CRISLETTER
#2
Photo by Take a Piq.
Hi there,
Welcome to my second Crisletter!
I’m happy you’re receiving this, mostly because it means the experiment continues, and I managed to stick with it for a second month.
I received some really nice reactions to the first one, including from people I hadn’t been in touch with for a while. It was great to reconnect, so please feel free to answer back!
A few people even told me it inspired them to start their own newsletter. If you’re thinking about doing the same and want to spar ideas, let me know.
Let’s see how this evolves.
For now, thanks again for being part of my artistic journey in one way or another, and happy reading, scanning, scrolling. (and click here to read the first Crisletter, in case you missed it.)
TWO ARTISTIC PROJECTS
Last month’s updates
PLEASER
I performed Pleaser twice in November. Both shows were work-in-progress performances within Circunstruction, the talent-development platform of Circusstad, who are supporting and co-producing the piece. I also had a great time working with Goos Meeuwsen, who helped me as an outside eye. He saw the first showing at De Landing in Amstelveen, then we worked together on it before presenting an updated version at Maaspodium in Rotterdam. I’m very happy with where the piece is heading, I am almost there. Excited to see where the next steps take me.
HEAVY META
I’m putting together an hour-long show based on my X-comedy material. The “X” stands for “I don’t really know what to call it yet,”. It’s a mix of self-referential/meta humor, clown energy, small-scale physical comedy, and creative audience interaction. The first longer try-out is on 6 December at Fijt en Fictie in Rotterdam, where I’ll do a 45-minute set. I am enjoying the writing of this one way more than what I have anticipated, although I’m looking forward to continuing working on it with a bit less time pressure. I also had the chance to do a coaching session with the legendary Al Lubel, where we sparred about the jokes, the structure, and the rhythm of the set.
AGENDA
Shows/spots I am in
6 DEC
Heavy Meta (work‑in‑progress), Fijt en Fictie, Het Klooster, Rotterdam
I just wrote a lot about it above, not much to add, aside from the fact that I am super happy to split the bill with the one and only Phoebe Perry!
13 DEC
Clown spot, De Grote Tavel Revue by Kelly and Dolly, Gent
Looking forward to this cabaret evening in Gent where I will be playing a dance/clown act connected to Pleaser.
INFO & TICKETS →
17 DEC
Standup comedy spot, Laugh Plug comedy, Mavis, Rotterdam
Last opportunity to test some jokes this year!
INFO & TICKETS →
ON MY RADAR
Shows I am planning to watch
11/12 » Home Alone by Big Game Comedy
This is going to be a fun one, with many friends involved : “Grab some eggnog, throw on a tacky sweater, and get ready to experience Home Alone like you’ve never seen it before!”
at Mezrab
Amsterdam
13/12 » Loud Whispers by Denden Karadeniz
Finally I am going back to see a dance performance! Very curious about the last work of DenDen: “A physical explosion full of struggle and desire. Hip hop meets modern dance, East meets West.”
at Theater Zuidplein
Rotterdam
16/12 » Urlaub by Urland
Finally I am going back to see a theater performance! It is one of the last occasions to see this revisitation of the show Urland first did 5 years ago. You can check their websites for more dates.
at Frascati
Amsterdam
20/12 » A story of Displacement by Panama Pictures
Finally I am going back to see a dance-circus performance! “In A story of displacement, we meet a group of people who've lost their way, searching for a familiar place, a home”.
at Theater Rotterdam
UPCOMING SESSIONS
Workshops/coaching I give and follow
4 & 11 December »
at Codarts Circus, Rotterdam
Floor acrobatics by me
In December I will give two more floor acrobatics classes as I am subbing for my friend Simon. I am really enjoying this, from the class preparation, to the actual sharing with very talented circus artists.
4 December »
at My studio, Rotterdam
Joke writing session
First time I am hosting a joke writing session at my studio. If you are a standup comedian and would like to join, write to me!
6 December »
at Roffa Funk Night, Rotterdam
Rocking workshop
Really hoping to make it to this one, as my rocking is very rusty and I would love to get better at it.
OTHER THINGS
GOOD READS
“Discovering the clown: the funny book of good acting” by Christopher Bayes.
As I’m diving deeper into clowning, I came across this relatively short guide. I definitely recommend it to anyone who spends time on a stage, even if you’re not into comedy at all. It’s full of little gems and fun exercises, and it helps demystify what it actually means to be on stage in a certain state of openness and vulnerability.
STICKER
I designed a sticker as a sort of business card/signup link for the Crisletter. This is the first prototype version, feel free to let me know any suggestions for the next version!
LINK TO STICKER →
PAST MONTH
Shows/spots I was in
Stand-up Comedy Open Mic
26/11 at Club Haug, Rotterdam
Prepared this one in a short amount of time but it ended up going very well, giving me some extra tested material for “Heavy meta”
Improvised solo and group dance performance at Call & Response
22/11 at Theater Zimich, Utrecht
I get the chance to improvise twice during this beautiful evening, once in a session with other dancers and a group of phenomenal musicians and singers and once solo in a session with a violinist and Sean on the vocals. During the event there were several rounds where members of the audience could participate in the improvisation by either dancing, playing an instrument or singing/spoken word. The atmosphere was quite magical. I wish there were more events like this one!
Stand-up Comedy Open Mic
19/11 at Club Haug, Rotterdam
This evening I did only new jokes, including the most complicated joke I have ever written and perhaps I will not tell ever again.
Pleaser (work‑in‑progress)
11/11 at Theatre De Landing,
Amstelveen
What was nice about this evening, aside from what I wrote already, is that each audience member has been given an A4 to give us artists some written feedback about the show. Very valuable! Jördis if you read this: thanks for all the support once again!
Standup comedy spot, Maccheroni comedy
08/11 at Bijbarba, Amsterdam
My first standup comedy set in Italian! Not much new material, mostly some jokes I did many times, translated in Italian. It went very well, apparently Italians applaude a lot.
Standup comedy spot, Oh my word comedy
06/11 at Bijbarba, Amstelveen
Did one of my longest jokes so far, even longer than the one of the 19th of November. And a joke about observations
Shows I watched
06/11
at Mezrab Alt Comedy night
Amsterdam
Silly Little Characters by Rory Marshall
I have never seen a solo sketch comedy show. It was a delight, Rory is very funny and very skilled, and left me with a wish to learn more about proper acting.
12/11
at Maaspodium
Rotterdam
The Circus double Bill with Alice Davis and Harvey Cobb
In this Circus night at Maaspodium I finally got the chance to watch the beautiful and intensively meditative Sustained by Alice, fellow Amsterdam Fringe maker, and the hilarious Pink Boots and An Alcoholic Sock Puppet by Harvey. Both shows are highly recommended!
09/11
Arnhem
Like a Clown by Goos en Helena
I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful and magical show. It was jam-packed with gags and hilarious moments, while taking us on a journey through different aspects of the clown. I also loved seeing Goos and Helena on stage. I had a coaching session with Goos couple of days before, so I found myself watching with a different eye and often thinking “Ah, that’s what he meant that time!”
05/11
at Podium Mozaik
Amsterdam
Befrdfgth by Dr. Brown
For a show with an unpronounceable title, I feel I can only write an unreadable comment Ididenjoyeditalotitwasadeliciousclownshowfnvuiefvb.
Past Sessions
Workshops, coaching, and learning moments I joined in November.
» Dance-Comedy Workshop by me, Call & Response, Utrecht
I had a great time with a group of 15 dancers, movers, and actors. We explored the relationship between movement and humor by finding different ways to integrate everyday gestures into our movement style, and by exploring the dynamic of laughter by recognition. Let me know if you’re interested in organizing one!
» 2x Floor Acrobatics classes by me, Codarts Circus, Rotterdam
I had my first two Floor Acrobatics classes at Codarts Circus with some very talented circus students. Looking forward to the ones in December.
» Danshuis session at Fenix, Rotterdam
Attended a session about the Danshuis project by Stichting Droom en Daad, focused on gathering input from Rotterdam’s dance freelancers community. Curious to see how it develops.
» Coaching by Shailesh Bahoran
Had a very funny session with Shai. We used the session to explore the relationship between humour and dance, and to reverse engineer some of the funny movements we already had to help me create a tool box for my Dance-Comedy method.
» Coaching by Goos Meeuwsen
I worked for four days with Goos on Pleaser. He helped me a lot bringing clarity to the piece, from dramaturgy and rhythm to finding silly gags and refining my clowning practice in general. Looking forward to working with him again.
» Coaching by Al Lubel
Had a very productive coaching session via zoom with Al, iconic New York based comedian with an “alternative” standup comedy style which I feel a lot of admiration, fascination and connection to.
Closing words
Thanks a lot for reading,or scrolling, or skimming, all the way here.Since this is my last Crisletter before the winter holidays, I already want to wish you a wonderful holiday period and a happy new year!
Till the next Crisletter!
(short for Cristian and Cris)