences all inform each other. Chad also discusses how performers can pursue being more "exceptional" – and the importance of knowing what experience you want for an audience. MORE ABOUT THE CLOWN BOSS! “The Father of Modern Clown in LA” - NPR CLOWN BOSS Chad Damiani is one of the architects of the contemporary clown scene in LA – a fearless exploration of joy, mischief, absurdity and audience interaction that embraces the spirit of clown work, without being limited to traditional conventions.

  7. 15 Jun

    Circus Flora, Part One

    Follow The Clown Boss on INSTAGRAM Check out his LINKTREE for classes and shows! The Clown Boss reports on his experience at Circus Flora in St. Louis. This is Chad’s first time working for a big top circus – having come from the world of LA Clown (which tends to focus on creating work for adults). Chad talks about the similarities and differences in the styles of clown – and some of the lessons he’s already learned in preparation for the month-long run. CLOWN BOSS ACROSS AMERICA TOUR! As of publication of this podcast, Chad is in Circus Flora for one more week! CIRCUS FLORA WEBSITE Spots are still available for Chad’s workshops in OMAHA AT BACKLINE (6/25) and VEGAS AT MOM'S BASEMENT (6/30 & 7/01) He’s also doing shows in St. Louis (6/22), Kansas City (6/24), Denver (6/27) and Vegas (6/29) - SHOW LINKS HERE! Follow Chad on  INSTAGRAM for more details on how to sign up. MORE ABOUT THE CLOWN BOSS! “The Father of Modern Clown in LA” - NPR CLOWN BOSS Chad Damiani is one of the architects of the contemporary clown scene in LA – a fearless exploration of joy, mischief, absurdity and audience interaction that embraces the spirit of clown work, without being limited to traditional conventions.

  8. 26 May

    Clown Mentor Series: Molly Renze

    Follow The Clown Boss on INSTAGRAM Check out his LINKTREE for classes and shows! In this mentor series, Chad interviews clowns he’s worked with beyond just classes and shows. It’s a look at clown through different generations – and also the process of both learning from more experienced people, while still defining your own path. This first interview is with Molly Renze - a member of Silent Partners. Follow Molly on social media: SILENT PARTNERS (IG) MOLLY (IG) Check out her Silent Partners show at The Elysian on 6/23: TICKETS HERE CLOWN BOSS ACROSS AMERICA TOUR! Chad is performing in Circus Flora for all of June!  He’s also teaching and doing shows in St. Louis (6/08 and 6/15), Kansas City (6/24), Omaha (6/25), Denver (6/27-6/28) and Vegas (6/30-7/01) CLASS LINKS FOR ST. LOUIS, KANSAS CITY, OMAHA, DENVER AND VEGAS! Follow Chad on  INSTAGRAM for more details on how to sign up. MORE ABOUT THE CLOWN BOSS! “The Father of Modern Clown in LA” - NPR CLOWN BOSS Chad Damiani is one of the architects of the contemporary clown scene in LA – a fearless exploration of joy, mischief, absurdity and audience interaction that embraces the spirit of clown work, without being limited to traditional conventions.

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Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

One of the architects of LA’s current modern clown scene, Chad Damiani (aka The Clown Boss) explores the mercurial nature of this work — and how it can be applied to everything from improv to stand-up to life in general. A mix of interviews with artists that embody clown spirit and solo episodes where Chad offer opinions, instruction and (hopefully) morsels of inspiration. STAND UP AND CLOWN is named after Chad’s monthly show at LA's Elysian Theater (last Mondays at 9:30pm), where he ruthlessly live directs stand-up comics through a grueling gauntlet of modern clown work.

Information

  • Creator
    Chad Damiani
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    141
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    STAND UP AND CLOWN

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