The Knock 'Em Downs | Clint Bolster & Annie Lee
The Knock ‘Em Downs is an odd-ball pop-up show by local clowning royalty, Clint Bolster and Annie Lee. Transforming a circus tent into an old side show, this experience was stocked with classic carnival games that were prepped and primed for audience participation.
Before we get any further, I must admit that I haven’t seen many clown shows, except for the occasional and obligatory interaction with clowns at childhood birthday parties. Other than that, my (finite) clowning knowledge comes from studying it briefly at uni. Here’s what I learnt: everything clowns do is catered towards what the audience responds to. If they make an offer that audiences don’t like, they speedily move on, plucking flowers out of their rucksack desperately hoping that the next one will win audiences over. Generally speaking, clowns are the biggest people pleasers, putting audiences in the captain seat and handing over the steering wheel. But in The Knock ‘Em Downs, there was none of this.
Lee and Bolster were painfully ambivalent, even indifferent, to anyone and everyone’s presence. And best of all, when audience’s participation didn’t cut the mustard, they made no attempt to hide their disappointment. If your ball throwing skills were aimless, you knew it. If you took too long to hand over your ticket, you knew it. If your hoop throws onto the pointy clown noses were lacklustre, you knew it. And not just because of the clown’s body language – with impatient eyes and slouched shoulders – but also because of the ‘loser’ sound que they’d hit each time someone’s efforts deserved public condemnation. I’m sure you’re reading this thinking ‘that sounds bloody awful’, but rest assured, everyone left the tent smiling. I couldn’t tell you how, but under the clown’s eye rolls and sighs, there was something so lovable. Even the little baby in front of me who sat atop the clown’s table was smiling furiously, which only made the clown’s eye rolls bigger and their sighs louder.
So, while the performers weren’t overtly welcoming, this was nicely contrasted by the accessibility of this event. Anyone moseying through Southbank’s pink-bannered Bris-Fest wonderland would’ve seen the Bolster & Lee tent sporting a que open to everyone. With no strict start time, no age limit, free tickets, predominantly visual content and wheelchair accessibility (despite this sadly not being advertised on the website), this space did a good job at being welcoming to a wide range of people. And boy was the space well designed. The wall of toys, flashing lights and interactive games really evoked that busy, blinking, buzzing, carnival feel (however I think a note warning those sensitive to over-stimulation wouldn’t have gone astray). The sound design was a particular highlight, especially how it seamlessly integrated into the world of the performance with the clowns queuing different tracks to fit the many routes of audience interactions.
Another element of this show was its pop out moments, distinguishable by changes in sound and lighting, where the audience interactions momentarily paused. In these moments, we got to see the clowns interact with the sound scape, and better yet, with each other. Bolster & Lee have been working together since 2004, so their comedic chemistry was golden. However, since 90% of the show was them working individually with audiences, I didn’t feel like this chemistry was utilised to it’s potential. So, if The Knock ‘Em Downs makes a comeback, I’d love to see more of these pop out moments, and more interaction between this talented and tight duo.
The Knock ‘Em Downs is open mid-afternoon until late from 14-18 September and 20-24 September. Further details at the website. They can be found in their own special-purpose tent next to the Piazza in Southbank.
