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 2026

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.

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.

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.

Shereen Hickman

Shereen is best known for her character/clown work with Cirque du Soleil, where she originated characters in Zumanity(Vegas), Banana Shpeel (Broadway), and Amaluna (under the Bigtop). Most recently, she appeared with the 2025 National Tour of The Addams Family as “Grandma”. Directed by Antoinette DiPietropolo. When not on tour, she continues her circus and theatrical work with Parallel Exit as Marguerite in Sunset Circus, while also offering one-on-one coaching, teaching improv, keynote speaking and developing original performance work. A general lover of fun and whimsy, who strives to keep saying, "Yes! And…"

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.

John Towsen

John Towsen has worked throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, training hospital clowns, theatre clowns, actors, circus performers, stand-up comics and everything in between. He has taught full-semester physical comedy courses at the Juilliard School, Princeton University, and Ohio University, as well as workshops for Circus Harmony, Zirkus Mond, Ringling Brothers Clown College, Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit, and for Cirque de Soleil performers in Las Vegas. He is the author of Clowns: A Panoramic History (1976), still considered the authoritative work on the subject.

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.