175:, and horror that stem from watching flawed individuals alternately fail and succeed at their petty but all too human schemes. Mump and Smoot shows are said to seem so spontaneous that people sometimes forget that they are scripted and scrupulously directed. To obtain this effect, Kennard and Turner use an improvisational technique rooted in an art called
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Mump and Smoot live on the planet Ummo and worship the deity Ummo, as long as he might be responsive to their prayers. Their dialogue is in their native language of
Ummonian, which is nevertheless clear to the audience (who often play a part in the performance). They combine influences from sources
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Their early press defined them as horror clowns, a title they appreciated. Turner and
Kennard had been horror fans before they had met, and used that genre's techniques to make their clowning more exciting. In their writer's credo of the beliefs which informed their work, the strongest concept was
114:(Studio for Physical and Clown Exploration) in Toronto from 1997 through 2002, where they not only worked on their shows, but also taught clown and presented workshops, student theater, and other productions. Along with Hines, they continue to present workshops and courses in clown, movement, and
78:, La Jolla Playhouse, Dallas Theatre Centre, Baltimore Centre Stage, and Israeli and Palestinian festivals culminating with a joint workshop for Israelis and Palestinians together. In addition to theatre, Mump and Smoot have made numerous television appearances and two short films, including
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Kennard and Turner have also trained with movement coach Fiona
Griffiths and clown teacher Ian Wallace. Workshops with Philippe Gaulier in Bouffon and John Towsen in physical comedy have also been influential.
194:), played by Kennard, is the natural leader; authoritative, pompous, bullying, scheming and manipulative, alternately erupting in towering violent rages and completely collapsing from terror. Smoot (the
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The characters draw the audience in by directly interacting with them in a responsive manner, which may underline their haplessness at the whims of social pressure.
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205:) and sound effects providing an overall impression of a vast and uncaring universe inhabited by powers beyond the scale of mere Ummonians.
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Turner's home was destroyed by a fire on
January 4, 2014, which also destroyed his clown costumes, props, and records of past performances.
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30:. Also referred to as 'clowns of horror', they've produced interactive, improvisational plays aimed squarely at adult audiences.
198:), played by Turner, is the perpetual innocent; playful, childlike, silly, bullied by Mump but occasionally standing up to him.
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587:"Mump & Smoot live by clowns' laws ; Pair return to the stage with a new show drawn from their genre's traditions".
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in 2003, for
Outstanding Production and Best Direction (Hines) in the independent theatre division, and was nominated for a
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The plays occur in a world of surrealistic set design, with simple props combined with haunting and evocative music (by
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fear, which they've tried to explore throughout their partnership. This visceral excitement is balanced with comedy and
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356:"Mump and Smoot's comic fright delight; Toronto's terror clowns back in Vancouver to tickle your horror bone".
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with Hines and
Morrison around 2007, collaborating during vacations and through long-distance phone calls.
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in 2002, the duo retired the act for several years. They each taught clown, Turner at his "Clown Farm" on
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in the 1980s. Pochinko's style borrowed from many clowning traditions and other creativity sources.
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in northern
Ontario, and Kennard at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. They began working on
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throughout Canada, Off
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Mump and Smoot won for Best
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who served as a foil for the duo, while later shows replaced Wog with Zug, a
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899:"2003 Canadian Comedy Awards to be handed out at London comedy festival".
54:, who has directed all their shows. Kennard and Turner also studied under
649:"Call for Submissions (Alberta): Mump and Smoot archives and memorabilia"
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workshops, where they discovered a mutual talent for improvising with
775:"Creepy clowns kick off festival: Magnetic North opens with a bang".
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in 2000, Mump and Smoot won the award for Best Live
Performance for
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to elicit in their audience the peculiar mix of sympathy, empathy,
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760:"Kareda's Tarragon is the star at the Dora awards with 13 wins".
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duo created by Michael Kennard and John Turner, and directed by
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Outside their Mump and Smoot personae, Kennard and Turner ran
62:. On May 13, 1988, Mump and Smoot presented their first show,
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Their early shows often featured Debbie Tidy as Wog, an evil
877:. Toronto, Ontario: The Globe and Mail Inc. 7 April 2000.
798:. Calgary, Alberta: Postmedia Network Inc. 25 April 2011
460:
Mump and Smoot's Creators Discuss the Clowns of Horror
742:"Mump and Smoot in Something with Wog (Stage 6)".
623:"Death, torture – Mump and Smoot are just playing"
703:"Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Mump and Smoot"
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417:"High Performance Rodeo 2015: Mump & Smoot"
394:"Real terrors influence the clowns of horror".
85:The Fairy Who Didn't Want to Be a Fairy Anymore
792:"April 26 to May 15: Mump & Smoot Cracked"
507:"Mump and Smoot win the Canadian Comedy Award"
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423:. Calgary, Alberta: BeatRoute Magazine
531:Keevil, Genesee (28 September 2011).
441:"Contrary fairy tale is class work".
319:was nominated for Best Comedic Play.
7:
74:, associate artist positions at the
942:"Nominations & Awards Archives"
916:"Nominations & Awards Archives"
845:"Nominations & Awards Archives"
676:"Mump and Smoot gibber at the York"
457:Williams, Julia (19 January 2015).
948:from the original on 2 August 2018
922:from the original on 2 August 2018
881:from the original on 2 August 2018
851:from the original on 2 August 2018
463:. Calgary, Alberta: RedPoint Media
14:
967:"Mump and Smoot Win Comedy Award"
871:"Walsh, Mercer are comic royalty"
121:Following the successful tour of
58:in a new field of what he called
944:. Canadian Comedy Awards. 2015.
918:. Canadian Comedy Awards. 2003.
847:. Canadian Comedy Awards. 2000.
621:Lederman, Marsha (26 May 2010).
415:Wilton, Lisa (10 January 2015).
674:Kaye, Lincoln (29 April 2017).
701:Nothof, Anne (23 April 2014).
66:. Since then they have played
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1015:Canadian Comedy Award winners
825:. Vancouver, British Columbia
817:Quinn, Tiva (25 April 2017).
707:Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
682:. Vancouver, British Columbia
107:figure played by Rick Kunst.
709:. Athabasca University Press
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291:1st Canadian Comedy Awards
72:American Repertory Theater
38:Kennard and Turner met in
629:. The Globe and Mail Inc
605:Victoria Times-Colonist
312:for Best Comedic Play.
306:Dora Mavor Moore Awards
778:Waterloo Region Record
302:Mump and Smoot in Flux
300:Their 2002 production
266:Mump and Smoot in Flux
76:Yale Repertory Theater
973:, September 21, 2015.
902:Peterborough Examiner
339:Theatre of the Absurd
310:Canadian Comedy Award
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875:The Globe and Mail
823:ILiveInEastVan.com
748:, August 27, 1989.
733:, August 30, 1991.
680:Vancouver Observer
627:The Globe and Mail
608:, October 2, 2003.
565:, August 23, 1990.
559:"Caged with Wog".
16:Canadian clown duo
727:"Theatre notes".
655:. 10 January 2014
505:McKinnon, Donna.
362:, April 29, 2017.
127:Manitoulin Island
60:Canadian clowning
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485:|work=
224:The Dentist
212:Productions
156:I Love Lucy
80:Laurie Lynd
52:Karen Hines
44:Second City
42:in 1986 in
28:Karen Hines
999:Categories
952:21 October
926:21 October
855:21 October
537:Yukon News
345:References
334:Evil clown
190:Mump (the
145:including
140:Background
105:ringmaster
487:ignored (
477:cite book
230:Something
112:The SPACE
48:gibberish
946:Archived
920:Archived
879:Archived
849:Archived
686:10 April
542:10 April
516:10 April
467:10 April
323:See also
317:Anything
304:won two
278:Anything
829:4 April
802:4 April
713:4 April
633:4 April
427:4 April
329:Bouffon
295:Inferno
289:At the
272:Cracked
248:Pitooey
196:Auguste
131:Cracked
94:naiveté
40:Toronto
34:History
885:23 May
659:9 June
285:Awards
280:(2014)
274:(2010)
268:(2002)
262:(1998)
256:(1997)
250:(1995)
244:(1992)
238:(1990)
232:(1989)
226:(1989)
220:(1988)
167:, and
149:, the
254:Tense
242:Ferno
236:Caged
24:clown
954:2017
928:2017
887:2018
857:2017
831:2019
804:2019
715:2019
688:2019
661:2018
635:2019
544:2019
518:2019
489:help
469:2019
429:2019
192:Joey
123:Flux
82:'s
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