October 26, 2026: The Writer's Center, Bethesda, MD

Find their bios here

Chase Brantley is a performer, director, and clown trained at École Philippe Gaulier and founder of Moonlight Theater Co. His solo clown show, Don Toberman: Ping-Pong Champ, sold out two consecutive years at the Edinburgh Fringe and toured internationally, closing at London’s Soho Theatre. Critics called it “a physical comedy masterclass” (The Wee Review, ★★★★★) and “essential to a clown show” (Broadway Baby, ★★★★). Chase has directed and collaborated on more than 26 productions across the UK, Europe, and the US, including work featured in The New York Times. He has taught clown for over a decade, including at the Folger Shakespeare Library and the University of Georgia.

Lily and Amanda perform at Renaissance Festivals across the country. Topsy Turvy Show combines high energy, bendy-flexy acrobatics, and a variety of other skills into an unforgettable experience.  Featuring a blend of nerdy humor, the show has become a testament to girl power, sibling rivalry, ADHD fueled whimsy, and pure chaotic shenanigans.

Karen has been a professional magician for most of her adult life, performing around the world. She has performed for a range of celebrities and politicians, including her own favorite RBG. Karen has clowned in hospitals for the past 15 years with Healthy Humor. Most recently she pivoted and got her Masters in Social Work, but is confident she will never stop performing because it is the "funnest thing ever." 

Matthew Pauli is an actor, clown, and puppeteer. In the DC area, he has performed with Faction of Fools, Constellation Theatre, Imagination Stage, The Folger Theater, The Shakespeare Theatre, Washington National Opera, and Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, among others.  He’s also a regular performer of variety shows at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Matthew is one of the founders of Clown Cabaret, a performance laboratory for developing clown work. He toured for six seasons with Big Apple Circus and is a Red Nose Doc for Healthy Humor Inc, performing clown rounds at Johns Hopkins Hospital and National Children’s Medical Center.  He is a graduate of Georgetown University, as well as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Clown College, and has an MFA from the Shakespeare Theatre Academy for Classical Acting at the George Washington University.

Rich co-created (w/Matthew and Karen) “Delusions of Grandeur” and “The Heist. He also created “God! The One-Man Show.”  Other credits include “Late Show with David Letterman,” Kennedy Center, Wolftrap, and the Vice Presidential Mansion. He worked as a Big Apple Circus pediatric hospital clown. Since 2019, Rich has resided in NYC, appearing on Fallon’s “Tonight Show”, in Macy’s Parade, and he teaches for National Circus Project where he brings circus skills to a new generation.  www.richpotter.com

Comedy circus superstar Michael Rosman has been eliciting laughter from audiences for more than 30 years on stages all over the world... sometimes intentionally. He has appeared at Clown Cabaret numerous times over the years.

Nora Dell is a Gaulier-trained surrealist comedian. Dell’s work has been featured all over the world, including New York, Baltimore, Bombay Beach (2026 Grant Winner), Edinburgh, and D.C., where she earned a “Best of D.C. Fringe 2025”. When not traveling, she hosts a monthly cabaret in D.C., which serves as an incubator for the city’s nascent alt-comedy scene. You can find her on instagram @aronlled_comedy or on the streets of L.A. or Edinburgh dressed as a giant Olive.

Brian Bowyer is a Philadelphia-based physical theatre artist, director, and capocomico. Founder of 21st Century Commedia, he holds an MFA in Devised Performance from Pig Iron/UArts. A certified actor combatant specializing in Lecoq pedagogy and mask work, Brian brings slapstick, spectacle, and classic lazzi to the stage.

Edgar Allen Poe and spooky delights. Stay tuned!