Philippe Gaulier: The Master Clown Who Revolutionised Theatre Training
The world of performing arts has lost one of its most distinctive and influential figures with the passing of Philippe Gaulier at the age of 82. The French clown, teacher, and founder of the renowned École Philippe Gaulier died following a lung infection, leaving behind a legacy that transformed how actors and comedians approach their craft.
The School of Play and 'Le Jeu'
In 1980, Gaulier established his theatre school in Paris with a singular mission: to help performers discover and celebrate their "inner idiot." This concept became the cornerstone of his teaching philosophy, which centred on le jeu – the French word for play. For Gaulier, comedy wasn't about telling jokes but about embracing danger – those moments when performers risk failure or ridicule in pursuit of genuine delight.
The school quickly became the premier destination for clown training worldwide, attracting theatre students, established actors, and curious creatives from across the globe. Gaulier's approach produced clowns who were not sentimental innocents but rather mischievous creatures who loved their audiences and desperately wanted to be loved in return.
Controversial Methods and Celebrated Results
Gaulier's teaching methods were as unconventional as they were effective. He relished catching students' mistakes so he could administer what he called "punishments" – typically mild thumping or hair pulling. While most students understood and enjoyed this approach as part of the process, some found it appalling.
"It would not occur to Philippe to claim credit for the success of his alumni," noted one observer, referencing the school's impressive roster of graduates that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush. Gaulier himself insisted: "They were talented already. I only told them when they were lying."
Beyond Clowning: Bouffon and Comprehensive Training
While best known for clown training, Gaulier's school offered much more. He was equally celebrated for teaching bouffon – a grotesque, satirical form where performers mock power structures and societal hypocrisy. These savage yet playful critics of society could generate shocking laughter from even the darkest material.
The curriculum also included courses in melodrama, Shakespeare, Chekhov, neutral mask, tragedy, and vaudeville, creating a comprehensive theatrical education that went far beyond simple clowning.
A Transnational Journey
Gaulier's school embarked on a remarkable geographical journey that mirrored his own transnational life. After giving a transformative clown course in London's Golders Green in 1988, he was invited by Arts Council England to relocate his school to London in 1991. He moved with his wife, Iranian actor Soussan Farrokhnia, and their two sons to Hampstead, establishing the school first in Highbury, then Kentish Town, and finally in a disused, mouse-infested church in Cricklewood.
Following the end of his marriage in 2002, Gaulier returned to France, where the school moved through various Paris suburbs before settling in Étampes, approximately 45 minutes south of Paris. He continued teaching until just months before his death, with the school now thriving under the guidance of his wife since 2005, Michiko Miyazaki Gaulie, and their teaching staff.
Early Life and Formative Experiences
Born in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943 to Spanish mother Jacqueline Everling and French GP André Gaulier, Gaulier's rebellious nature emerged early. He was eventually expelled from primary school for punching his gymnastics teacher "for making us march around like soldiers." School staff reportedly beat him repeatedly for his stubbornness and, he claimed, for bearing the name Philippe – which echoed that of the collaborationist Vichy France leader Marshal Philippe Pétain.
Gaulier said this childhood oppression fostered his love of pretending to be someone else. After audiences laughed at him in serious teenage acting roles, he found his way to study with Jacques Lecoq at his Paris mime school. There he learned from Pierre Byland, with whom he would later create the celebrated clown show Les Assiettes, where the pair broke 200 plates every performance.
Literary Contributions and Lasting Legacy
A prolific writer who rose at 4am daily to work at his desk before teaching, Gaulier published several works including Le Gégèneur (The Tormentor: My Thoughts on Theatre, 2007), Lettre Ou pas Lettre (2008) – reflections on teaching from a calligraphic perspective – and Le Gauche et le Droit, a tale of identical twins. His collection Pièces pour Bouffons includes his best-known work, No Son of Mine.
Philippe Gaulier is survived by his wife Michiko, sons Balthazar and Samuel, grandchildren Gladness and Soloman, and siblings Nicole, Martine, Michèlle and Frédéric. His sister Claudine predeceased him. The teacher who showed generations of performers how to find their "inner idiot" through play, danger, and sometimes controversial methods leaves behind a transformed theatrical landscape.
