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Our Faculty (past & present)

Jay Stewart



While researching his Master's Thesis in Theatre at Wake Forest University, Jay came across references to The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Clown College. Professors and directors had always commented that Jay "fell down well," so they encouraged him to audition for a position in the Clown College Class of 1989. This launched Jay's clowning career, first as a member of Clown Alley of The Greatest Show on Earth, then as an instructor at the Clown College for five years. Along came a two year run as Moe Howard in "The Three Stooges, Live" at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, then a stint clowning in Japan, with the Kinoshita Circus, in Tokyo and Osaka. In the fall of 1999, Jay returned to the Ringling Bros. Circus, this time for a four year run as the Boss Clown of Clown Alley. After wearing out his welcome again, Jay opted to leave the touring life of the circus, and relocated to Myrtle Beach, SC, where he founded The Seaside Clowns, a troupe of veteran circus clowns, and performed nightly at area Amusement parks, Speedways, and other classy venues. Most recently, Jay was found in Liuzhou, China, as a member of the first-ever Clowning Festival in China, wowing the crowds, throwing buckets of water as an old lady drag clown. Whew! Along the way, on this crazy path, Jay met and fell in love with a beautiful, funny clown, his wife, Kristin, and together, they produced two great kids, Karen and Nick. They all live in a quaint little hamlet called Harwich, on Cape Cod. Jay is proud to be part of the faculty of The New York Goofs, and is happy to make his living playing the fool.

Larry Pisoni
 Larry is the founding artistic director of San Francisco's Pickle Family Circus. He has performed with the S. F. Mime Troupe, New York's Circo Del Arte and for the past few years with the Puget Sound Revels. He has taught at Ringling Bros. Clown College, Cornish College for the Arts and the San Francisco State University. Since his work with the Pickle Family Circus, he has worked in films, television and live theatre. He currently teaches and directs and on occasion performs his original stage pieces. His one-man shows include Clown Dreams and Clown, Clown, Clown, Clown, Clown, Clown, Clown.

Barbara Karger
 Barbara teaches movement and physical theatre was a member of the Mummenschanz Troupe for many years and also a founding member of the Bobo Dance Theatre. She has taught at NYU and Playwrights Horizons, and is an acclaimed director of many theatrical shows in Europe. For the past two years, she and partner Michael Preston have been at the helm of the theatre dept. for Trinity College in Hartford, Ct.


Hovey Burgess
 Every student to study at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting program, since its inception in 1966, has studied circus techniques with Hovey Burgess. In 1969-1970 he created, directed and performed with the Circo Dell'Arte, which included Cecil MacKinnon, Larry Pisoni, Judy Finelli and Jim Jansen. He taught at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College (1973-1975, 1995); with others, he continues that work at the Untimate Clown School www.nygoofs.com His 1976 instructional book "Circus Techniques" (with photographs by Judy Finelli) is still in print, published by Brian Dube, Inc. www.dube.com Hovey choreographed, and appeared in, the motion picture "Popeye" (1980) starring Robin Williams, one of his former Juilliard students. Recipient of the Red Skelton Award "Gifted Mentor to Clown-Theatre Artists" (1991). Recipient of the International Jugglers Association's "Excellence in Education" award (1997). Contributing editor at the circus quarterly "Spectacle" www.spectaclemagazine.com Founder, with Stanley Allen Sherman and Julie Goell, of the Roving Classical Commedia University (2002) www.commediau.com Although Hovey has worked for more than a dozen different circuses, his most enduring relationship has been with Circus Flora since 1991.


Kim Winslow
 Kim Alan Winslow has a B.A. in theater from San Francisco State University and completed the advanced training program at the American Conservatory Theater in 1981. In 1984 and 1985, Kim made two ten-week tours of Eskimo villages in Alaska with his one-man show, sponsored by the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Kim has also toured internationally. In 1991 he performed in Bosnia through a grant from the Vaclav Havel Foundation. In that same year he performed at The Osaka World Performers Festival appearing on national television. Since then he has toured Japan several times. Kim joined the Big Apple Circus Clown Care in 1986. In addition to his work in New York's preeminent pediatric hospitals, he is also the National Creative and Educational Coordinator for the Clown Care. He has helped in the creation of CCU programs in nine U.S. cities and has represented the organization in exchanges with similar programs in France, Brazil, and the Netherlands. His association with Paul Newman and the NewmanÕs Own Foundation has allowed him to perform and teach at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps around the world. He has appeared numerous times with the Funny Stuff Circus, and as the co founder of The Grand Falloons has performed at festivals and museums across the country.

John Lepiarz
 Mr. Fish, born John James Lepairz, spent seven years as featured clown with the Big Apple Circus in New York and on tour. He has appeared on HBO and on ABC's "Great Circus Performances of the World," and was awarded first place in clowning at the International Circus Festival in Sarasota, Florida. His two-man show, The Funny Stuff Circus, performed in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and all over the United States and Canada. A graduate of Oberlin College and the LeCoq School of Mime and Clown in Paris, he is the proud father of four children.

Barry Lubin
 created the much-loved clown character Grandma who has been the featured clown of The Big Apple Circus for many years. Lubin and Monday have also teamed up on many shows coast to coast, and Barry is a member of The NY Goofs.

Evelyn Tuths
 has been a member of NY Goofs since the beginning, and also has her own clown group, “Those in the Nose”. She teaches clown and acting, as well as bouffon in many studios in New York City.


Hilary Chaplain
 has been recognized as one of America's foremost professional physical comediennes, performing her original solo and ensemble work for over a decade throughout the United States, Canada, South America and Europe. Uncovering the humor in everyday life, Hilary's extraordinary work has won accolades worldwide. She is also a founding member of the New York Goofs (est.1998) appearing with them in prestigious New York venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, the American Museum of Natural History, Symphony Space, and on tour at Wolf Trap with Bob McGrath from Sesame Street. Hilary is an adjunct professor of clowning at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (since 1994). She has also been entertaining children in NYC hospitals as "Nurse Nice" of the renowned Big Apple Circus Hospital Clown Program¨ (since 1987) and has been invited to teach Hospital Clowning internationally, most recently at the FILO Festival in Londrina, Brazil. Hilary is currently touring her award winning solo show A Life In Her Day. The show was presented at Carcajada 2005 in Buenos Aires, Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, S.C., and Edgefest in Blue Lake CA. It has been performed to critical acclaim at the Faust Festival in Hong Kong, the Prague and Melbourne Fringe Festivals, the New York International Fringe Festival (where it won a Best of the Fest Solo Show Award), the East Coast Funny Women's Festival and the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival.