NEW YORK CITY 2026
COOL FOOL SCHOOL
STAY TUNED FOR UPCOMING DATES!
Details
Join the Laughter League for our intensive playground for actors, instigators, interlocutors, improvisers, playful spirits and clowns!
WHAT
This course will guide performers in developing the tools required for being successful eccentric physical comedians, with an emphasis on bringing their gifts to the work of uplifting lives in marginalized populations, pediatric hospitals and memory care centers. We will focus this year developing the tools needed specifically for work in alternative performances spaces such as pediatric hospitals, dementia care homes and social circus settings.
Faculty: Michelle Matlock, Tiffany Riley and Dick Monday
WHERE
All classes will be held at the Brooklyn Art Haus in Brooklyn. Apply today. To begin the application process for this program send us an email: triley@laughterleague.org. Full tuition for the week is $750. There are five full scholarships available.
WHO
Laughter League’s Intensive Clown Training (scholarships available)
Let's get to work.
With lifelong clown pros as instructors along with special guests, we'll take a deep dive into character, and zero in on what work you need to be doing to level up your character and your performance. Coursework will include classes specifically aimed at training for work in the healthcare clowning realm.
Tue Aug 18-Sat Aug 22 10 AM-5 PM. Brooklyn Art Haus, 24 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn. Early bird discount for signups before July 1
Apply here:Cool Fool School Application
Faculty Bios
HILARY CHAPLAIN
Since 2005, Hilary Chaplain has been touring internationally with her award winning solo show A LIFE IN HER DAY, directed by Avner Eisenberg, and in variety shows worldwide with her short comic numbers. In 2018 she created a show in collaboration with other artists called THE LAST RAT OF THERESIENSTADT which won the top four awards when it premiered at the Lalka Tez Cztowiek Puppet Festival in Warsaw, Poland. Drawing inspiration from clown theatre, movement, objects and puppetry, Hilary has been creating solo and ensemble work for the past 40 years. She was an original cast member in Bill Irwin’s LARGELY/NEW YORK and appeared on Broadway in the Public Theatre production of THE TEMPEST directed by George C. Wolfe. She played a featured role in Forrest Gump, and a lawyer on LAW AND ORDER CRIMINAL INTENT. 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.
Michelle Matlock
Michelle Nicole Matlock is an accomplished director, performer, and educator with over 25 years of experience shaping innovative cultural work across theater, circus, and festival production. A pioneer in the performing arts, she made history as the first Black American to create a main character for Cirque du Soleil. Michelle’s directing and teaching practice bridges professional artistry and education, empowering emerging and BIPOC artists to thrive through accessible training, workshops, and mentorship. Her acclaimed solo show, The Mammy Project, recognized with a 2023 NEA Grant and three 2025 Gregory Awards, has toured globally to critical acclaim.
DICK MONDAY
Dick’s film and television credits include Brain Donors, Sweet and Lowdown, My Life, Saved by the Bell, The Late Show and The Tonight Show. Dick has been featured with Omnium Circus, Big Apple Circus, Circus Sarasota, Circo Atayde, Lone Star Circus, MadHattan in Las Vegas and Ringling. He co-founded the New York Goofs and Laughter League, a non-profit organization bringing the healing power of humor to top rated Children’s hospitals throughout the United States. Dick was Director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Clown College and Director of Clowning for The Greatest Show on Earth.
TIFFANY RILEY
Tiffany was the first female clown featured in The Big Apple Circus, has performed with Omnium Circus, Circus Sarasota, Circo Atayde, Lone Star Circus and Ringling. She 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.