David Shiner (clown)
Encyclopedia
David Shiner is an American actor
, clown
, playwright
and theater director.
Shiner was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Francis Shiner, a computer programmer, and a homemaker mother. The lanky Shiner, usually donning a small dunce cap, started as a street mime, first in Colorado
, and later in France
and Germany
. He managed to get multiple gigs with various circuses, including performances with the German Circus Roncalli
and the Swiss National Circus (Circus Knie
). In between he toured performing a dual act with René Bazinet.
From 1990 he was featured in Cirque du Soleil
's production Nouvelle Expérience
, touring for 19 months through Canada and the USA and playing for another year in Las Vegas. With his antics, including stepping through, on and over much of the crowd and the staging of a mock silent-movie melodrama with four members of the audience, he may be the best-remembered of the Cirque's clowns.
The production was filmed for HBO and Shiner's popularity rendered him film roles as a clown in Lorenzo's Oil
and as straight man to Bill Irwin
in Sam Shepard
's Silent Tongue
. He and Irwin then created the two-man, wordless show Fool Moon, featuring music by the Red Clay Ramblers
, which had also performed in Silent Tongue. This "evening of inspired lunacy" ran from 1992 to 1999, including three separate runs at Broadway
. The show won a special Tony
for "Live Theatrical Presentation" in 1999, a Drama Desk Award
for Unique Theatrical Experience, and an Outer Critics Circle
"Special Achievement" Award.
In 2000 he initiated the role of Cat in the Hat, the host and guide of the Broadway stage musical Seussical
. Later he toured Europe and Seattle with his shows David Shiner in the Round and Drop Everything. Shiner, who lives in Germany, has further made several appearances on The Tonight Show and is a guest director at the Wintergarden Theatre
in Berlin
and the Apollo Theatre in Düsseldorf
. He has mentored and guest directed for LILALU
, a German youth circus program.
In 2007, Shiner wrote and directed Cirque du Soleil
's touring production Koozå
, using such performers as Gordon White, Jason Berrent
, Stephan Laundry, Michael Halvarson, Joshua Zehner and Christian Fitzherris for the original cast.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and theater director.
Shiner was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Francis Shiner, a computer programmer, and a homemaker mother. The lanky Shiner, usually donning a small dunce cap, started as a street mime, first in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, and later in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He managed to get multiple gigs with various circuses, including performances with the German Circus Roncalli
Circus Roncalli
Circus Roncalli is a German circus founded in 1976 by Bernhard Paul and André Heller. According to Bernhard Paul, the name was inspired by a film script of his fellow Austrian Peter Hajek, "Sarah Roncalli, Tochter des Mondes"...
and the Swiss National Circus (Circus Knie
Circus Knie
Circus Knie is the largest circus of Switzerland, based in Rapperswil.The circus was founded in 1803 by the Knie family and has existed in its present form since 1919 when it changed from an open arena to a covered tent. The circus has been long famous for its animals and now operates a zoo and a...
). In between he toured performing a dual act with René Bazinet.
From 1990 he was featured in Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
's production Nouvelle Expérience
Nouvelle Experience
Nouvelle Expérience was Cirque du Soleil's fourth touring circus show, which premiered in 1990. The show's tour ended in 1993 in The Mirage parking lot in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 1.3 million people saw the production during its 3½-year run.-Cast:...
, touring for 19 months through Canada and the USA and playing for another year in Las Vegas. With his antics, including stepping through, on and over much of the crowd and the staging of a mock silent-movie melodrama with four members of the audience, he may be the best-remembered of the Cirque's clowns.
The production was filmed for HBO and Shiner's popularity rendered him film roles as a clown in Lorenzo's Oil
Lorenzo's Oil
Lorenzo's Oil is a 1992 drama film directed by George Miller. It is based on a true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, two parents in a relentless search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's adrenoleukodystrophy...
and as straight man to Bill Irwin
Bill Irwin
William Mills "Bill" Irwin is an American actor and clown noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He is known for his vaudeville-style stage acts, but has made a number of appearances on film and television and won a Tony Award for a dramatic role on...
in Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
's Silent Tongue
Silent Tongue
Silent Tongue is a Western written and directed by Sam Shepard. It was filmed in Spring 1992, but not released until 1994. It was filmed near Roswell, New Mexico and features Richard Harris, Sheila Tousey, Alan Bates, Dermot Mulroney and River Phoenix....
. He and Irwin then created the two-man, wordless show Fool Moon, featuring music by the Red Clay Ramblers
Red Clay Ramblers
The Red Clay Ramblers are a North Carolina-based band founded in Durham, North Carolina, performing continuously since their formation in 1972. The original members include Tommy Thompson , Bill Hicks and Jim Watson...
, which had also performed in Silent Tongue. This "evening of inspired lunacy" ran from 1992 to 1999, including three separate runs at Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. The show won a special Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for "Live Theatrical Presentation" in 1999, a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Unique Theatrical Experience, and an Outer Critics Circle
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
"Special Achievement" Award.
In 2000 he initiated the role of Cat in the Hat, the host and guide of the Broadway stage musical Seussical
Seussical
is a musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty based on the books of Dr. Seuss that debuted on Broadway in 2000. The play's story is a rather complex amalgamation of many of Seuss's most famous books. After a Broadway run, the production spawned two US national tours and a UK tour...
. Later he toured Europe and Seattle with his shows David Shiner in the Round and Drop Everything. Shiner, who lives in Germany, has further made several appearances on The Tonight Show and is a guest director at the Wintergarden Theatre
Berlin Wintergarten theatre
The Berlin Wintergarten theatre was a large variety theatre in Berlin that opened in approximately 1887 and was destroyed by bombs in June 1944. The name was eventually taken on by a theatre in Potsdamer Strasse in 1992....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and the Apollo Theatre in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. He has mentored and guest directed for LILALU
LILALU
LILALU is a non-profit youth education and circus organization based in Munich, Germany. It was founded in 1983 by Anna Seliger.The organization organizes educational and artistic activities and holiday programs for children, adolescents and families in Bavaria...
, a German youth circus program.
In 2007, Shiner wrote and directed Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
's touring production Koozå
Koozå
Koozå is a touring circus production by Cirque du Soleil which premiered in Montréal, Canada, in 2007. The show was written and directed by David Shiner, who had previously worked as a clown in Cirque du Soleil's production of Nouvelle Expérience...
, using such performers as Gordon White, Jason Berrent
Jason Berrent
Jason Berrent is an American actor and performer mostly known for his work with Cirque du Soleil. Grandson of decorated United States Army Gen...
, Stephan Laundry, Michael Halvarson, Joshua Zehner and Christian Fitzherris for the original cast.