Morro and Jasp Blog

Dear Jon

4/29/2017

Dear Jon,

We are sitting together and crying. The tears won’t stop. But they are full of so much. How do we write this? How do we write about a man who we loved with every speckle of our being, and who was giving enough to love us back? How could one beautiful human soul make us feel so special? How did you do that not only for us, but for so many people? Where did you find the time and energy and love to give so much to so many? Your soul was so gentle but your impact was of giant proportions.

We wouldn't be us without you. Without your advice, your feedback, your honesty. One of the main reasons we keep going is because of you. When the going got tough, you always reminded us why the tough was worth going. The fact that you told us early on about how much you loved Mump and Smoot made us feel like clowns matter. In fact, you made us feel all the time like theatre was actually something that matters and has an impact on the world, and that it is worth doing. You always came (to every single show we ever did, ever. Even the first ones. When no one else came. When we had no idea what we were doing...maybe we still don’t...) and supported us, and pushed us, and filled us up with hope, and encouragement, and thought, and motivation. You reminded us of the power and importance of opening one's heart to the world, because you opened yours to us. You cared. You truly truly cared. And made it feel safe to care ourselves.

You also gracefully told us to take a break every now and then and enjoy the sweet things in life.
From the amazing quiche that you raved about and said we must try, because it was the best in the city, to photos and stories from your trips around the world. We knew that if you recommended it, whatever it was would be a treat because it would be full of love.

You were a friend and a teammate. Whenever we wrote a show we would think “What will Jon think of this?” Not because we were afraid of your criticism but because we were excited to share it with you. Like, on the nights that we knew you were in the audience we got a tickle of delight in our bellies because we got to make you laugh and smile... and oh what a glorious smile.

You were magical Jon Kaplan. Truly magical.

Thank you for giving yourself to us, to clown, to theatre, to art, to the world. There is a big void in it today, but we will make it our life’s mission to keep filling it with love and light and truth in honour of you. And so we will keep smiling through our tears because we feel unbelievably lucky that we got to be a part of your world, filled with sunshine.

Love Morro and Jasp
(and their crew Heather, Amy and Byron)
xoxoxo

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Haters Gonna Hate

5/19/2016

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Every day when we go out, we know we are going to encounter someone who is afraid of us. Which is a terrible feeling. Coulrophobia comes from all the sensationalized horror clowns - in movies (Stephen King’s “It”), television (“American Horror Story”), and the occasional real life psychopath (John Wayne Gacy) - and we have to deal with the mess. It hurts to be thought of as "scary" and "evil" just because some clowns like to go out and do horrible things. Humans do horrible things too, but all humans don't get lumped into the same category. Yes, Pennywise the clown from "It" was scary, but you know who else was scary? George W. Bush.

We would love to be able to get on a bus without someone changing seats, or apply for a job without being told that we are "insulting them by walking into their store," but we face these challenges with patience and love because we are not evil. We are also not wholeheartedly good and perfect. We are flawed and complex beings just like you. And we have helped countless people overcome their phobias of clowns. And do you know how we've done it? By showing them our humanity (which, by the way, is a very non-inclusive word - but we will let that one slide).

One of those people who changed seats on the bus eventually gave us a hug and asked for a picture with us. All we did to change her mind about the terror of clowns was talk to her. People come to our shows all the time and tell us that we have helped them get over their fear of clowns because “we are different.” Maybe we are, but maybe these people aren’t spending enough time with the many clowns who are just different from the overzealous birthday party clown they encountered as a child who had a painted on smile and not enough sensitivity, which traumatized them for life.

A lady on the street we met said that she didn't like clowns because she thought that we were "unpredictable" and that she didn't know what was behind our noses. Okay, maybe we are unpredictable sometimes. But since when is that a bad thing? Exciting is another way to think of it, and that is part of our positive contribution to society. And what's behind your nose? Your nasal cavity. Ours too. Behind ours is also love.

People should not be ambivalent towards clowns. They should celebrate all the wonderful things that clown have done for centuries (yes, clowns have been around for that long) and continue to do. They should rejoice in the sense of play that we bring out in people when they open their hearts to us - because our hearts are open too.

Sometimes people ask us where our big squeaky shoes are, or if we juggle, or if we can whip up a balloon animal. Some clowns have these qualities and talents but we do not. We are not an old fashioned image of a clown that is represented in the media. We are NOT ALL THE SAME! We adapt and change like the rest of society. We personally see ourselves as trés hip and chic and sometimes hang out on Queen Street West and party with Drake (well not yet but we party at the Drake).

It's time for clowns to speak out. We will speak. We will yell. We won't be silent - that’s for the mimes.

If you haven't yet, you can watch our documentary about clown stereotypes - Morro and Jasp: Behind the Nose.

Your friends always,

Morro and Jasp
xoxo

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Farewell to The Year Past

1/5/2016

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2015 was a MARATHON year for these two clown sisters. We grew in ways we never thought truly possible. Like actually, we are both an inch bigger but in different part of our body (one up and one across). Here are our mind-blowing, possibility-exploding accomplishments of 2015:

We filmed a Pilot - We wrote and produced a pilot for us to use to pitch a TV show. With the help of FilmCoop (Laura Nordin and Emily Andrews), and an amazing team of super talented crew, and a super fantastic cast, we made a 20 minute pilot. We can’t tell you much more about it yet. It’s top secret! But we're pretty darn happy with it...

Anything Goes at Rhubarb - We transformed the offices at Buddies in Bad Times into a magical den of mystery and invited friends, old and new, to come and play with us and create an interaction that was specifically unique to them. We laughed, we cried (literally), we had sing alongs, we were performed for, we had duels (and sometimes died and then performed funerals), we told stories, we drew pictures, we gazed at the stars. It was beautiful.

Morro and Jasp: 9-5 at Factory Theatre - This show was our biggest challenge yet. We were unsure in ways we’ve never been unsure before. Jasp even puked because she was so nervous. We panicked and we toiled and we worked overtime (but not secretly at factory against Equity rules). And that’s what made the show work in the end. We also got to work with an incredible team of designers and technicians who were amazing collaborators and made our dreams come true in ways we could not even have imagined. And then the audience came and played and filled in the final piece of the puzzle, creating an experience that was so much greater than the sum of its parts.

Clown Fest - We produced a two night Red Nose District cabaret that featured some of the best clowns we know. The clowns played, experimented and learned with us from one night to the next and it was certainly a barrel of laughs.

Greeting people at the Doras Red Carpet styles - Everyone was in their best attire (including Jasp in her taffeta tutu and Morro in her bow tie) which is good because it made up for the weather. We took approximately eight hundred ‘usies’ (in front of our very own stand and repeat) with famous people from around Toronto and posted them online. That makes us famous by association, right?

The Birth of a Video Game - We began working with David Fono, game designer extraordinaire to create the world's most exciting interactive gaming experience. There are images, there are stories… many many stories… there is Morro and Jasp. The game is set to be released in Spring 2016.

Puberty at TO Fringe - It was so exciting to go back to our first adult show after so many years. We played to sold out houses and won Patron’s Pick but mostly had so much fun playing with our amazing audiences who came ready to rock. After all, who doesn't want to see Jasp hump Mr. Peabody (spoiler alert)? Oh! Then we got to take the show to Best of Fringe and perform it at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. How cool is that!?

Teen Party at the Tent - It was just one night but it was basically a time machine that brought everyone back to days of Dream Phone, chips and swamp-water, make-overs (some of which were by Morro) and spin the bottle. Thanks to everyone who was there to play.

Indiegogo - With the help of countless generous people who donated and helped us spread the word we raised $35,000. But actually. There are so many ways we can say thank you. Here are some of them: Danke, Merci, obrigado, obrigada, mulţumesc, спасибо, xвала, hvala, Ďakujem, gracias, tack, nandri, kop khun, teşekkür ederim, Дякую, diolch, a dank, ngiyabonga, ευχαριστώ, mahalo, תודה / todah, dhanyavād / shukriya, köszönöm, takk, terima kasih, grazie, arigatô, 감사합니다, paldies, choukrane, ačiū, Благодарам / blagodaram, terima kasih, grazzi, Xièxiè, Баярлалаа, dziękuję, dankie, faleminderit, shukran, Շնորհակալություն / chnorakaloutioun, благодаря / blagodaria, gràcies, M̀h’gōi, děkuji, tak, dank u, tänan, kiitos, Thank you!

Puberty at the Edinburgh Fringe - We performed at the biggest arts festival in the world for an entire month, only had one day off, and sold out our show amongst 3300 others. We had a disappearing technician, a space that was - oh - just a bit too small for the show, and we had to work the streets like nobody's business, getting heckled every day, but we did it and learned how to play the bagpipe (sort of). And only cried a few times. We also got to perform at a bunch of cabarets and hung out with some of the most exciting performers in the world including the Boy with Tape on His Face, The Pajama Men, and Ed Byrne.

Collective Memory at Nuit Blanche - We invited people to come and help us create a collective memory of our childhood (which we cannot remember) by providing a tent full of images, sounds, smells, things to play with and look through, textures and tastes to call up the past. Then they helped us fill out and put together a giant puzzle of beautiful and wonderful stories. Thank you all for sharing everything from our times in school, to molasses on toast, from trips to the candy store, to dancing to MJ in our PJs.

Live from the Annex - We performed a piece expressing our feelings on the stereotyping of clowns. It’s a very serious issue, although people in the audience laughed a lot. We also got to dance to the giggly beats of The Boxcar Boys.

We survived and thrived in Vienna - Our master problem solving skills were tested but we made it through the traumatizing experience of being separated by an ocean (literally) and endured thanks to several doctors, skype, our cousin June, and the help of everyone at the Clownin Festival (which is one of the best festivals ever in the whole world).

New beginnings - We established partnerships with two production companies to begin work on two new and exciting projects for the new year. They are big and mind blowingly exciting. More to come on these.

In the media - The Torontoist named Morro and Jasp do Puberty at the Fringe one of the Top Ten Comedy Shows of 2015. We also received rave reviews in 2015 both locally and internationally from The List, Broadway Baby, The Mumble, Arts Award Voice, Fringe Review, Feminist Fest, Bouquets and Brickbats, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, NOW Magazine, Stage Door, Canadian Jewish News, Mooney on Theatre, Crew Magazine, My Gay Toronto, ArtsVox, My Entertainment World, Theatre Isn’t Dead, TorontoStage.com, TWISI, Dart Critics, The Theatre Reader, BroadwayWorld.com, The Extra Mile, Sprockets and Greasepaint, and Life With More Cowbell. We were also interviewed on CBC’s Metro Morning, Global News, Falter in Vienna, Waffle TV, Fresh Fringe Radio, and Back of the House Podcast.

Thank you to each and every one of you who have helped us this year and who have been reading our blog and who have been part of our adventures. We seriously couldn't do it all without you. There would be no point it doing it without you. Thank you and Happy New Year!

5 Comments

Vienna - The land of...

12/14/2015

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Another seriously delayed post from Vienna - still catching up - but too good to miss and lots of people are asking about it so here are some photos.

Vienna. The land of Christmas markets (that is what they are called there - sorry if you don't celebrate Christmas), Gluh-wine (why they put glue in the wine is a mystery but it tastes great), and seeing our faces on a poster around every corner (and we didn't even put them up this time... we don't even know who put them up still... maybe magic fairies... maybe elves... whoever they are they are wonderful).

Vienna. The land of potpourri instead of cigarettes (even though they still smoke in most places - not the theatre), mini cars, friendly street crossing signals, schnitzel, funny signs, cake, signs that tell you that only old men and kids and bicycles are allowed, bananas on the walls, balloons in trees, fun bathrooms, mini pianos, random heads, snow globes, fancy bathrooms, and fun apartment buildings...

Vienna. The land of glamorous statues, giant ferris wheels that you can dine in, fancy lights, golden rooms, humongous buildings, sculptured boobs and gardens that have special designs that can only be seen from above...

Vienna. The land of fun, wonderful, amazing, talented people and a mannequin who is wearing a fancy dress once worn in the circus....

Thanks Vienna and thanks Clownin Festival. It was wonderful. See you again...

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Vienna - a Brilliant Hotel

12/8/2015

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Welcome to Vienna. Land of strange and wonderful things. For the duration of the festival Morro was staying at the Hotel Brillantengrund where everything was brilliant... including the windows... and the colours of the exterior of the hotel...

The inside of the rooms were equally as exciting with mini red chairs (which were perfect for Peabody) and a very very tall closet that you needed a stick for hanging anything. Morro couldn't even reach the rack without the stick and she is pretty tall.

Morro's very favourite thing was the bed. It was a round circle. It was probably the fanciest bed that she ever slept on and it had a chandelier over top... Pretty much just like a princess. Jasp would have really liked it, so Morro took lots of photos to send to her. She asked around and apparently her's was the only room with a circle bed so they must have special ordered it because they knew she was coming.

Then there was the BAD room. The room located exactly next to number 108 (Morro's room) was labelled with the word "BAD". Morro, of course, immediately tried opening the door upon seeing this but it was locked. Her curiously was piqued, however, and each time she passed the door, she checked to see if it was unlocked.

Each morning, breakfast was a selection of delicious loaves and Nutella or jam... and an orange juicer so you could make fresh squeezed juice. Breakfast of champions. One morning, upon sneaking a banana from the dining room back up to her room, Morro reached the top of the tiny spiralling marble staircase to discover that the door was open. The BAD door was ajar! She checked left, and then right, and no one was around. She ran down the hall trying not to squish the banana in excitement. There it was open for all to see. She looked in. It was cleaning products... and lots of them... and a sink... and a mop... sometimes it's more exciting not to know.

The hotel had a lovely little courtyard with fairy lights and a tree. All the smoking rooms were around it so you couldn't really go in there unless you were prepared to be attacked by second hand cancer, but it looked pretty through the windows. There were magical and fancy lights everywhere throughout the place, and a classic "Hotel" sign out front. All in all it was pretty trendy, and had an awesome cool staff, and could totally belong on Queen Street West... except that everything was in German. It was great and a super home for Morro for ten days. You should totally check it out if you are going to Vienna. Danke to everyone that worked there!

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The show Must Go on...

12/3/2015

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That old saying "The show must go on" is not a very friendly one when your sister is sick and cannot perform because she cannot presently get to the country that you are supposed to perform in. Last night, the show however did go on in a once in a lifetime event where Jasp allowed June (our distant cousin who lives in NYC) to take charge and do the show with Morro. Of Mice and Morro and June.

We performed to a sold out house and the night started with an video address from Jasp herself.

Zum Bearbeiten hier klicken.

After that Morro and June went to it, making lots of references about how "this isn't how it was supposed to go" and "I can't believe Jasp puts up with you" (said June) and "Peabody, what if June get's tired of cleaning up my messes just like Jasp did" (said Morro). There were lots of laughs and lots of tears. Candy decided the thing he wanted the most in the world was cheese (which Jasp would have loved). His second choices was peace which was an incredible leap from the curd of milk... so we ended up with a farm full of many kinds of cheese, peace... and of course rabbits.

We couldn't have done it without all your wishes and love and we want to send a huge thank you to everyone who wrote us a message for Jasp to feel better and for Morro to do well - it helped make our tears transform into a beautiful river of hope. Also, thank you to everyone at Clownin International Festival and Kosmos Theatre who helped us make it happen.

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Vienna- Welcome to Clownin!

12/2/2015

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This post is a little delayed because of trying to figure everything out with Jasp being sick but here it is to fill you all in. Morro arrived in style with an Airport limo that was sent for her and Jasp. She cried a little because Jasp wasn't there to see it too. She cried a little again when she checked into the hotel and Jasp wasn't there to experience it too. But then she was given the wifi password and she could live update Jasp about everything that was happening so she stopped crying so much. What is a clown to do without her sister?!?

A welcome dinner was held that night and Morro arrived to the theatre to see that Jasp was indeed there in spirit. Our image is everywhere. It is the poster image for the festival and so everywhere that Morro looks she sees Jasp. It's amazing! On the way to the theatre Morro saw it on the street. At the theatre Morro saw it in the main poster wall. She walked into the theatre space and it was projected on the big screen. It's incredible. Alex Nirta's photo is all over Vienna.

The official opening was the next day and Morro spent the day on the phone with Jasp prepping to perform without her, which is a rare event and should never happen. But it did happened and the other clowns (some of whom are just as messy as Morro - like this one, Manilla, who is from Brazil) helped Morro though, and the sold out audience helped Morro through, and Peabody helped Morro through.

Now all attention is focused on how to make Jasp better and how to make the show happen.

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Breaking News: Jasp is Sick - Can Morro perform alone?!

11/29/2015

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In an epic series of events, the tough-as-nails Jasp has taken ill and will not be able to make it to the Clownin International Festival. As you may know, the sisters were slated to make their debut appearance in Vienna for a performance of Of Mice and Morro and Jasp. But Morro had to pack her bags and head to the airport alone on Wednesday, with Jasp directing her from her hospital bed.

As first, it just seemed as though Morro would have to hold down the forts for the first couple of days of the festival, and that Jasp would still arrive in plenty of time for the show. Morro performed a lonely turn without her sister at the opening cabaret, and although it went well, it was a bitter sweet moment as no rendition of "Creep" could ever sound as good without Jasp.

The latest news is that Jasp has been instructed by doctors to remain in hospital and told she is not able to attend the festival at all or even leave the country for that matter. Diagnosis: Jasp has shingles, which sounds like jingles but aren't quite as delightful. And they're not the kind that go on your roof, they're the kind that go on your tummy and make you angry no matter how hard you try to smile through it. And to make things even more exciting, she also has clown-ingitis. Some people call it meningitis, but Jasp finds the name sexist and species-ist, so she took it upon herself to change it. Good news is that in a couple weeks Jasp will recover fully. Bad news... No Clownin for Jasp.

So what is going to happen with the show in Vienna? Well, Jasp has been on the phone giving Morro strict instructions. Morro is hard at work running around Vienna to find more rabbits and all the props for the show that Jasp was supposed to bring, because after all, the show must go on. Although Jasp is stuck in a hospital bed eating Jello and soup, she and her sister have found someone to fill in for the role of George in the play. Their friend June from NYC, who is also in Vienna for the Clownin Festival, is working with Morro under the strict direction of Jasp to fill in for a one time performance of Of Mice and Morro and June. June is wonderful and almost as bossy as Jasp and the Festival is being so wonderful to Morro and helping her figure everything out (when the Skype connection cuts out and Jasp is not giving instructions).

Is our play full of hope more hopeful than ever?

Stay tuned to see how it all turns out...

Morro hearing the news...

The green rabbit keeping Jasp's hospital bed warm...

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One More THANK YOU!

10/27/2015

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Now that we are back and recovered from Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015, we have had time to collect our thoughts and wanted to wrap up with one last huge big giant massive shout-from-the-rooftops THANK YOU to everyone who donated and helped us get there. We literally could not have done it without you all. Each and every one of you. In fact, you are our heroes. We met producers from around the world, got awesome reviews, and made incredible connections with theatre companies and potential future partners, and sold-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. Also, we had an amazing time. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

(donors in no particular order - we love you all so very much)

Katherine Rawlinson
Rick Lee and Laurie Shapiro
Gail Asper
Mike Cooney & Lori Burt
Bill Parrish
Don & Donna Pocock
Martin Shapiro & Barbara Vickrey
Anonymous
Nina Keogh
Brenlee Carrington Trepel
Joy Cooper
Caroline Herbert & Mike Lee
Rob & Leslie Lee
Susan Lee
Debbie & Jack Lipkin
Eric Logan
Cynthia & Lorne Orris
Darrel Pearson
Carol Sharp
Dan Sullivan
Star & Ben
Anonymous
Suzy Afifi
Anne Archer
Robert Fothergill
Thalia Kane
Anne Macdonald
Miquelon Rodriguez
Francie & Arnold Smith
Jenn Buckton
Haderra and Mark Chisick
Keith Collins
Colin Doyle & Renna Reddie
Mary-Kate Fallis
Kathy Gaitt
Barbara & David Goldenberg
Jim GH
Miriam Hildahl
Stacy Ho
Thomas Kelly
Marcia Knight & the Udow family
Diana Kolpack
Marty Koven
Linda Laviolette
Gavin Magrath
Peter McKinnon
Mandy McNeil
Andrea McPhee
Peter Mooney
Ed & Marie Murphy
Briane Nasimok
Robert Oliver
Jina Pagura
Hilary Prue
Don Rubin
Andrea Runge
Stephanie Silliker
Arlene Solomon
Karly Sullivan
Anne Thau
Gavin M. Wood
Anne Wooley
ArtsHR
Hannah Anderson
Eric Armstrong
Nicolas Billon
Kim Bird
Erin Birkenbergs
Katie Bowes
Ian Brackley
Dmitry Chepovetsy
Marty Chodorek
Amos Crawley
Jeffrey Crolla
David DeGrow
Bryan Eaton
Matthew Edison

Mike Kennard
Tova Epp
Ian & Helene Gillies
Natalie Gisele
Lise Hendlisz
Allan Jones
Carolyn Lepine
John Mayberry
Jonathan Meilach
Elenna Mosoff
Tom Murphy
Benjamin J. Noble
Jocelyn Primrose
Leslie Sanders
Katherine Sandomirsky
Rick Schwartz
Huel Twist
Mark Wilson
Ben
Anonymous
Danya Buonastella
John Conrad
Martin Dewar
Carly Felton
Barbara Fingerote
David Fono
Ricardo Giuliani
Matthew Gorman
Murray H
Martha Haldenby
Trevor Haldenby
Kerrie Halprin & Richard Leipsic
Shane Hollon
Indiegogo
Lindsay Jenkins
Phil Koole
Julia Lederer
Kathleen LeRoux
Elyse Maltin
Chelsea Manders
Merja Mansner
Emma Mackenzie Hillier
Fiona McPhaden
Jamie Minchopoulos
Amy Miranda
Megan Murphy
Laura Nordin
Adam Paolozza
Peter Pasyk
Rachel Penny
Katie Pounder
Diana Sernick
Shakespeare BASH'd
Dustyn Wales
Robert Watson
Lauren Vandervoort
Aidan Yasuo Morishita-Miki
Anonymous
Titus Androgynous
Martin Au
Sophia Fabilli
Armen Kay
Purple Car
Leslie Sidley
Laura Welch
Anonymous
AnOther Theatre Company
Lara Atlas
Mairi Babb
Christina Fawcett
Roni Hoffman
Peter Janes
Eponine Lee
Patricia Lee
Nigel and Ann Raincock
Daniel Wilner

If you donated and don't see your name here please let us know (we may have thought you wanted to be listed as "Anonymous"). Thanks for your help and understanding.

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Edinburgh Fringe - An Official Congratulations For Morro and Jasp From The Official Jester Of Conwy

9/10/2015

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As we completed our journey through the Edinburgh Festival Fringe we thought of all the ups and the downs of the ride. It was a roller coaster indeed. We met so many new friends, had so much fun doing our show, handed out literally thousands of postcards, cried from exhaustion ... As we recalled alllll of the moments, we received an email from some friends. Their names are Storm and Shadow. They did a thing. They had heard on CBC about the esteemed Erwyd le Fol, Jester-in-Residence of Conwy, United Kingdom. He is a historical jester-in-residence and they told him about us. This is what happened... It is THE BEST way to end Ed Fringe EVER! ...

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Dear Jon

Haters Gonna Hate

Farewell to The Year Past

Vienna - The land of...

Vienna - a Brilliant Hotel

The show Must Go on...

Vienna- Welcome to Clownin!

Breaking News: Jasp is Sick - Can Morro perform alone?!

One More THANK YOU!

Edinburgh Fringe - An Official Congratulations For Morro and Jasp From The Official Jester Of Conwy

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