Richard Pochinko
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Richard Pochinko (1946-1989), was a notable Canadian clown trainer who developed his own style of performance training, known as the "Pochinko method". He was raised in Lockport, Manitoba. As a child, he would build miniature stages and circuses to play with. In his teens, he literally "ran off to join the circus", joining a traveling troupe of performers. He eventually became a stage manager, and met his life partner Ian Wallace.
Together, the two traveled to Paris, France where Pochinko Attended L'École Jacques Lecoq and L'École Philipe Gaulier. Although the Lecoq Program normally lasts two years, Jacques Lecoq himself dismissed Pochinko after only a few months. Two possibilities are often considered for this situation, (1) that Pochinko had surpassed all possibilities, or (2) that he was so stubborn, Lecoq considered him unteachable.
Ian Wallace often recounts what he calls the spaceship dreams, dreams during which Richard would speak in his sleep to Ian, who was still awake:
...The most vividly emotional and meaningful flight was one night when we were flying over a dark landscape and he said that I should steer over to the left and go over the hill there. I said aye-aye sir and made the movement. As we got over the crest of the hill he got excited about seeing some people off in the distance. He was very happy and as we got closer he exclaimed "oh look, they're waving at us" - as we got closer still he suddenly went "Oh God, Oh my God!" he went from being extremely happy and excited to unbelievable shock and horror as he saw the people. He said in a trembling voice "they're not waving at us, they're all encased inside glass tubes and they're banging on the glass trying to break out" --- in a flash he said "oh my God! that's our mission, that's why we're here - to set them free, to help them break out of the glass tubes." -[http://www.geocities.com/nion44/rich.html Ian Wallace}
Frustrated with European Clowning techniques, Pochinko set up his own studio in British Columbia. it was at this studio where Pochinko met jonsmith.
jonsmith, or jah-smih was a Shaman Presence or spirit guide, who appeared to Richard as a nine foot tall man who wore a cape covered with moons and stars. he taught richard the fundamentals of a new, North American approach to Clown through mask.
The Geometry of the masks was to see oneself in the six directions of one's 'Artistic playground', the idea came from jonsmith's advice "to look out at the horizon until he could see himself". Each of the directions became a hightened concept, North became North of North, South became South of south, Above became Above Above, Below became Below Below, West became West of West, and East became East of East. Added to this, was a seventh direction, the Red Nose which was capable of working at each of the 6 directions, anywhere in between, or all of them at once.
In the Technique that developed, which Pochinko called The Canadian Clowning Technique (although, to date, most Canadian Clowns are still trained in European techniques, it is commonly referred to as the Pochinko Clowning Technique), a mask is made for each direction, and the seventh mask is the clown. Variations include a three-mask technique (based on the three polarities) and a six-in-one mask technique.
To the Pochinko Clown, Clowning is about allowing all honest emotions and impulses to occur, and then structuring that creative licence to build a performance. By contrast, other techniques teach structure before freedom.
Richard founded the Theatre Resource Centre in Toronto, which still enjoys success under the direction of Ian Wallace.
Among his notable students are Karen Hines and Mump and Smoot.
