A new partnership and Arts Council England Funding for the Clown Doctors.

Suffolk Artlink will work in partnership with Hocus Pocus Theatre to offer enhanced artistic development of the Clown Round programme thanks to Arts Council England funding.

The Clown Round team is expanding and the additional project funding will support a new training programme for the artists and additional sessions.

Hocus Pocus Theatre will host a residency with renowned therapeutic clown Sue Morrison, opening places to the international healthcare clown community.

To build further on the artist team’s expertise, they will learn Makaton to develop their inclusive practice. Makaton is a communication tool together with speech and symbols, to enable people with disabilities or learning disabilities to communicate.

Hocus Pocus Theatre’s Artistic Director, Lucy Enskat, has worked as a Healthcare Clown on the Clown Round project in a freelance capacity for Suffolk Artlink since 2014 as Dr. Dizzy Daydream. This year she has taken on the Project Development Officer role (maternity cover) and these blended roles move the project towards a new way of working which is artist informed and led.

Suffolk Artlink is proud to be collaborating with Hocus Pocus Theatre in the development of the programme for 2022/23 and hopefully beyond. The partnership combines Suffolk Artlink’s years of experience and expertise delivering this sensitive work with Lucy’s creative vision and passion for clowns and wellbeing.