Comedians have been paying tribute to Philippe Gaulier, the famous founder of the French clown school, whose former pupils range from Sacha Baron Cohen and Emma Thompson to Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Philip Burgers, who performed as Dr Brown. Other acclaimed performers who trained with him include Natalie Palamides and Elf Lyons (pictured), who has just announced her new show she will be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, Elf Lyons Is Woman on the Edge.
Gaulier's methods were controversial and often confrontational. Lyons wrote of working with Gaulier in 2022: "“Asparagus, your problem is that you try too hard to be nice. To be liked. It is not beautiful. I want to see you being a bitch. I want to see you enjoy being a bitch.” This was something I had never been told to do. I had been told to play nice, be polite, be pretty.
One day we were told to be “bastards in power”."
Alexis Dubus, who plays gallic character Marcerl Lucont, wrote on Facebook today: "Just heard about the passing of Philippe Gaulier, what a brilliant and fascinating man he was. I trained with him for a month in the summer of 2015 at his now-legendary clown school on the outskirts of Paris.
It was a properly unforgettable experience, being eloquently insulted many times over on a daily basis while trying to navigate often impossible tasks. I know the whole experience sounds like absolute hell to a lot of people, but at the heart of it all was play - life is a game that often makes no sense, and here we were holding a mirror up to that and absolutely indulging in the game.
It could be painfully intense at times, especially with him staring at you with that steely gaze (fixed point!), but the things he got out of people could be magical and transformative. The respect he had for stagecraft and theatrical traditions shone through and his stories of touring the world and training under Lecoq were a wonderful way to wind down those frenetic sessions.
He would relish the creation of something beautiful every bit as much as someone crashing and burning trying to achieve it (though the latter was far more common). Absurd beauty was what he strived for and what he instilled into so many performers, who have taken that ethos out into the world to create unforgettable shows and experiences.
This is one of my favourite photos, snapped during a session in that summer of 2015.
Philippe, your work carries on, may you continue to haunt your students' dreams and nightmares."
Sally Phillips added on Instagram: "Ah Philippe. I owe you an incalculable debt. You freed me to love my job and every time I step on set I notice how much I love it, how much I’m looking forward to playing because you showed us how. You taught me to be proud or at least accept that I was an idiot not a fine artist “you sink you are so clever, you sink you are Simone de Beauvoir but you are SO stupide - “oh look at er stupide joy! When you are this stupide then you are beautiful” to love love love connecting with others “oo want to go on oliday wiv er no-one!” to be ok with bad feedback ‘oo want to ave sex wiv er no-one-you are boy scout ees disgusting this play ees orrible you mus do less and less and less until you die’.
He was much more than a clown teacher - I particularly loved studying Chekov and Shakespeare with him - but oh what a clown teacher he was. I did a year with him in London, then used to go back every five to be insulted for a month until he stopped offering courses that way. Happiest day of my life returning in 1995 “Ah, Sally! At last, you are not boering”. I have been thinking of going back to thank him and no doubt collect some more insults . I’ve left it too late. Merci, Philippe, there was no-one like you. Arms around the Gaulierini today."
Jaz Mattu said: "“He was so calm in giving me advice, even if it was him mainly saying ‘standup is a load of shit’ to me. He taught me to be friends with failure and I will always have his lessons.”
Director Cal McCrystal wrote on Facebook: "I am sad to report that Philippe Gaulier died last night after a long illness. It is impossible to overestimate the influence and inspiration this wonderful teacher has given to theatre - and comedy in particular. My life was changed when I first studied with him in 1998 and I was lucky to enjoy a deep and lasting friendship with him. My condolences go to his wife Michiko and sons Balthazar & Samuel."
Charmian Hughes wrote: "Philippe Gauliere RIP
It was mid 1980’s, and I had just left my proper job to give performing a go, when I enrolled (rather prematurely) in Philippe Gauliere’s two week workshop at Goldsmiths. Donna Wilder, the Millies, Ben Keaton, who’d go on to win the very next Perrier, all attended.
Every morning Monica Pagneaux warmed us up with joyful exercises to get us tender and vulnerable for the dark clown master. Theatre de Complicite ‘s (Perrier winners 1985) founders Simon McBurney, Marcello Magni, Annabelle Arden And Hans(?) did the translating, while P Gaulier said menacing sounding things in French and drank red wine: ‘philippe says you are shit. Next!’
For the approval whore and people pleaser that I was then, it was a (v expensive) hell on earth. A fortnight of humiliation and confusion that took years to marinate into some kind of Understanding of what he meant.
I am forever grateful to his gentler student teachers like Mick Barnfarther who shared the wisdom but not the PTSD.
For those who ‘got him’ the prizes have been amazing; just look at the bios of Edinburgh Award winners and you will find his name everywhere."
Performer Ben Keaton, who won The Perrier Award in 1986, wrote: "I'm hugely saddened to hear of the death of Philippe Gaulier. At the same time I've been laughing retelling stories of my time studying with him in London and Paris. He was one of the biggest influences in my life. Not just my acting and comedy but his view of the world. An exciting and challenging man who saw humanity as a superpower. His influence will be felt for decades to come. Thank you Monsieur Gaulier. Suivant."
