Some comments from people who have taken part in The Why Not Institute’s workshops and activities

‘Thanks for an unforgettable week. I had a fantastic time.’

‘I expected it to be very difficult. The truth was that the clown state was difficult for everyone. The emotions they convey are yours and they’re about you, no one else. Revealing them implies the removal of all the protective layers that have grown over your child state since you found the world wasn’t all benign and fun. You have to be brave to do that. The clown state is also incredibly fragile: you come out of it very easily. And the harder you try to create it, the more elusive it is. De Castro explained that she had discovered a few years ago that teaching was as much part of her mission as being a clown. We never once doubted how serious she was about this. She was very modest about her own abilities. She only showed a technique to help us understand, never as an opportunity to show off. But boy is she talented!’

‘Her [de Castro’s] emphasis on the theory felt exactly right. She spent a lot of time explaining the ideas behind clowning as well as her own discovery of it. It was very illuminating (and more effective than sticking on red noses and learning routines by heart).’

‘I wanted something new for me, an area of personal growth to develop, explore, to draw out this part of me.’

‘I enjoyed the focus of cultivating the ‘state of clowning’ as a major part of the course.’

‘I understood how charismatic the clown state can be – much more so than playing a persona that second guesses what your audience wants to see.’

‘I had a great and very rewarding week and wish that the Institute will grow and grow as it deserves to.’