Performances
The James & Jamesy Performance Society creates multi-award winning theatrical performances typified by extended characters, rich emotion, and fantastical trips of the imagination. Their shows are investigations in participatory theatre that merge physical comedy, clown, and dance to create theatrical environments where audiences feel invited and compelled to participate.
Since 2012, James & Jamesy shows have sold over 80,000 tickets and been performed over 750 times across Canada, the United States, and the UK. Their accessibility and wide appeal is evident by numerous 5-Star reviews and 20 Best-of-Fest awards. Regarded as “Fringe legends” (Montreal Gazette), “Fringe stalwarts” (Winnipeg Free Press) and “One of the most popular fringe duos ever” (CBC), James & Jamesy have firmly claimed a place in the ranks of contemporary Canadian theatre.
Workshops
A cornerstone of James & Jamesy is its classes and workshops, which help people overcome fears and find new freedom in self-expression, drawing on clown and improv methodologies. We run classes out of our studio in Vancouver, and teach intensive workshops nationally to adults, elementary schools, and high schools.
Community
James & Jamesy partner with other Vancouver-based clown organizations to produce Vancouver’s annual In Jest Festival of Clown & Play. In Jest was conceived out of a desire to celebrate and share the many facets of clown and play and the benefits they hold for supporting the health and welfare of people from all walks of life and the communities they live in.
Aaron Malkin
he/him / JamesPerformer & Co-Artistic Director
Aaron passionately supports the discovery of full self-expression and the generation of delight through performance and teaching. His background in outdoor & experiential education, physical theatre, dance, and visual effects have led to international performance and teaching collaborations that often bridge mediums with delight and play as the central theme. He founded Vancouver’s PlayLaughBe Festival to build community through creative expression, co-founded the clown troupe Poupon Parade and is a marketing director of Vancouver’s In Jest Festival of Clown and Play.
Alastair Knowles
he/him / JamesyPerformer & Co-Artistic Director
Alastair is dedicated to the creation and presentation of performance that emphasizes impulse, introspection, and performance honesty to ultimately strengthen the connections between performer, audience, and community. With a background in business, clown, and dance, Alastair has focused his business acumen in the field of performance arts and acts as Treasurer and Principle Performer for Vancouver’s critically acclaimed Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret and Co-Produces Vancouver’s In Jest Festival of Clown and Play.
David MacMurray Smith
he/himRingmaster, Director, Co-Creator, Co-Writer
David is an independent educator with over 40 years of experience in the areas of Theatre, Clown, Mime, Ballet, and Opera. He is a movement specialist and an experienced counselor who has drawn on his broad range of experience and sources to develop a body-centered, humanist approach to personal and professional development through creative studies in human performance. He was head instructor at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre School and movement director for the Music Theatre and Opera programs at the Banff Center for the Arts. David was program director for the two-year Ensemble Training Program of Full Circle: First Nations Performance and currently on faculty at Douglas College. He is also a founding faculty member of a two-year certificate program in Expressive Arts Therapy through Langara College Continuing Education, and runs his own studio, Fantastic Space Enterprises, which he founded in 1995.
Jill Raymond
she/herTour and Communications
Jill has taken on myriad roles within the company over the last seven years, and is a dedicated part of the team. Truly a Jill-of-all-Trades, she is an expert in communications and publicity, tour management, and administration, whilst also being an educator and coach, alongside her work as a writer, producer and performer (with award-winning Direct Theatre Collective). She prides herself on alignment in everything she puts her hand to, and was a self-proclaimed superfan of James & Jamesy before working for them, respecting the deep importance of their work shining through the tomfoolery and jest.
Victoria Laberge
she/herTour Administrator and Outreach Coordinator
Victoria is a passionate Toronto-based arts administrator with her fingers in many pies. With James & Jamesy, she assists with tour management, social media, and outreach, delighting in learning, laughing, and growing her skill set alongside her hilarious colleagues. Victoria additionally works with such esteemed arts organizations as Sex T-Rex Comedy, Storytelling Toronto, and Puppetmongers Theatre, and serves as a publicist with Want & Able Arts Consulting and B-Rebel Communications.
