Courses and Workshops | Pricilla Mooseburger

*Classes are subject to change

What is a Main Course?

Every morning we break up into different courses. This allows you to dive deep into a topic you want to focus on. You will stay in the same course each morning - all week.

Wow, 9 hours of intense education you will get to build on each day.

Don’t worry; the afternoon is filled with workshops on a wide variety of clown arts topics.

Only your course needs to be decided before you come to camp. Tricia can help you decide what is best for you during your PEP talk. Afternoon workshops can be decided on the fly.

COURSES AND WORKSHOPS SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

These Courses and Workshops are pretty well set. However we are still working on the full schedule and are finalizing some of our guest instructors. That means that, as we add special things and people to celebrate our 25th Moose Camp, we may need to shuffle our manpower here and there. That could result in be some slight variations to what you see here, but we will definitely be offering more great education than you can throw a pie at. Take a look at all that we offer, sign up now, and check back for more information.

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Morning Main Course Options 2025

Caring Clowning – Brittany Allen

Success in a hospital, nursing home, shelter, or other care facility often depends on what you do (and don’t do), the props and skills you bring with you, and how you relate to and interact with the patient, family, and staff. In this course, Brittany will discuss tips, trick, techniques, and props for your visits as well as a few ideas on clowning for this special audience at events beyond the care facilities. She will also explore how to approach facilities, how to build a partnership with them, and how to present a professional proposal for an ongoing program. This course includes a visit with residents in a local care facility, with Brittany supervising visits. It creates the perfect safe and supportive environment to reach out as a clown who truly cares.

Clowning 101* – Julia Swanson, Annette Darragh, Rick Hoops

Learn the funny art of clowning from the ground up. Brittany, Annette, and Rick will gently introduce you to make-up, costuming, character development, and performance skills. Their holistic approach will seamlessly interweave the skills that will start you on the road toward being a great clown. Their sharing-and-caring style will teach you volumes in a short time! When you leave Moose Camp, you will have all the basics you need to begin your new life as a clown. If you have never put on make-up before, then Clowning 101 is the right course for you!

* There is a materials fee to buy the recommended makeup kit. The kit will contain all the necessary items to create both Auguste and Whiteface clown characters. Please know that we tried our best to put only the bare essentials in the kit and to keep it at low cost. The kit we put together for you will be much cheaper than buying the same make-up separately in the dealer room. For the health of our campers, we do not offer and do not recommend communal use of makeup. There will be mirrors, containers of Q-tips, and wet wipes available for your use at the makeup table.

Exploring Clown Skills* – Neal Skoy

You’ve explored the basics of clown make-up, character development, and costuming. Now, you’re ready to take the next step. But, how do you pull it all together into a performance? Where do you go? What do you do? Sean & Earl will help you explore the next steps to becoming a successful hometown clown. Learn how to create your own comic props and routines, whether performing solo, with a partner, or with a group. Gain an understanding of various types of walk-around props and where you can find items you can use to develop your own personal gags and routines. Explore puppets and magic and how they can enhance your appearances. Spend some time with Sean & Earl acquiring information about places and types of events where you can put your clown training and skills to use. Top all of this off with the data you need to help you successfully book your performances and you’re on your way to successful, fun-filled entertainment experiences for both you and your audiences.

Hometown Clowning MAIN COURSE – Sean Carlock & Earl Chaney

Puppets are the perfect performing partners – they are friendly, fuzzy, forgiving, and fun! Best of all, you don’t have to be a great ventriloquist or puppeteer for your puppets to be effective and engaging. Christopher will share simple tips and techniques to bring your puppet pals to life to support and enhance your clowning in different settings and venues, and with a variety of different styles of puppets. Throughout the week we will explore focus; movement & manipulation; character; voice work; the 3 C’s; and puppet CPR to bring the elements together. (Bonus: Many of the same techniques used in good clowning are used in puppetry, and vise versa, so there is a lot of natural crossover to apply!)

Note: We will be using mostly moving-mouth (“Muppet style”) puppets for this Course. If you can, bring your favorite puppet pal to Camp, but we’ll have some to work with as well.

Puppets: Foam, Fur, & Fun MAIN COURSE - Karen Hoyer

Your puppet takes a breath and looks around – suddenly, magically, it is alive! Now your puppet is your partner and the challenge is to develop material. You've learned to manipulate your puppet, you've explored voices and partnering – now it's time to tell the story. You might have a story in mind but your puppet might have a better idea and that might cause all sorts of problems. The focus will be on the relationship between your clown self and the alter-ego that comes alive in your puppet. We'll brainstorm situations, conflicts, conversations, and complications. Create a short duet with a beginning, middle, and end – polish, rehearse, and perform!

Course Requirement: Bring a puppet that you have worked with previously, one that's beginning to have a voice and a style of movement. Puppets with mouth action – muppet style for example – will work best.

Rise & Shrine MAIN COURSE - Fred Baisch

If you are a Shrine clown looking to improve your presentations when working in circuses, hospitals, and on your own, we have just the course for you. This is an in-depth course not normally available at conventions. From hospital visits to Circus arenas, in this course Fred will use several different approaches to explore various ways of performing that are utilized by Shrine clowns. As a Shrine clown himself, Fred has produced and performed in numerous routines for the Osman Shrine Temple and Clown Club as well as others. Fred has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he is ready to share with you.

Afternoon Workshops 2025 – Alphabetically by Staff Name

Brittany Allen

Caring Clown Course Field Trip

The Caring Clowning Course will take a field trip to put what they have been working on into practice. They will visit an adult care center, put on a little show, and do some roving meet & greet.

Puppets Alive!

Your puppet is little more than foam, fabric, and feathers unless (or until) you breathe some life into it. Brittany will share how she adds character, personality, and movement to bring her puppet pal sidekicks to life and have them relate to the audience and vice-versa. If you have a puppet, bring it, but you can come alone too!

What's In My Caring Clown Bag

While your presence and connection are the most important things in Caring Clowning, having a few tricks up your sleeve (or in your bag) to use as your entry point or as ice-breakers can make all the difference. Brittany will share some of her ‘go-to’ items that she carries, and how she uses them, so that you can have the confidence to enter the room and do when words don’t quite cut it.

Fred Baisch

Change Bags – It’s All In The Bag

Paddles, twist handles, and tote bags are three types of change bags that you will frequently see used for magic tricks. But why are some bags better for certain tricks than others? Is a three-sided bag really necessary? Come learn the correct bag to use, when, and how to use and display it without exposing the trick. Then you can successfully use it with ropes, silk, and any number of other objects and patterns.

Fun Stuff for Up Close

A clown workshop by Fred that doesn’t have any (well, much) magic in it. Learn how to engage a small group, entertain a line, or table hop with a variety of easy to learn routines and props. From the classic napkin rose, to dollar bill folding, to jumping paper clips, and more, this workshop will equip you with the skill to entertain almost anywhere with a variety of everyday objects.

Sean Carlok

Using Puppets with a Pre-recorded Script!

Did you buy a puppet to put in your show, but then thought “Oh no! I’m not good at voices or writing scripts!” Have no fear, Sean is here! He will show you how to use your puppet pal with PRE-RECORDED scripts. Sean will guide you through an exploration of basic puppetry and the easy tech needed to get great mileage out of puppets in your clowning. He will cover where to get recorded scripts as well as some basic script writing and recording for those who want to create their own. This is an exploratory class so bring YOUR puppet if you have one,

but we will have some on hand to use as well.

Yes, YOU Can Do a Solo Show!

If you’ve got a couple of magic tricks, some jokes, general foolishness, and maybe a puppet or two, you’ve got what it takes to make a show! Sean will show you how to wrap them up with a unifying theme and create a show, or how to approach it from the other angle

and start with a concept then pull from what you have to fill out the show.

Earl Chaney

Clown of a Thousand Faces

As a clown, you are a performer. Learn how this performance knowledge, coupled with your ability to act as a character, can be expanded into a lucrative seasonal business involving Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and much, much more.

How To Be Funny Without Being Stupid

Have you ever seen or known someone who thought they had to be stupid to be funny? Well that is a sure fired way to lose an audience, especially kids. This lecture is designed to distinguish between the funny and the stupid. It might sound simple, but this can often be quite complex when dealing with clown characters.

Annette Darragh

Beginning & Intermediate Face Painting

This workshop is set up to allow you access to the paints, try them out, and get some hands-on experience. It is a perfect way for you to find out if you like face painting. Annette will introduce you to the products and process and guide you through the basic brush techniques necessary to make your artwork pop. Then she will share some tips and tricks to add zing to simple designs and take your face painting to the next level!

Storytelling - Clown Style

A story is always stronger and more memorable when there are visuals that accompany the tale that is told. What could be more memorable and visual than a clown? A clown that is involved with the story they are telling, and that uses props and other visuals, of course! Join Annette as she shares some of the techniques she uses to bring clown stories to life.

Rick Hoops

The Clown Speaks – Vocal Techniques for Talking Clowns (with Candace H)

If you are not a silent clown Candace and Rick have some simple techniques, exercises, and easy vocal warm-ups that will help you more effectively use your voice while clowning. You will also explore new character creation, emphasis, and expression for greater comic delivery. )

Creative Entrepreneurship

Understanding business models is hard, especially as an independent artist. If you are looking for a guide to developing a business plan,

marketing materials, and more, this workshop is for you! This workshop will give you access to a comprehensive business guide for artists that is easy to understand and update.

Karen Hoyer

Clown Dance

Try out a few crazy dance steps and then learn a simple dance routine. Will you dance a little solo, do a duo dance with comic interruptions, or can we improvise our dance steps and string them into a group routine? Come and have fun with a dance teacher who doesn't know which one is her right foot!

Mime: The Language of Clowns

As a clown, you need to use your whole body to communicate. Mime is the art of using movement to create physical characterizations, express emotion non-verbally, and tell a story without depending on words. For clowns, mime is a vital tool for making physical choices that will take us out of everyday life and into a clownesque world of play

Puppets Focused Workshop (Tentative)

Please stand by. We know it’s Puppets, but the title and description are not in focus yet.

Candace Hubert

Character Development Lab

What is the next step to making a character after your initial idea? Character work! Through this interactive lab, you will walk away with a variety of tools and strategies to make specific choices that play to your strengths to create memorable characters.

The Clown Speaks – Vocal Techniques for Talking Clowns (with Rick Hoops)

Christopher Hudert

EZ Magic ANY Clown Can Do – Even YOU!

Does the thought of doing magic as a clown scare you? Well, Christopher has the cure! He has some super easy tricks and simple magic that you can do almost anywhere and that almost any clown can successfully do (with a little practice). Guess what’s even better – what Christopher is going to share with you is not only easy to do, it’s super affordable (aka CHEAP) and can be picked up in the Dealer’s room or made at home. The magic is in you!

Unleash Your Creativity with a Bag of Awesomeness or Awfulness

You enter and encounter a paper bag. It has YOUR name on it. What’s in that bag? It could be awesome or awful. There’s only one way to find out. Open it! This workshop is an interactive exercise in play that focuses on some basic elements of clowning including the moment of discovery, finding and connecting with the audience, actions and reactions, starts and stops, entrances and exits, takes, levels and changes, body language, playing to the audience (staging), being interested vs being interesting, etc. Come ready to play and leave with some tools to better clowning.

Linda Hulet

Improv With Everyday Objects

Get your creative juices flowing in this participation workshop using everyday items to jump-start your clown brain to come up with ideas for walk-around props, routines, and more.

Flo’s World of Wacky Walk-Arounds

Join Linda “Flo” Hulet as she presents her favorite walk-a-rounds. Bring your funny bone and prepare to chuckle, guffaw, and roll in the aisles.

Finding Clown Work at Fairs, Festivals, & More

This workshop will explore the various venues, such as Fairs and Festivals, where you can clown and how to get clown jobs. Linda will cover promo material, contacts, contracts, and other pertinent information.

Jane Kinney

All About the Red Nose Reader Program

The Red Nose Reader program promotes literacy, kindness, empathy, and respect for diversity through the art of clowning. During a visit, a certified Red Nose Reader reads a story, shares a message, and playfully interacts with the students. Come and learn all about the Red Nose Reader program and how you too can help build a positive image that real clowns are caring, helpful, and kind people who want to spread joy and laughter. (Oh, and Jane says there will be cookies and other treats!)

Tricia Manuel

Comic Movement Through Skits

Learn fun new cartoon-style movements that add to every performance! We will explore ways that you can take exaggerated clown movements over the top so that you can bring them back down to whatever scale is appropriate for the occasion. Then, we will add those movements to classic skits so that you can go home with scripts and new skills.

Finding Your Clown Character

Whether you are brand new to clowning or looking for a new avenue for your current clown, this workshop works! Tricia will lead you through the exploration of taking your clown character to the next level.

VIC Special Workshop (with Earl Chaney)

A round table discussion on clowning and where you want to go with it! Here is a chance to ask for help on your clown issues. What are your burning questions? What is your biggest hurdle in your clown path? Tricia will help you take the next steps. (VIC Pre-registration required.)

Greg Seckora

Beginning Balloons – Part 1: How to Blow Up, Tie, & Twist Balloons

For beginners only! Learn the basics to get you started on this fun and lucrative hobby. We’ll start with choosing the right balloon, how to inflate it, and providing the hands-on help you need to learn all the twists you need to create simple balloon creations. Greg will show you her favorite twists and simple designs for newbies. If you have balloons and a pump, bring them.

Beginning Balloons – Part 2: Creating My Favorite Simple Balloons

You don’t have to have gone to the Part 1 workshop, but you do have to know how to inflate and tie a balloon as well as the basic twists. We will build on that basic knowledge to create some of my favorite balloon sculptures that are simple but impressive for newbies! If you have a pump and balloons, bring them.

The Prop Shop – “Make It & Take It” Props – see open Lab times

Looking for a new walk-around prop? Need a walk-around prop to entertain the audience pre/post-show or during intermission at the Mooseburger All-Star Clown Show? Visit the prop shop during scheduled prop-making hours to make your parade board or other walk-around prop to use as part of the show and to create your very own kazoo instrument for the Clown Band. Take your new prop home and add it to your future performances. There will be a limited number of each prop, so availability will be on a first-come basis.

A small materials fee will be charged for each prop made

Neal Skoy

Play the Game

Neal believes the absolute core of clown and interactive performance is "PLAY." In this workshop we will discover why play is so darn important in performance; as well as practicing in everyday life. A playful mindset improves intelligence, creativity, performance ease, and collaboration. Come ready for movement and the unexpected.

Slapstick 108

Ah, comedy violence. Clowns are often regarded as "living cartoon characters." Their resilience against slaps, falls, trips, kicks, crashes, smashes, and kabooms makes them nearly invincible; but how can you make it FUNNY? We will explore beginner to advanced moves and how to perform them safely every time. Come dressed for movement and gravity.

Julia Swanson

Silly Songs and Fun With & WITHOUT a Ukelele

Singing silly songs and singing songs silly are the name of the game here. You don’t have to play – or even HAVE – a ukulele or any other instrument. We will learn some simple songs and how to have fun with them so that you can use them anywhere you clown. These could be used in hospitals, birthday parties, shows, parades, and any sing-along.

Skill Clown?? – Heck Yeah!! Writing Your Talents Into Your Act

A clown doesn’t always have to be funny, and everyone has a special skill, or two, or twelve. Sometimes it’s difficult to see how you can use your skills in a clown routine. In this class we'll work on finding ways to incorporate the skill you have so you can put it in front of an audience! We'll work together and even try out some bits and ideas to get a new perspective so you can bring the “Ta-Da!” as well as the “ha-ha” to your clowning.