Idiot Workshop Diversity Project

The Idiot Workshop was founded in 2012 by long-time Cirque Du Soleil performer, John Gilkey. The Idiot Workshop is an LA based training program dedicated to supporting the performer as creator. The ideology of The Idiot has its roots in contemporary theatrical clown, improv and the trickster archetype. Our community consists of actors, comedians, improvisers, dancers, writers and musicians who seek to discover new creative territory and to collaborate with a wide range of talented artists who share a similar affinity for deep and ridiculous play.

We set ourselves apart from more traditional forms of comedy like improv, stand-up and sketch, by offering a style of performance that is open to broad interpretation. We encourage our students to break the rules of live performance, to find new levels of vulnerability and absurdity, and to forge a relationship with their audience that is engaging and provocative.

Over the past seven years we have grown to the point where we now offer 4-6 classes per week, ten months of the year and have a staff of nine teachers. A vibrant community has grown from our classes with shows and events happening year round. Unfortunately, however, our community suffers from a lack of diversity. Our goal with this project is to remedy this.

We plan to go about this with two primary tracks.

First, we plan to offer invite-only workshops built around specific affinity groups. These events would be a way for people outside the community to come check out the work with the safety and support that an affinity space can provide. Our key areas for 2019/2020 are people of color and LGBTQ+ communities. We plan for these events to be free to students and to make them a regular offering of The Idiot Workshop, with four to six events per year.

Secondly, we fully expect to meet many wonderful people at these events that we would love to have in our ongoing classes. We know from past experience that there are many people who wish to take our classes but cannot afford to. With financial help we will be able to offer classes free of charge to POC and LGBTQ+ students whom we believe would thrive in our environment.