Noeleen clowns around as part of Danish tour

Noeleen clowns around as part of Danish tour

10 September 2014

STRANGFORD woman Noeleen Breen —better known as Clown Silly Tilly — has just returned from a short tour of Denmark.

Noeleen was part of the Holbaek Clown Festival, performing in theatres, schools, nursing homes, special schools, kindergartens, on the street and in the big top at Cirkus Kaephoj.

Describing it as an “amazing experience,” Noeleen said: “We were doing something different every moment. One morning I’m working one-to-one with children with quite profound disabilities and that afternoon I’m performing in the ring of the Big Top.”

This is the second year Noeleen has performed at the festival and she is already booked for next year.

“The first year I was a little apprehensive about how my show would go down with an audience whose language is not English,” said Noeleen.

“My Danish is good enough to order wine and find a bathroom but not to translate my show. But I quickly realised the words are irrelevant. The reaction of the audience was fabulous everywhere we went.”

Noeleen joined 42 other clowns from all over the world at this prestigious event and aside from her busy performance schedule also facilitated workshops for her colleagues.

On the executive committee of Clowns International, Noeleen hopes to bring a similar festival to Downpatrick next year.

In Denmark she met with the mayor of Holbaek Kommune, who she said was keen to establish links between the Danish festival and the proposed Downpatrick one.

The festival would depend on local support in terms of drivers, stewards and people to host a clown in their home.

Anyone who thinks they can help in any way is asked to contact Noeleen on 07740 972279.