Faculty Profile:
Jan Henderson

Jan Henderson is one of the world’s leading experts in clown and mask. She studied and performed extensively with master clown teacher, Richard Pochinko, and co-founded with him what is now the Theatre Resource Centre, Toronto. As director and performer with the internationally acclaimed Small Change Theatre, she has literally clowned her way around the world, discovering first hand that laughter is the universal language. A specialist in the nature of creative process, Jan teaches at Grant MacEwan University, The Clown School L.A., and the University of Alberta, where she has won four awards for excellence in teaching. She gives annual workshops through her company, Foolmoon Productions, and is Senior Artistic Associate with Edmonton’s clown company, Small Matters Productions. Her work is featured in the documentary Phyllis’s Miracle, the NFB film To Be A Clown, and the U of A film, The Art of Clowning. She is the recipient of Global TV’s Women of Vision Award and the Elizabeth Haynes Sterling Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Theatre in Edmonton. Jan’s lifetime of work is celebrated in the documentary, The Wise Fool, directed by Geraldine Carr of Shiny Carr Productions.