Acrobatic troupe 500 Clown develops all-ages show

Despite the fact that both critics and audiences love it, you’ve probably never heard of the Chicago-based performing-arts troupe 500 Clown. That’s because it’s managed to do something astonishing: maintain its special brand of original works (and a band of dedicated fans) despite—or because of?—its rare appearances: just four shows in 12 years. In May comes a fifth—and a company first: 500 Clown Trapped, a stunt-based show developed specifically with kids in mind.

For folks who’ve never seen these actors perform, here’s a quick primer. First: The company name is a feint. You won’t see a legion of clowns in this inventive troupe; almost every show has featured a cast of three. Second: Its concept of clown is different from yours. To some people’s disappointment (and others’ great relief), they don’t paint their faces white or sport red noses. These clowns are more about comedy teased out of dramatic tension, improv and plenty of risk-taking acrobatics.

Despite artistic roots in circus arts, until now, they’ve not done an overtly all-ages show. “In the clown world, this is one of the curses: People always assume it’s for kids,” says cofounder and producing artistic director Adrian Danzig. “We went to some lengths [in the past] to distance ourselves from kids’ stuff.” Today a father of two, Danzig admits the shift is “partially inspired by being a parent.”

For Trapped, 500 Clown teams with Adventure Stage Chicago, the children’s theater company with a reputation for not talking down to its target tween audience. Danzig met Tom Arvetis, Adventure Stage’s producing artistic director, through the child-care co-op their kids attend.

It’s not easy to tease details about Trapped out of Danzig and Arvetis. Three performers will play music, Danzig allows, and they’ll have their signature style of “rough-style acrobatics.” He pauses, then says, “It’s hard not to give stuff away.”

We’re guessing the title tells as much as you need to know—past titles always said more about theme, not plot. (The clowns are tricksy that way.) 500 Clown Macbeth departed from the Bard, riffing on the cost of ambition as a trio of daredevil jesters—two men, one woman—competed for a crown. In 500 Clown Frankenstein, one of them ended up the persecuted “monster”—a powerful lesson in bullying.

“We thought Frankenstein was going to be way too dark for kids,” recalls Danzig. But a four-year-old “taught us how to play that show. The kid stood up—the only brave member of the audience who did that—and stopped me from attacking [the monster].”

With a new audience in mind, Trapped tones down the physical violence. “What I love,” says Arvetis, “is that the show is about embracing one’s impulse to play.”

Danzig agrees. “Great stuff happens when you play,” he says, “and sometimes people get their eyes poked.”

500 Clown Trapped catches new fans starting May 3.