Lebanon, 2018 – Ongoing
The Laughter to Lebanon initiative is run by The Flying Seagull Project team, a group of actors, artists and musicians that organise workshops and shows designed to aid childhood development, improve emotional wellbeing and to give support through laughter.
In Lebanon, they performed shows in informal refugee settlements where the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups live. They also provided workshops to teach their circus and entertainment skills.
The facilitators are professional clowns that approach children and their communities in a unique way, where performance becomes a form of participation. Clowns put children at the centre of their shows, while being sensitive to the context. They understand that the performance can be more powerful than the experience of trauma, if done in the correct way.
The unique and, somehow supernatural, clown characters allow the team to address and challenge unjust social constructs, which translates into performances where all member of society feel comfortable in participating equally.