Help Send Lucy to Clown School

Hello!

I hope that life is treating you like a well fed cat on a sunny afternoon.

It is with quite a lot of reluctance and embarrasment that I am writing this message, but I need your help.

At school I always believed that I would achieve great things, be enormously fantstically and wonderfully successful; I wasn't entirely sure how, where or when, but I was always confident that I would succeed.  18 years later, I still believe and I think I might have finally figured out exactly what I might be successful at - phew!

Through a process of trial; trying pretty much every job under the sun, and error; deciding in succession that no, social work, working in schools, working in the media, working in prisons, for international charities, as a spy, a gerbil counsellor, none of these was the job for me. Happily after 16 years I have finally hit the jack pot!

I ran away with the circus; obviously! The Invisible Circus.

My life as a performer started when I tremulously walked on stage to address a baying crowd as The Bearded Lady, who as it turned out was a fearsome compere with a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue. Soiled bloomers aside it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! As things do, one thing led to another and now I happily scrape a living from my performance escapades, working as a compere and character performer for pretty much anyone who'll have me.

I love performing, there's no other way of saying it; I've found the thing I've been searching for, something I feel really passionate about, something I think I'm good at.  Now I've had a taste I want more - much more. I want to write my own stand up show, I want to make my own theatre, I want to tour my work. I want to produce theatre that makes people howl with laughter, makes people sob with despair, makes people darn well think, even if it's just for a second. I want to make theatre with vulnerable people, for vulnerable people.

But how do I do this? Where do I start? It all feels a bit overwhelming and scary. At the moment I'm a good performer but I'm not very confident and I have no idea where to start in making my own work. I have tried and tried but I get stuck and overwhelmed and I find this incredibly frustrating. I have decided I need professional help.

There is an incredible man called Philippe Gaulier. He runs a highly respected physical theatre school in Etampe just south of Paris. Sadly there are no schools like this in the UK, although it is exciting to think that I will have the opportunity to live in France.

I have chosen a lifestyle where the financial gains aren't great. I have been working hard to try to save the course fees of £15000 but so far my savings fall woefully short. I am in the process of applying for funding, looking in to career developmet loans and selling everything I own but I am worried that I won't raise the cash I need before term starts in October. Aswell as the course fees I always need to be able to sustain myself in one of the most exepnsive cities in Europe.

I feel selfish and silly asking you to help me to achieve my dreams when there are so many things that need your money more, but I want this so much and it would mean the world to me if you were able to support me in any small (or humoungously large) way.

I am confident that if I can spend 2 years under Philippe's tutelage then I will almost certainly go on to live my dream of making amazing theatre that both you and I will enjoy and be proud of.

If, as I think it will, this experience changes and enriches my life, I promise I will take what I learn to enrich and transform other peoples lives through the power of inspirational theatre...and if you help me in my mission you are guaranteed free entry to all of my shows, forever!

Thank you for taking the time to read my plea.

Much love for your wonderful face.

Miss Juicy Lucy Face