Q&A With Nicole Borbone

Nicole Borbone is a New York City-based actor and graduate of Fordham University's Theatre Performance program who also holds an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU. Her diverse training includes Commedia dell'Arte and cirque performance in Tuscany, which fuels her passion for physical comedy and clowning. An accomplished actor, choreographer, and arts educator, Nicole has worked on a variety of projects—from critically acclaimed haunted houses to new play workshops—and has taught physical theatre and dance at institutions across New York. We're thrilled she now shares her passion and expertise as a founding teaching artist here at Fair Playhouse.

A core principle of Fair Playhouse is adapting our curriculum each semester to the group of kids in front of us. What does this look like in your classes?

We decided to call our classes Movement & Physical Theatre because its main objective is to focus on acting from the outside in, rather than teaching dance technique or skills. Many students take outside dance classes and have a strong background in it, while others do not. We at Fair Playhouse are more interested in teaching how to help students get into their bodies and feel comfortable utilizing them in their performance studies. We want students to be able to use their bodies and physicality to truthfully drop into a character and tell a story.Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

You are a professional clown! How do you utilize clowning in movement? Why is clowning so important to theater education?

am! I utilize clowning throughout all of my movement classes in order to help the students learn to create characters through heightened physicality and emotional stasis. It breaks down that perfect “I’m a serious” actor wall a lot of us have built up and allows for silliness to take hold and tell a different, equally as vulnerable story. Clowning encourages students’ confidence and self-esteem while strengthening their listening and communication skills through fostering their innate love of play. My students have loved opening up their imagination and diving into the world of the clown to develop these unique physical theater skills.

A core principle of Fair Playhouse is adapting our curriculum each semester to the group of kids in front of us. What does this look like in your classes?

At the beginning of each semester, I always start with a mixture of games and diagnostic activities that give me an idea of the students in my classes. We are so fortunate to have taught so many of the same kiddos for years and to continuously be bringing in new kids as well. So, while some of my classes know my bag of tricks; every year the dynamic is different and it’s so important to find the vibe of the group in the first few sessions. I always see what the classes will benefit most from in that particular year whether it’s clowning, devising, nonverbal scenes, etc. and plan from there. If there is a quieter group, I try to focus on clowning to break them out of their shells and get them to play. If there is a more outgoing group, I try to focus on storytelling utilizing only their bodies.

You are a professional clown! How do you utilize clowning in movement? Why is clowning so important to theater education?

I am! I utilize clowning throughout all of my movement classes in order to help the students learn to create characters through heightened physicality and emotional stasis. It breaks down that perfect “I’m a serious” actor wall a lot of us have built up and allows for silliness to take hold and tell a different, equally as vulnerable story. Clowning encourages students’ confidence and self-esteem while strengthening their listening and communication skills through fostering their innate love of play. My students have loved opening up their imagination and diving into the world of the clown to develop these unique physical theater skills.