OUR INSTRUCTORS
Meet Our Masters of Merriment & Mayhem!
At Coney Island Clown Skool, we believe that the best way to learn the art of clowning is from the very best in the business—and that’s exactly who you’ll find leading our workshops! Our instructors are professional, working clowns with extensive experience in circus, theater, vaudeville, puppetry, physical comedy, and more. From seasoned slapstick specialists to masterful mime artists, each instructor brings their unique expertise and passion to help students develop their own comedic voice.
Whether you dream of dazzling on the big top stage, entertaining audiences as a street performer, or simply honing your ability to captivate and connect through comedy, our instructors will guide you every step of the way. With decades of experience making audiences laugh around the world, they’re here to share their knowledge, challenge your creativity, and ensure you leave Clown Skool with a big red nose and an even bigger skillset!
The Incredible Minds of 2025
Tyler Bunch
Tyler Bunch is an American puppeteer, puppet designer, director, actor, and voice actor who has been performing with Sesame Workshop since 1993. In addition to his work with the Jim Henson Company since 1997, he has created and performed puppets for PBS, Nickelodeon, and Disney's The Muppets Studio. He has acted in off-Broadway productions, multiple commercials, and has made appearances on The Tick on Amazon, Uncoupled on Netflix, and Search Party on HBO Max. Tyler portrays Elmo’s Dad, Louie.
Becky Baumwoll
In 2011, Becky Baumwoll founded Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) where she serves as BKBX's Artistic and Executive Director, as well as BKBX Education co-lead and performing company member. In 2023, she launched PhysFestNYC, a community-based, values-led festival for physical theaters. Her work with BKBX serves as an ongoing artistic home and beloved ensemble playspace.
Hilary Chaplain
Drawing inspiration from clown theatre, movement, objects and puppetry, Hilary has been creating solo and ensemble work for the past 40 years. Hilary entertained children in NYC hospitals as “Nurse Nice” of the renowned Big Apple Circus Hospital Clown Program® (since 1987) and is a founding member of the New York Goofs, a clown ensemble created in 1996. She has performed and taught worldwide in over 20 countries and 5 continents. She is currently in development with a new show called BITE ME! with CB Goodman and Aitor Basauri.
Christina Gelsone
Christina Gelsone is an internationally beloved wordless clown and mask performer. With her late husband and clown partner Seth Bloom, she toured the world with their acclaimed shows Air Play, Waterbombs!, and Madame & Monsieur. She has headlined at the Big Apple Circus, performed in over 40 countries, and even appeared on a postage stamp. She has worked extensively in post-conflict zones including Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Egypt, and taught acrobatics for girls in Afghanistan. She continues to make new silent comedy for international audiences.
Jeff Gordon
From the bright lights of Broadway to a dilapidated amusement park in Bangkok; from a movie set on a Caribbean cruise ship to a pediatric AIDS unit in a South Bronx Hospital; and from the Big Apple Circus tent at Lincoln Center to the People's Gymnasium in Tianjiin, China, Jeffrey Gordon's 25-year career as Clown Gordoon has taught him that shared laughter is a celebration of being human.
Glen Heroy
Glen Heroy is an actor, clown, singer, spoon player, celebrity tribute artist, and Santa Claus. He was a clown doctor on the pediatric floors of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and was a clown in residence at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Glen was a featured clown in the 2008-2009 tour of the Big Apple Circus and was featured prominently in the documentary CIRCUS on PBS. He is on the faculty of the Academy Of Clown Arts and is the founding director of the Coney Island Clown Skool.
Joel Jeske
Joel Jeske is a physical comedian, director, teacher, experimental clown and clown historian who helped create and star in multiple productions of The Big Apple Circus. He has also created clown acts for Ringling Bros/Barnum & Bailey and Cirque Du Soleil. He co-starred with Peter Shub at the Apollo Variete/Dusseldorf, headlined Festival Der Traume in Austria, and was most recently seen in his one-man show, “The Artist Will Be With You In A Moment”. Joel is the associate artistic director of the Drama Desk-nominated Parallel Exit.
Matt Mitler
Matt Mitler has been performing, directing, and teaching internationally for over 50 years. His work has been featured at major festivals like Le Festival Mondial du Théâtre and the International Festival of Fools. With roots in both therapeutic study (including training with R.D. Laing and Carl Rogers) and experimental theatre (with Jerzy Grotowski and Eugenio Barba), Matt brings a unique blend of psychology and performance to his teaching. He’s a former NYC comedy club regular, indie film actor, and award-winning filmmaker, and he is the founder of Dzieci Theatre—an ensemble dedicated to art as a path for personal and collective transformation.
Michael Trautman
Michael Trautman is a visual comic, performance artist, new vaudevillian, mime, physical comedian, storyteller, magician, clown and fool. He has appeared in the New York International Festival of Clown Theater, Festival D’Ete in Quebec, and the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. From 2016 to 2018, Michael served as the Artistic Director and Creative Director at the Maine Circus Academy. In 2010, Michael collaborated with Robert Post to create KING PONG’S PING PONG RODEO.
