Help Preserve a 40-Year Canadian Clown Legacy Before It’s Lost

For 40 years, John has quietly shaped a generation of Canadian artists through his unique Canadian/Pochinko based approach to clown and performance.

Now, at 70, the planets have aligned:

The studio is booked.

The class sold out in 24 hours.

The awesome documentary team is ready.

We’re going to document it—before it’s too late.

What’s Happening

This October, in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, we have a rare opportunity to film the experience of the core training, Mask and Clown Intensive (“Baby Clown”).

This session is different, because we are capturing it through “Teachers Perspective”. The result will be an in depth video of all of the exercises, interviews, and discussions with John and the 20 other practitioners and teachers, as well as a printed Teachers Guide.

For years, John has wanted to document this work—but filming hasn’t been possible without disrupting it. “Baby Clown”, depends on full immersion. Introducing cameras can interfere with that process.

“Teacher’s Perspective” brings together participants from all over the world who have already completed the prerequisite training. That allows the work to be enacted, and discussed on camera, without compromising the experience.

This creates a real opportunity to document and share this uniquely Canadian methodology beyond the room.

Why This Matters

For decades, this work has lived almost entirely off-camera.

John has spent over ten-thousand hours teaching a deeply human approach to performance. Focused on vulnerability, creativity, and connection, impacting thousands of students across Canada.

But outside the room, it’s nearly invisible.

If we don’t capture it now, it may be lost, simply because it’s never been documented.

As John puts it:

“ I’ve been very fortunate to have a wonderful career and this is the last thing on my bucket list.”

Proven Impact

38 years of teaching

10,000+ hours of instruction over 100 Baby Clown workshops

Thousands of students around the world

October session sold out in 24 hours

There is real demand for this work—this film will make it accessible beyond the room. The goal is to create both an educational resource and a documentary for festival release.

Where Your Support Goes

We’re raising $25,000 by August 1st to make this film possible:

Filming & sound: $8,000

Editing & post-production: $7,000

Travel & accommodation: $5,000

Studio & equipment: $3,000

Teachers Guide: $2,000

Every dollar helps ensure this work is captured and shared with care.

Help Make It Happen

If this matters to you, please donate today and share this with someone who believes in supporting the ongoing growth and efforts of Canadian artists.

This is about more than a film.

It’s about continuing the conversation of Canadian practice which has touched multiple lives and ensuring we have a solid foundation from which to grow and evolve the clown work through future generations.

We have one chance to capture it.

Help us make sure it isn’t lost.

— The Clown Farm Doc Team & John Turner

Find out more: http://www.theclownfarm.com/

https://johnwturner.ca/