Haaaaaaahhhhh! What a breath of fresh air to be project-hopping again! Before COVID, my life used to be travelling around the country by train with a suitcase full of red noses, colourful feathers and rubber chickens, as a clown consultant.

As someone who thrives on variety, connection and adventure, you can imagine how delighted I've been for the last 6 weeks, getting to facilitate six different groups, both online and in real life.

I'm now in the process of designing a new three-month creative facilitation training course, called The Well-Held Space. As part of this process, I've been reflecting on my role as facilitator through these six projects. I'd like to share some the things I've learned / remembered about facilitation with you, dear reader, in the hope that it's useful to you.

As part of the Why Not Cafe's new series of clown conversations, I got to have a lovely chat with two of my favourite teachers, clown maestro Angela de Castro and master fool Franki Anderson. This blog contains the recording of the chat as well as charting the conversation; paraphrasing some bits, quoting other bits and offering a bit of bonus extra background on some of the topics covered, which included; how we met, how we've influenced each other's work, how our students are our greatest teachers, pivotal moments of our teaching evolution, the difference between clowning and fooling, the importance of safety in clowning and fooling workshops, how some teachers methods are good for people who have emotional armour and others are good for hyper sensitive people and what we're up to next.

On the 5th and 6th June 2021, I attended a 24 hour online Devoted & Disgruntled Open Space at the Global Improvisation Initiative Symposium.

Improbable Theatre Company had decided to host a 24 hour rolling event where people from all across the globe could gather at a time convenient to them to discuss whatever felt pertinent around the themes of:

How is the world transforming improvisation? How can impro transform the world?

Poet Bee Golding strikes again, capturing her experience of the Mindful Play Taster Session at The Clowning Out Of Chaos Conference on 22nd May 2021.

I led a Mindful Play Session, exploring the theme of CHAOS through meditation, play and reflection and here is what Bee discovered.

On Sunday 23rd May 2021, I hosted an online Open Space as part as the Clowning Out Of Chaos Conference. Clowns from all around the world came to explore the conference theme of clowning with inner and outer chaos through discussion and play

On the 22nd May 2021 as part of the Clowning Out of Chaos Conference, The Online Clown Academy held a panel discussion, exploring the themes of the conference; how can clowning help us to meet inner and outer chaos?

On Friday 21st May 2021, to kick off our Clowning Out of Chaos Conference, 12 brave clowns from all around the globe presented their brand new clown numbers on Zoom at the Clowning Out Of Chaos Cabaret.

I met Andrew Cain from Play Connect for a chat on Zoom.

Andrew is a Brighton-based improvisation teacher and therapist who specialises in helping people into play and connection. He wanted to find out about what I do and how I do it.

Ahead of the Clowning Out Of Chaos Conference this weekend, The Online Clown Academy caught up with Holly Stoppit to tell us a little more about the Open Space event on Sunday evening (UK time)

Ahead of the Clowning Out Of Chaos Conference (21-23 May), I offered a wee workshop exploring meditations for chaotic times via Facebook Live.