Coalisland clown takes show to Canada

Amadan is husband and wife team Jude Quinn, who hails from Coalisiand, and Gemma Mae Halligan. They have been collaborating since 2013 and create physical theatre specialising in Clown and Bouffon.

‘Mr. Mess’ is a non-verbal clown show suitable for all the family with lots of fun, balloon popping and plenty of opportunities for the audience to join in.

Jude has been acting from a young age. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he took part in the Footlights Drama Group under the guidance of Roisin McGeown. After studying in Belfast at BIFHE he worked as an actor for four years but it wasn’t until he became a Clown Doctor, where he visited sick children in hospitals and hospices throughout Northern Ireland, that Jude found a new love in physical comedy.

This lead him to Paris where he trained for two years at the prestigious Ecole Jacques Lecoq and Ecole Philippe Gaulier. It was while working with working with world renowned clown master Gaulier that Jude discovered the world of Clown and Bouffon.

Gemma Mae Halligan, from Belfast, comes from a theatre family and for a time lived in Cyprus when her parents ran a cabaret group. Having worked as an actor for over ten years with companies such as the Lyric Theatre, Rough Magic, Tinderbox and Terranova productions, Gemma Mae turned her attention to creating new work and directing for Amadan.

Amadan are absolutely thrilled to have been invited to their first international festival at the prestigious Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Canada. In order to help fund their travel to the festival Amadan have initiated a crowdfunded campaign.

“Among the possible rewards is the chance for you to have the exclusive opportunity to have Mr. Mess attend your own event, as well as the knowledge you are helping get us to a major international festival,” explained Jude. “It’s very exciting and we are really grateful to everyone who has already donated so generously.”