Trickster

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If there is anything I learned from my time spent with Trickster, it is that Trickster defies definition. Trickster, the play, like Trickster, the mythological figure, constantly subverts expectation. In the stories, Trickster shifts shapes, genders, and paradigms in order to follow their own whims. Their approach to existence is amoral and non-binary, both transgressing and blurring existing boundaries. The results are not about good or bad, but disruption for disruption’s sake. Everytime I thought I understood who Trickster was or what this play was about, I was confronted with something that completely contradicted my conception. As our dramaturg, Jess Esa, aptly put it, “it’s never been an easy show to put into words.” So, instead of leaning on a clearly defined dramaturgy, I learned early in the process that I could only follow Trickster’s instinctual rhythms to bring this play to life. What does that mean? I’m still not sure I know…

The philosopher, Bayo Akomolafe, said, “The trickster is the anthropomorphized energy of a universe that has never been at home with itself. The universe is constantly at odds with its own self…the work of the trickster is to think between the lines.” As world citizens in the year 2025 we are engulfed from many angles in this universal conflict. Trickster is not a figure that we look to for answers, but in the wake of Trickster we have an invitation to ask new questions. 

Thank you for being here! I’m so grateful to share this work with you. And thank you to my amazing cast and team of collaborators who brought so much talent, intelligence and soul to this process!

Sarah Painter, director

Cast

Creative Team

Meet the Company

Colin Coughlin

Ensemble

Colin Coughlin (he/him) is a comedian and actor. Most recently, he debuted his first solo show, A Moment to Spare, directed by David Bridel at the Elysian Theater. He would like to thank the cast and crew for making this whole experience so wonderful and YOU for being here.

Joyce Ha

Ensemble

Joyce Ha is a Korean-American artist and clown. She received her BFA from ArtCenter College of Design and has since expanded her storytelling through performance. Her illustration work often lives where the absurd and tender meet, a world she’s thrilled to embody with The Clown School Company. She can be seen in her latest on screen feature Waiting for the Light to Change by Linh Tran now streaming on Amazon and Apple TV, as well as creating impromptu shows with clown ensembles.

Michael Lyons

Ensemble

Michael Lyons is an LA-based actor-writer-producer, originally from Staten Island, NY. He’s studied acting, clown, improv, singing, and musical theater in LA, most intensively at Berg Studios, The Clown School, The Groundlings, and USC. He appeared in the festival-award-winning “You Missed a Spot” (Dir. Liam Walsh), portraying a mime in a clown universe, and a neurotic hopeless romantic in the queer short film “Polywood” (Dir. Alessio Mineo). As a writer, he’s studied at Writing Pad, Idiot Workshop, and with decorated multihyphenate Ann Noble. In 2022, Michael premiered his original one-man show “Dickin’ Around” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, winning “Pick of the Fringe”. He’s also been cast in stage productions with IAMA Theatre Co and Echo Theater Co. As a producer, he’s worked on Hollywood Fringe shows, staged play readings, and variety shows. Michael is also a licensed occupational therapist, now working in medical technology, and allows those experiences to thoroughly inform and inspire his creative work.

Ariel Timmons

Ensemble

Ariel Timmons (she/her) completed her training in theater at UCLA and the Guildford School of Acting, and has studied in the Clown Series with David Bridel. She is thrilled to keep exploring this world where humor, honesty, and heart collide. Ariel is endlessly grateful to her friends and community for their unwavering support which has remained a constant, and to acting and clowning for reminding her that life is a playground.

Arrow Schulman

Ensemble

Arrow Schulman (they/them) is thrilled to be part of the Trickster team! They are an actor, director, clown and storyteller, and always happiest when they're in the theatre. Arrow is also the founder and artistic director of Living Room Shakespeare, which creates intimate, micro-scale productions of classical works in non traditional spaces. Most recently, they appeared as Richard II and Macbeth with LRS; recent directing credits include associate directing A Kind of Electra and Harriet, Alone with The Clown School Company. Arrow received a BA in Theatre from Northwestern University and also trained with The Clown School and Dell’Arte International. Check out their work at LivingRoomShakespeare.com!

Sebastien Siclait

Ensemble

Sebastien Siclait is a Los Angeles-based writer and performer. He studied theater and computer science at Columbia University in NYC, where he started improvising with UCB. He's also trained with The Groundlings and The Clown School. You can find him improvising at UCB on Monday nights with his team, tattletale, or around town with his indie team, Garage. He would like to thank Sarah, David, the crew, the cast, his fiancee Moira, his dog Oliver and the audience for making this whole funny, emotional and inspiring experience possible!

Sarah Painter

Director

Sarah Painter (she/her) has been working in the theater for the last 25 years. She started her career performing and devising plays in New York’s experimental downtown theater venues: SOHO Rep, Dixon Place, Richard Foreman’s Theater and Bushwick Starr. Most recently in Los Angeles, she performed with Living Room Shakespeare as Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) and Henry Bolingbroke (Richard II), as well as devising shows with various clown ensembles. She produced The Clown School Company’s production A Kind of Electra. She received a BFA in Acting at University of Maryland Baltimore County, MSW at University of Southern California and Clown Cred from The Clown School.

Tiffany Elle

Producer

For The Clown School Company: A Kind of Electra (Los Angeles, Edmonton). On screen, Tiffany has been in Better Things, The High Note, and lots of commercials. You can also find her in Los Angeles’s cutest bouffon troupe, iL Fungo.

Jessika Pilkes

Art Director

Jesse’s childhood in NYC and early exposure to Cirque du Soleil were formative to her creative journey and love for wonder and whimsy. Jesse graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she studied screenwriting and film directing and went on to earn a best director award from the Director’s Guild of America for her vintage circus themed short film. While living in Hong Kong and working as a photographer and videographer for cultural travel companies, Jesse traveled to over thirty countries, throughout Asia, Northern Africa and Central America, capturing the essence of diverse cultures and deepening her affinity for visual story-telling and world building. In addition to costuming, Jesse is currently writing, directing and choreographing clown foolery. Previously for The Clown School Company she designed costumes for A Kind of Electra.

Camille Roberts

Lighting Designer

Camille Roberts is an LA based lighting designer. She has had the privilege to design for a multitude of productions, including iLuminate at the STRAT Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and a variety of dance festivals across southern California (camillerobertsdesign.com). Additionally, she has worked as a lighting technician on many shows, including Comet / Poppea at MOCA, When We Were Young Festival, EDC Las Vegas, Countdown, and many others. Camille is very excited to be working on this production, and hopes that you enjoy it as much as she does!

David Bridel

Script/Producer

David is the Founding and Artistic Director of The Clown School and The Clown School Company. He has worked as a director, playwright, choreographer, and teacher of clown, physical theater and acting in many venues and many countries for many years.

Steve Dukeheart

Music Composer and Performer

Steve Dukeheart is a Los Angeles based musician, songwriter, and performance artist. He’s been a student and performer at the Clown School since 2021. An alumnus of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Steve writes, records music, and performs in his own group “Song Lab”, an experimental multimedia rock band. He lives in Eagle Rock with his wife Courtney, daughters Joy and Ivy, and cats Caystro and Penelope. For more information about Steve and his work visit www.thesonglab.net.

Jess Esa

Dramaturg

Jess Esa (They/Them) is a theatre artist and photographer from the UK. They have an MA in English Literature from The University of Exeter specializing in the Gothic, melodrama, and folk tales, and is thrilled to be contributing to Trickster. Their most recent acting roles include Antonio in The Tempest (Revelry Theatre Group), Issac in Family Dinner (AnyWay Production Co), and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Living Room Shakespeare). They’re currently working on The Road to Mantua, an original, devised play premiering in 2026. Check out their photography at jesaphotography.com

Harold Nieves Fisch

Videographer

Harold Abraham Nieves Fisch is an actor, writer, and director best known for his standout performances in television series such as The Cleaning Lady (FOX), Snowfall (FX), and The Leftovers (HBO), as well as the acclaimed short film Tejano Night. In 2019, Harold made his directorial debut with Muerte, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival. His latest directorial endeavor, What Washes Ashore, has garnered critical acclaim on the festival circuit, winning multiple awards at the Austin Arthouse Festival and the Cine Las Americas Festival. Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, just ten miles from the Mexican border, Harold is the son of a nurse midwife and a pediatrician. He later earned degrees in Rhetoric and Writing from the University of Texas at Austin. His professional acting career took root in the Austin theater scene, where he earned acclaim for his performances in productions like The Pillowman with the University Theater Guild. In 2019, he starred in the original production of Will Arbery's Plano with the Paper Chairs Theater Company.

Stefan Rambousek

Art Director

Stefan Rambousek is a world-builder and place-maker with a passion for visual storytelling. Born and raised in orderly Switzerland with a boyhood dream to run away with the circus, Stefan pursued a career in Production Design. With aim to make the world a happier place, he creates captivating immersive environments and designs fantastical theme park attractions around the globe. An introverted designer turned outgoing world wanderer, Stefan is most inspired by foreign lands and diverse cultures. Equal parts pragmatic thing-builder and daydreaming escape-artist, he is a wayfarer at heart and an outdoor enthusiast who loves to call the world’s most bustling cities ‘home’. Thanks to his recent affiliation with the Clown School Company, Stefan is excited to bring his passion for creating the extraordinary to yet-uncharted territory: the stage.

Laura Lineback

Poster Design/Production Assistant

Laura Lineback is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist with an MFA from Syracuse University. Though classically trained in oil painting, her work spans visual art, music, and performance, often exploring themes of connection and transformation. Laura loves exploring clown and her ongoing work with The Clown School, where she recently portrayed Pantalone in the Commedia dell’arte production Torn Asunder. She’s grateful to be part of the Trickster team, designing a poster that captures the spirit of the play.

M. Deegan

Production Assistant

M. Deegan is a playwright and performer who delights in creating new work through the power of play; taught playwriting with Playwrite Inc.in Portland, OR (see playwriteinc.org); studied playwriting under Suzan-Lori Parks and Erik Ehn at CalArt ; produced original plays in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Proud to be part of The Clown School.

Maxx President

Production Assistant

Maxx President is an undergraduate Illustration student at CalState University Long Beach and is fairly new the world of clowning. She's currently enrolled at the Clown School learning under David Bridel and is excited to be a part of such a talented community of performers and joy-makers.

Multimedia

Thank you for attending this performance of Trickster. If you enjoyed it, please spread the word.

The Clown School Company was formed in 2024. Its inaugural production, A Kind of Electra, was performed in Los Angeles and at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in Canada to 5 star reviews. The Company fuses talent from The Clown School, one of LA's hubs for study of clowning and the physical theater arts, with David Bridel's acting studio. The Clown School Company will be back in 2026 with The Idiot's Paradise and other productions.

If you would like to become involved with The Clown School Company, in creative, technical, producing, or supporting capacities, or if you are interested in underwriting our work, please email company@theclownschool.com

For more on The Clown School, visit www.theclownschool.com

Special thanks: The Stomping Ground, Kate Mason, Felicia St Cyr, Dana Story @ The Industry Loft

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