Women's Theatre Festival 2020

This session will be an interview with Shannan Calcutt, clown/comedian/director/writer and currently the lead clown in Cirque Du Soleil's Zumanity performing her original work. The interview will be conducted by Allegra Libonati, Director of circus, musicals, and plays and aspiring clown performer.

SHANNAN CALCUTT
Known for her keen sense of timing, razor sharp wit, and extraordinary rapport with an audience, Shannan Calcutt has played an eclectic range of venues worldwide. From the Sydney Opera House, to San Francisco's Bimbo's 365 Club, to Saskatoon's Wash 'n Slosh Pub. Audiences can see Calcutt nightly on the Vegas Strip, attempting to sell her homemade breast implants in Cirque de Soleil's sensual sensation ZUMANITY. Calcutt has performed for millions of spectators, including the likes of Baz Luhrmann, Roberto Cavalli, Dame Judy Dench, Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, Sting, Aerosmith, Danny DeVito, and Dick Van Dyke to name a few.

Calcutt has a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Dramatic Media (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance (University of Victoria) and is a graduate of the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. She studied the art form of Clown with master teachers Sue Morrison, Jan Henderson, Michael Kennard and Philippe Gaulier; Bouffon with Philippe Gaulier and Sue Morrison; and Improvisation with The Second City.

ALLEGRA LIBONATI
Allegra Libonati is a performer and director of Theater, Circus, Nightlife and Opera. Most recently she directed the new hit circus, Celestia at The Strat in Las Vegas (Best of Las Vegas 2019 Awards: Best New Show, Best Acrobatic Show) Her credits include; Broadway: Tony Award-winning revival of HAIR (Assistant Director). Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin Workshop (Associate). Off-Broadway: In the Body of the World by Eve Ensler (Associate Director), Sleep No More (Artistic Associate), and The Light Princess at New Victory Theatre (Director). She was the Artistic Associate/Resident Director at the American Repertory Theater for 8 seasons and ran The Donkey Show at A.R.T.'S nightclub venue. Currently, she is the Resident Director for Spiegelworld's hit Variety Show Opium playing on the Las Vegas Strip; Internationally she directed a new immersive adventure show, Peter Pan’s Neverland in Beijing, China. Allegra has guest taught at Harvard University, Westfield U, Wayne State U, UNLV, and is a MIT Director’s Fellow. As a forever aspiring clown, she covers the lead female clown in Spiegelworld’s OPIUM and performs with the world-touring Tut Zanni Commedia Company.