The Healing Power of Humor: Therapeutic Clowning in Applied Theatre
Saturday 26 September | 2PM NYU Steinhardt,Pless Hall, 82 Washington Square East
About the Event
Utilizing the power of laughter and engagement to enhance the experience of hospitalized children, senior citizens or incarcerated individuals necessitates well-prepared artists who are dedicated to transformative work. This active workshop will introduce students to some of the skills and tactics that clown doctors and teaching artists use to inspire joy and laughter within vulnerable populations. Approaching the training through the lenses of improvisation and play, the workshop will explore how an artist must be ready to change tactics to read the room they are working in, and thus adjust to the needs of the participants.
Tiffany Riley and Nancy Smithner will also discuss their years of research and practice working as pediatric clown doctors, as well as share their respective experiences with clowning in memory care centers and correctional facilities. They will offer information about the complexity of stages of training one must engage in, in order to understand developmental stages, respect diversity, honor varying abilities, and be in compliance with the expectations of the environment.
This two hour workshop will be part workshop and part lecture. Come ready to play!
Leaders
TIFFANY RILEY was the first female clown featured in The Big Apple Circus, and has been featured with Omnium Circus, Circus Sarasota, Circo Atayde, Lone Star Circus and Ringling. She and her partner, Dick Monday, co-founded the New York Goofs and Laughter League, a non-profit organization that brings the healing power of humor to patients at top pediatric facilities in New York, Boston, Providence, Ft. Worth, Dallas, Atlanta and Seattle. She holds a BFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Master of Liberal Studies from SMU. Tiffany’s book, Beyond the Red Nose: The Serious Business of Healthcare Clowning, is available on Amazon, Kindle and Audible. https://laughterleague.org/
NANCY SMITHNER, Ph.D., is a director, devisor and Clinical Professor in the Program in Educational Theatre at NYU, where she teaches physical theatre, acting, directing, play theory, applied theatre, and dramatic literature through a feminist lens. She teaches clowning at Circle in the Square Theatre School, and has taught at many international venues as a global scholar. As an applied theatre practitioner, Smithner performed for 20 years as a pediatric clown doctor for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit and currently teaches in medium and maximum-security prisons. Routledge recently published her book, Embodied Learning in Educational Theatre: Perspectives on Kinesthetic Change and Social Transformation from Urban Classrooms and Prison Settings (2025).
Sing Sing Clowns
About the Organization
Laughter League’s mission is to spark joy and healing, one playful interaction at a time. Through empathy, authenticity, and therapeutic humor, we bring joy to pediatric hospitals, care facilities, schools, and dementia
communities—empowering patients and supporting families. Using the art of clowning and variety arts, we collaborate closely with medical staff to promote emotional well-being, reduce stress, and support overall health.