Clowning Around: An Exploration of Life Behind the Nose

Abstract

This pilot project demonstrates how Henderson's (2005) method of mask and clown can be effectively adapted to the practice of drama therapy through a practical application with 10 adolescent high school students in a brief drama therapy series. Research was conducted in a phenomenological framework to reveal the authentic meaning of the experience of the participants in their own narrative and arts-based documentation. Narrative data was collected from participant-observer notes, participants' journals, responses to a questionnaire, and video transcription. Arts-based data was collected from photographs and film footage of the mask-making and mask character exploration, clown discovery, and the participants' public clown performance. Qualitative coding of the data, analysis of the outcome, implications for clinical practice, and suggestions for further research, are presented.

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